Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Covid & travel: putting home swap membership ‘on hold’

Over the summer it's been lovely to see so many Home Base Holidays members again enjoying their home swap holidays. However, there are still quite a few members who have not yet been able to start swapping again, either as result of ongoing travel restrictions or simply because they have chosen to hold off on travel plans until next year. Shown below is a question we received last week from a member who unfortunately had to postpone her first home swap holiday. 

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Q: We joined Home Base Holidays at the start of summer hoping to arrange a home exchange staycation within the UK for this August/September. We agreed a swap with a member for a stay in their lovely Lake District cottage and were so looking forward to it. Unfortunately, shortly after agreeing the swap, both me and my husband caught Covid. My symptoms were very mild but my husband's were worse and it's taken quite some time to fully recover. Thankfully, the members we'd agreed the swap with were lovely and very understanding - we've even been in talks with them about rescheduling for 2022. My husband is now well on the mend but we've decided that we won't likely be travelling this year. Although we had to postpone our swap, we really have enjoyed our membership and it's been lovely getting to know the couple who we'd agreed to swap with. However, as we're not yet ready to plan our holidays, I was wondering if it's possible to put our membership on hold until later in the year?  

A: We're so sorry to hear that both you and your husband came down with Covid and as a result had to postpone your summer home exchange in the Lake District - I'm just so glad that you're both okay and your husband is recovering well! We're always here to help and so, if you are ever unable to home exchange for a period time (such as illness in the family or moving homes) we are very happy to put your membership 'on hold' so that you can make full use of it when you're ready again to start home swapping. 

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Need more time? If you've not been able to swap due to travel restrictions / closed borders, do contact us and we will add extend your Home Base Holidays membership free of charge.

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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 home swap 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.

Such a wonderful summer home exchange in Devon

Josie & Paul's beautiful thatched cottage located next to the Exmoor National Park

"We had such a wonderful summer home exchange in Devon staying in Josie and Paul's gorgeous thatched cottage located in such a beautiful area next to the Exmoor National Park. Everything went so smoothly, we had no issues at all during our stay thanks to the excellent house notes left by Josie and Paul, and the regular chats via Whatsapp to check we were both ok. An added bonus of the swap were their cute cats that were so friendly and welcoming. We were lucky to have  excellent hot weather during our stay, with the cottage's lower garden the ideal spot to relax and keep cool. Thanks again Josie and Paul, hope you enjoyed the Dales as much as we did Devon!"

Rick & Jen (HE39785)

Highlights of the home swap: Staying in Josie & Paul's beautiful thatched cottage Excellent communication Great location next to the Exmoor National Park Looking after their cute friendly cats Beautiful sunny weather

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Photos from the home swap

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View the members home swap offers:

Yorkshire Dales, England (HE39785) Old detached stone farmhouse in quiet location at end of cobbled drive just off the main square in Grassington. Perfect location for many gorgeous walks in the Dales. View home exchange offer	Devon, England (HE36324) Thatched cottage in a quiet pretty village on the edge of the Exmoor National Park. It combines all the charms of a 17th century cosy thatched cottage. View home exchange offer

 

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.

Beautiful homes: inspiration from home swap holidays

One of the (many) advantages of a home swap holiday over a holiday rental or hotel room is the chance it gives to really experience living like a local. Although home swappers will leave their home clean and tidy, with space for you to store your things, the home will generally be just as it is lived in – family photos, books, pictures, toys, box sets, plants and memorabilia (everything from granny’s best tea set to children’s craft work on display). Some homes are minimalist with only a few personal items on show (oh how do people achieve that?), others are cluttered and cosy, and most are somewhere in between.

Unlike a room in a hotel chain where you know exactly what to expect, however many photos you have seen of your home exchange home beforehand, opening the front door for the first time will be the start of a new experience. Any children in your family are likely to be excited to explore their new surroundings right away and choose their bedrooms. Of course it may take a little while to find your way around a new kitchen especially (now where is the most logical place to store a tin opener?). With the slower pace in being away from daily work and school schedules, that will be part of the fun, and bring back happy memories of your holiday in months to come. And you may well pick up some ideas to implement in your own home, whether a paint colour you really liked, good storage ideas, a coffee machine that made great coffee or a very comfortable mattress.

Apart from choosing a home to swap to that is safe if you have toddlers or accessible if you have mobility problems, you may prefer to swap with someone who has a similar lifestyle to your own or to experience something completely different (bearing in mind, if your own home is not geared up for young children, it’s best to stick to home swaps with adults only for peace of mind over your white carpets and fragile antiques!).

If, like me, you enjoy walking down a street at night and glancing into homes with undrawn curtains, browsing through the homes on Home Base Holidays will be a treat, and you may find it hard to narrow your search to those homes most likely to be swap possibilities.

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To whet your appetite, a small selection of recent Home Base Holidays home swap offers:

Tonnicoda, Italy: stunning old palace with beautiful gardens, located in the Italian hillside village of Tonnicoda, just a 90 minute drive to Rome. 

• View full details of this home swap offer

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Queensland, Australia: contemporary waterfront home with pool and views, near beaches, golf, Noosa and Brisbane.

• View full details of this home swap offer

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London, England: luxurious apartment is the perfect quiet city break space, for those looking to explore the treasures of Central London.

• View full details of this home swap offer

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Kvidinge, Skane, Sweden: fabulous medieval castle plus cute yellow guesthouse within the castle's grounds!

• View full details of this home swap offer

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Palma, Mallorca, Spain: comfortable family home 15 minutes’ walk from the centre of Palma on the balearic island of Majorca.

• View full details of this home swap offer 

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Spanish Point, Co. Clare, Ireland: holiday cottage overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the sandy beach of Spanish Point.

• View full details of this home swap offer

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Skyros Island, Greece: picture-perfect house with spacious garden, just 2 mins walk from one of the most beautiful beaches of Skyros island.

• View full details of this home swap offer

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Cologne, Germany: high quality apartment with two workspaces, many books and a calm garden in a vivid quarter close to we are a household of two scientists and PhD candidates who work and live here, you will see that this apartment has two fully equipped workspaces, very fast internet (500 MBit/s) and plenty of spots to read

• View full details of this home swap offer

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Cobourg, Ontario, Canada: new townhouse just a 30 second walk across Victoria Park to beautiful sandy Lake Ontario beach and one hour by train to Toronto.

• View full details of this home swap offer

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London, England: attractive double-fronted Victorian terrace house, comfortable and spacious for adults and children.

• View full details of this home swap offer

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Home Base Holidays: browse home swap holiday offers Now it’s your turn – browse home swap holiday offers through Home Base Holidays.  Search home swap holiday offers

Looking to return to international home swapping?

Bee & Derek's waterfront home on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Bee and Derek, Home Base Holidays members, and very experienced home exchangers, from Noosa, Queensland, Australia, write: "At the moment, we’re waiting for Covid to abate so that we can return to home exchanging. We’re originally from England, haven’t been to Europe for two years, and are longing to return. But, in the meantime, we’re looking for exchanges in Australia."

 

This sums up what many members who’ve enjoyed swaps all over the world are feeling at the moment. It’s great to see so many closer to home swaps taking place, members now looking ahead to longer distance swaps, and tentative exchange plans being made for when it’s safe to travel again. The beautiful views, lovely beaches and this gorgeous home should whit your appetite to start making your own home swap plans!

 

"Our new home with swimming pool on the Sunshine Coast overlooks Twin Waters lagoon and is close to white sand beaches, several world-class golf courses, local shopping, restaurants and an international resort-style hotel. Our home is Just a few minutes’ walk from the Twin Waters Golf Course where kangaroos can often be seen grazing at the end of the day. We are moments from Mudjimba beach, a stunning strip of white sand, stretching eight kilometres from the Maroochy River to Coolum. The area is a walkers paradise with dedicated paths for pedestrians as well as bikes."

Bee & Derek (HE32011)

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Photos of Bee & Derek's Sunshine Coast home swap offer

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• View full details of Bee & Derek's Sunshine Coast 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). Home swap guarantee: second year free if you do not arrange a swap during your membership.