Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Home swap holiday looking after alpacas (and a cat)

Nadia & Stan had an excellent home exchange looking after Jo & Rus's four alpacas

"Jo and Rus were a real pleasure to home exchange with. The communication was excellent throughout which made the exchange run very smoothly. Their home is truly an amazing retreat, very relaxing, exceptionally clean and comfortable. Jo and Rus kindly offered their Annex for our family members which was also comfortable and spotless. Tufts Clump is a gem in a wonderful and peaceful part of the country. The Alpacas are such characters and our children loved looking after them as well as Tink the cat. We would happily exchange again with Jo and Rus!"

Nadia & Stan (HE39925)

Highlights from the home swap: Alpacas and cat were a pleasure to look after! Amazing peaceful location in an area of natural beauty Walking to the atmospheric pub “The Bull” Getting lost cycling and jogging through the woods

Photos from the home swap

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View the home swap offers:

Saffron Walden, England (HE39925) Converted granary dating back to 1820, located in the heart of a historic market town of Saffron Walden. View home exchange offer	Berkshire, England (HE39926) Lovely converted Berkshire barn with a cat and four alpacas! A fantastic rural retreat. View home exchange offer

 

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Home Base Holidays: join for free and start home swapping Sign up to Home Base Holidays two-week free trial or select a full membership (6-month membership is just £29 and 1-year at £49). Home swap guarantee: second year free if you do not arrange a swap during your membership.

Euro 2020/21: England to Italy home exchange holiday

Anticipation is at fever pitch for tomorrow night's 8pm kick-off of the Euro 2020/21 final between England and Italy at Wembley stadium. This is England's biggest game in 55 years and against an Italy side who are on a 33-match unbeaten run. Good luck to both teams and both sets of fans!

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England / Italy home swap holiday: at Home Base Holidays we love hearing members' home exchange experiences. So, with England vs Italy very much on our minds, here's a lovely trip report from Barbara & Iain on their home swap holiday between their Cotswolds cottage and Christopher & Adrian's gorgeous Tuscan farmhouse.

 

Fabulous home exchange holiday between The Cotswolds and Tuscany "We enjoyed a fabulous home exchange holiday staying in Christopher and Adrian's converted farmhouse in Tuscany. Arranging the swap was really easy and the communication with Christopher and Adrian was always clear, very friendly and prompt. The area in Tuscany was fabulous! Up into the hills you can discover little villages where life goes on in an almost timeless fashion. But then just a twenty minute drive down the valley and you are in gorgeous Lucca. Also just a short easy drive away and you're in the Appenine and Apuan Alps - an ideal location for walking and exploring the coastal beaches and towns such as the beautiful renaissance towns of Prato and Pistoia. Florence is an easy day trip too! Christopher and Adrian's house, La Roccia, has a private driveway and overlooks a lovely peaceful wooded valley. There are four houses in the area, including one belonging to our hosts, who maintained a very helpful but discreet distance at all times. The other two cottages were set well apart from our home swap home. The house has several beautiful sunny terraces and a lovely sitting room and kitchen area that overlook the valley. A short walk from the home, down the hill, took us to the lovely swimming pool with recliners on the peaceful terrace. The bathrooms and kitchen were clean and attractive. There is also a huge rock in the kitchen/diner - an unusual but really interesting feature! There are lovely views from the large sitting room had elegant dining area. Christopher and Adrian were wonderful, generous, helpful hosts and left our Cotswold cottage in perfect shape after their stay. Thank you so much for a wonderful home swap!" - Barbara & Iain

 

Photos of Christopher & Adrian's home in Tuscany

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Photos of Barbara & Iain's home in The Cotswolds

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Meet the home swappers

	Barbara and Iain (HBH members #32409) Barbara and Iain's exchange offer is a beautiful 180 year old stone cottage in idyllic village in the heart of the Cotswolds.  View Barbara and Iain's Cotswolds home swap offer
	Christopher and Adrian (HBH members #36781) Christopher and Adrian's exchange offer, La Roccia, is a beautifully converted traditional two-storey Tuscan farmhouse. View Christopher and Adrian's Tuscan home swap offer

 

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Home Base Holidays: join for free and start home swapping Sign up to Home Base Holidays two-week free trial or select a full membership (6-month membership is just £29 and 1-year at £49). Search the latest home exchange holiday offers Home swap guarantee: second year free if you do not arrange a swap during your membership.

Planning a home swap? Addressing those 'awkward' questions

When planning a home swap holiday, the initial messages between you and the other home swapper are very important as they give you the chance to ask / answer questions so that you get a good feel for the proposed swap before you make a firm commitment. Therefore, never feel silly about asking questions, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem - taking extra care in these early stages is by far the best way to minimise any possibility of misunderstandings later on.

 

Once you and the other member have agreed to swap homes, continue to correspond so that you can finalise all details in the run-up to the exchange - ongoing communication builds trust and gives reasurance to both sets of members. It is unacceptable to cancel an agreed home swap apart from for serious unforeseen circumstances such as a death, serious illness, natural disasters or travel restrictions such as we've seen with Covid. If you do have to cancel a home swap, make sure to contact the other member immediately so that they can arrange alternative accommodation (some members agree to split the cost of rental accommodation).

 

Home swap tip: if flights are involved, it can be a good idea for both members to book their tickets at the same time and then email each other the booking confirmation - this gives excellent reassurance that you are both fully commited to the exchange.

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So, back to the topic of 'awkward' questions. Anything that could (but shouldn't if raised with sensitivity) potentially be taken as a negative comment on an exchange partners' home or area comes under the 'awkward' category. It's best that any such questions are addressed as early as possible rather than after an exchange has been agreed and plans are at an advanced stage, or worse, not addressed at all and possibly causing last minute wobbles.

For example, you live very close to a busy road, pre-empt any likely concerns such as noise or pollution by addressing these in your listing (plus, of course, including photos so that potential exchange partners have a good idea of your home and location). You may be used to noise levels that visitors from quieter areas might find too disturbing. But, perhaps your home is triple glazed or bedrooms are away from the road, minimising the impact of noise. As with all aspects of describing your home and area - be honest! Another cause of concern might be real or perceived levels of crime in an inner city area. Although living in a rural area is no guarantee that exchange guests won't ever be victims of crime, country dwellers may feel apprehensive before visiting a large city where they may be unfamiliar with the local neighbourhoods.    Even if you live in a rural idyll, the bull in a field next to your garden could seem very menacing indeed to a city dweller who might be afraid to use public footpaths near your home unless reassured this is safe. Or an area may be prone to natural disasters such as tornadoes or floods. There can be 'what if' questions wherever you live or exchange to.

If your potentially awkward questions have not been addressed in your exchange partners' listing, go ahead and ask about any concerns you have (in a courteous way of course). And, if you are on the receiving end of such questions? Don't take it personally but rather address concerns honestly and with practical suggestions. After all, you live in your area and, if there are any reasons for taking sensible precautions (whether against pickpockets, menacing bulls, tornadoes, noise, travelling by public transport, etc, etc), pass on the benefit of your experience. 

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Over to you, experienced home exchangers: how have you handled any tricky questions that have cropped up when arranging an exchange? Let us know

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Home Base Holidays - start your home swap adventure! Sign up to the Home Base Holidays 2-week free trial and start planning your home swap holiday. Whether you're looking for staycation accommodation or planning a trip abroad, you'll find thousands of tempting home swap offers, including country cottages, city apartment, houseboats and homes by the sea.

London for free: top ten London parks

On a sunny hot day like today, what better than to take a break and relax in one of London's lovely parks. Explore everything from the picture perfect St James's Park to the huge 2,500 acre Richmond Park where you might forget you are even in London. Here we list our top ten London parks.

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Top ten London parks

 St. James's Park with views of the London Eye and Horse Guards Parade

1. Hyde Park:

Hyde Park covers 350 acres of central London. Hyde Park has something for everyone, you can enjoy swimming, boating, cycling, skating or just relax in this central London oasis. There are pitches for team games, tennis courts, tracks for horse riding and a spectacular children’s playground. The park is fabulous all year, a great place for summer time picinics or enjoying the Winter Wonderland festival during the winter months. royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park

2. St. James's Park:

One of my personal favourite Royal parks, St. James's Park covers 57 acres and is home to a wonderful mix of flowers and birdlife (don't miss the pelicans being fed between 2.30pm and 3pm daily!). The bridge over the lake offers great views of Buckingham Palace at one end and the London Eye and Horse Guards Parade at the other end. royalparks.org.uk/parks/st-jamess-park

3. Regent’s Park / Primrose Hill:

Located in NW London, Regent’s Park is a Royal park that covers 410 acres and is home to London Zoo, the Open Air Theatre (performances end May to early September), and a boating lake. The view from the top of Primrose Hill is one of London’s best, with fantastic panoric views across the city. royalparks.org.uk/parks/the-regents-park

4. Richmond Park:

Located in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Richmond Park is the largest Royal Park in London covering a massive 2,500 acres. This beautiful park of hills and woodlands set amongst ancient trees, with plants, animals (including 650 deer) and butterflies, offers a peaceful respite to visitors. royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park

5. Greenwich Park / Blackheath: 

Located in SE London, Greenwich Park covers 183 acres and is the second oldest enclosed Royal Park. One of the largest green spaces in south east London, Greenwich Park offers a wide range of facilities and points of interest, including a child-friendly boating lake, six tennis courts and the National Maritime Museum just on the perimeter. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park is home to the Greenwich Meridian Line which represents the prime meridian, relative to which world time is calculated and the distance to every place on Earth is measured. royalparks.org.uk/parks/greenwich-park

Blackheath stretches across the very top of Greenwich Park into the pretty village. Tip: check out the views from 'The Point', a small area at the corner of Blackheath, with it's spectacular views over the city.

6. Hampstead Heath:

Hampstead Heath is located in NW London but just four miles from Trafalgar Square. The Heath has some of the best views and highest points in London for everyone to enjoy. It includes Parliament Hill, Golders Hill Park, an open air Lido (open 365 days a year), swimming ponds, splash pools, countless sports pitches and facilities, athletics track, playgrounds, stunning listed Pergola and Hill Garden and enough green space to really feel like you have escaped the City! Hampstead Heath

7. Kensington Gardens:

Kennsington Gardens covers 275 acres and was formerly the private gardens of Kensignton Palace. The park is planted with formal avenues of magnificent trees and ornamental flower beds. It is home to Kensington Palace, the peaceful Italian Gardens, Peter Pan statue, the stunning Albert Memorial and the Serpentine Gallery. There are two playgrounds, including the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground. royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens

8. Victoria Park:

Victoria Park is a fabulous 213 acres oasis located in East London's Tower Hamlets. Attractions include canals, ponds, a pavilion, tennis courts and a sports ground. Open air pop and rock concerts are held in the park during the summer. Victoria Park is not very far from a number of other attractions including Brick Lane, Spitalfields and Columbia Road flower market. Victoria Park

9. Battersea Park:

Battersea Park is a 200 acre park in the London Borough of Wandsworth in SW London. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea. An inner city park with so much variety, hidden secrets, and activities. batterseapark.org

10. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park:

This lovely park in East London includes many of the former Olympic and Paralympic venues – including London Stadium, the London Aquatics Centre, the Copper Box Arena and Lee Valley VeloPark. www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk

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Free staycation in London

One of the biggest budget busters when visiting London can be the cost of accommodation. However, rather than booking a hotel or holiday rental, arrange a home swap in London and you will dramatically cut the cost of your London holiday.

Home Base Holidays is a London based home swap holidays website and has a large number of tempting home swap holiday offers.