Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Thank you to our NHS / healthcare staff #MyTravelPledge

Free holiday accommodation for NHS / Healthcare workers

Home Base Holidays are proud to have teamed up with the #MyTravelPledge campaign. We are looking for members that would be interested in offering NHS staff / healthworkers a free stay in their home swap property when it is safe to travel again.

Would you like to help? Please contact us if you would be interested in offering a NHS staff / healthcare worker a free stay* in your home swap property. Contact us for details: [email protected] *Free stays are subject to mutually agreeable dates and availability.

 

"Knowing a few young doctors who are working extremely hard at the moment, we wanted to show our appreciation of their efforts (other than clapping). All our exchange plans have been set aside and obviously our holiday home will remain unused until the travel restrictions are lifted. However we have said to our medical friends that we would be happy for them to have a free holiday in our Whitby home when the emergency is over" - Nick (member HE38988)

 

As a thank you, we will extend Home Base Holidays memberships by one year for members who sign up to the #MyTravelPledge campaign.

Neighbourly love: heartwarming photos from Italy ❤

As families around the world bunker in amid the Covid-19 pandemic, we've seen so many uplifting examples of neighbourly love. Be it the thousands of people volunteering to help the vulnerable in the community, neighbours coming to their windows and doorsteps to cheer on our heroic healthcare workers and, of course, the wonderful heartwarming videos from Italy where people of all generations have taken to their balconies to sing and play musical instruments.

The wonderful scenes in Italy were nationwide from Sicily to Milan and provide a beautiful insight into the Italian spirit. We were sent these two lovely photos from Home Base Holidays member, Valeri Walsh, from her home in the Medieval hillside village of Ceriana, Italy.

 

"Dear friends. During the Coronavirus outbreak you may have seen pictures of Italians singing from their balconies. Unfortunately my neighbours and I don't have balconies and we don't sing either but every evening around 6pm we open our windows and chat to each other across the alley while enjoying a glass of wine. We talk about what we have been doing that day, what we will cook that evening and how much we hope and pray that we will soon get through this terrible time. I hope you like these lovely photos taken by my neighbour across from me. Many regards to you all, Valeri." - Valeri Walsh (Ceriana, Italy)

 

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Meet the member:   Valeri is an experienced home exchanger and lives in a beautiful 800 year old home in the charming hillside village of Ceriana, Imperia, Italy. - View Valeri's home swap offer in Ceriana, Italy

Home swaps postponed? Take a virtual vacation

With most of us now on lockdown and many home exchange travel plans postponed, we're all having to adapt and find ways to keep our spirits up. Our home exchanges may be on hold for now, but there are still ways to scratch that travel itch without leaving our homes. Shown below are some of our favourite virtual tours and wildlife cams - they're great for all ages and can be an excellent educational way to entertain the kids while schools are closed.

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Go on a virtual museum and gallery tour

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

Get a little culture fix without leaving your home by taking a virtual tour of some of the world's top museums and art galleries. Google Arts & Culture have teamed up with over 2500 museums and galleries around the world to provide virtual tours and online exhibits.

Included are exhibitions from The British Museum, Van Goh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Museum of London, Hermitage Museum, The National Gallery, Guggenheim, Tate Britain, The White House, Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, Global Street Art Foundation, The Victoria and Albert Museum, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Musée d’Orsay, and many many more!

• Browse the museum and art gallery tours available through Google Arts & Culture

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US National Park virtual tours

Photo by Ryan Stone on Unsplash

We're stuck indoors but you can still experience some of America's best national parks by taking a virtual tour. There are five US national parks to explore through Google Arts & Culture so that you can still enjoy the great outdoors from the safely of your sofa.

• Browse the US national park virtual tours available through Google Arts & Culture

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Virtual tours of some of the world's most famous landmarks

Photo by Emily Passmore on Unsplash

Love to travel but stuck indoors? Enjoy some escapism by checking out these virtual tours of some of the world's most famous landmarks. Click the links below to start the tour.

• Stonehenge, UK
• Taj Mahal, India
• Angkor Wat, Cambodia
• Colosseum, Rome
• Eiffel Tower, Paris
• Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
• Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro
• The ancient city of Petra, Jordan
• Machu Picchu, Peru
• Chichen Itza, Mexico

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Live zoo, wildlife and safari webcams

Photo by Alexander Ross on Unsplash

Enjoy live streams from around the world from the comfort of your home. Everything from penguins to pandas, African safaris and English countryside cams.

• Animal cams around the world (African safari, bears, birds, sea life + more!) 
• Edinburgh Zoo's 'panda and penguin cams'
• Folly Farm, Pembrokeshire, Wales
• 'Badger cam' from Wildlife Trust, Cumbria, England
• 'Elephant cam' from Dublin Zoo, Ireland
• San Diego Zoo's 'polar bear cam'

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Virtual tours of theatres, concert halls and opera houses around the world

Photo by Peter Lewicki on Unsplash

Google Arts & Culture have teamed up with iconic venues around the world. Step inside some of the most beautiful theatres, concert halls and opera houses. Includes The Balshoi Theatre (Moscow), Carnegie Hall (New York City), National Theatre of Korea (Seoul), Theatro Municipal (São Paulo), Burgtheatre (Vienna), Sydney Opera House (Sydney) and many more.

• Browse theatres, concert halls and opera houses around the world

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Space Center Houston interactive app

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Space Center Houston have an excellent free app that provides interactive tours, selfie filters, augmented reality experiences, virtual reality and more!

• Go to the Space Center Houston's website to download the app

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Stay in touch: pencil in your future home swaps In these unprecedented times, communication is more important than ever. Make sure to stay in touch with other Home Base Holidays members to check how they're doing. We've seen many members penciling in home swap plans for later in the year and in to 2021 - we may not be able to travel now but it can be uplifting to plan our future getaways! Stay safe. Stay home. Stay in touch ♥