Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Home swapping: exploring the delightful South Downs

Home swap holiday exploring the delightful South Downs "We've just returned from a lovely two and a half week home swap holiday in the South Downs, West Sussex. We swapped with Timothy and Louise, it was their first time home exchanging but they were really friendly, relaxed and easy to communicate with. Their home was stylish, spacious and we were very comfortable and throughly enjoyed our stay. We were very close to the beautiful West Wittering, East Wittering and Bracklesham Bay beaches. We cycled the more or less car free route along the canal to Chichester and on the lanes to explore Medmerry Nature Reserve and the west side of Pagham harbour. We also did lots of walking and trail running! Our coastal potters were from the doorstep and round to West Itchenor, between East and West Wittering, around Chidham peninsula, and around Thorney Island. Inland we had a great time in the woodland and on the downs around West Dean, Kingley Vale, Walderton, North Marden, Eartham Wood and Amberley, and following the river Arun. If you like to be outdoors and away from the crowds you are spoilt for choice - plus the footpaths were very well maintained and clearly signposted. An added bonus was that all the chapels and churches that we came across were open to and welcoming of visitors, it was so nice to be able to explore them, and (on some days) to get out of the cold, or just enjoy a rest on a bench in the graveyard. Add to that the liberal scattering of earthworks, forts, cross dykes and tumuli, for all fans of the Bronze Age and Olde Stuffe. Plus some wildlife... we are not very patient or observent, but did see a barn owl, fox, polecat, goldcrest and loads of kites and dark-bellied brent geese! The spectacle of clouds of gulls following the farmer's tractor (enjoyed from bed with a morning cuppa) was also great. Chichester itself is very walkable and interesting to explore (Cathedral, museum, city walls, gardens), we also went by train to Portsmouth (though were too mean to pay the entry fee to the naval museums!). The public transport provision is good - a bus every 15 mins to Chichester from very close to the house, and trains linking the main sites along the south coast. All in all a really great trip, thank you Louise and Timothy!" - Sue & Dave (Lancaster, UK)

Our home swap highlights: Walking and running on the chalk downs Popping into ancient churches Exploring the coastal peninsulas and enjoying the birdlife there

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Photos from the home exchange holiday

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  View the Home Base Holidays members' offers:

Lancaster, UK (HE39603) 3-bedroom on a quiet residential street close to Lancaster’s mainline train station and within a few minutes walk of our historic city centre. View Home Base Holidays offer	South Downs, UK (HE41342) 2-bedroom detached house in West Sussex within easy reach of West Wittering, East Wittering and Bracklesham Bay beaches. View Home Base Holidays offer

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Helpful conversations with your home exchange guests

 

Guest blog post: Janis Fisher Chan is a writer, editor and passionate traveller who loves home exchanging. If you love travel and love getting a real feel for your destination, Janis encourages you to give home swapping a try!

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We’re planning a home exchange with a couple who have a Paris apartment in our favorite part of the city, and I can’t wait to be off! It will be our fifth (or sixth?) exchange, and we hope it will be as successful as the others. To make sure, we’ve taken the time to have real conversations with our home exchange partners. 

 

Messaging through the home swap website or email is fine for asking questions and sharing detailed information. But it’s the back and forth of direct conversation, either on the phone or via Skype, that helps you get to know one another, develop trust, clarify expectations, and avoid misunderstandings.

 

Here are some tips for helpful conversations with your home exchange partners.

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Tip #1. Do a little planning

After reading the home exchange listing and the other people’s profile carefully, think about what questions you’d like to ask and what you want to be sure the other people know about your home.  A few written notes will help make sure you cover everything that’s important to you.

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Tip #2. Leave enough time

Choose a time when you can focus on the conversation, and select a quiet place so background noise doesn’t make it hard to hear what’s being said.

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Tip #3. Set the right tone

A friendly, polite tone helps people feel comfortable.  Set the tone of the conversation right away with openers like, “We’re so glad you’re interested in a home exchange with us”; “We’ve always wanted to visit….” “Your home looks as if it would be perfect for us.”

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Tip #4. Encourage questions and answer them truthfully

One of the most important reasons for direct conversations is to give each of you the chance to ask questions.  Say something like, “I’m sure you have questions for us, and we have a few for you.” Answer the other person’s questions honestly and truthfully, and ask for clarification if you’re not sure you understand. “How big is your home” might mean “How many people does your home sleep?” or “How many rooms does it have?” “Is the area lively” could mean “Is it noisy” or “Are there cafes, bars, and restaurants nearby?”

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Tip #5. Listen carefully

We all have a tendency to jump in when there’s a silence during a conversation or to “rehearse” what we’re going to say next while someone is talking.  Instead, listen, listen, and listen some more. People tend to trust one another when they know they are being heard.  It’s also surprising how much more information people offer when you leave space in the conversation.

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Tip #6. It’s okay to get personal

You and your exchange partners don’t have to become best friends (although it happens), but it’s important that you get to know one another.  Take some time during the initial conversation to chat about yourselves and your families. Share your reasons for traveling and why you want to do a home exchange instead of staying in a hotel or a short-term rental. Talk a little about what it’s like to live in your home, and ask about theirs.

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Tip #7. Agree on what happens next

Once you’ve covered everything on your list and the other person has no more questions, close the conversation by deciding on next steps: Will you do the exchange? Have you firmed up the dates?  Does one of you need more information before making a decision?

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Tip #8. Follow up the conversation

Within an hour or two of the conversation, send the other people an email saying how nice it was to meet them, thanking them for taking the time to talk, and summarizing the details of your agreement. 

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Home swapping? Just go for it... you won't regret it!

Bell Lane House: Sally's beautiful cottage in Gloucestershire, England

It's always lovely to hear from Home Base Holidays members about their home swaps. Sally Hadley sent in this lovely feedback after just returning from a two month home exchange holiday to the north shore beach area of Sydney, Australia. Sally and her husband are very experienced home exchangers, enjoying their first swap in 1990, with three swaps already lined up for 2023. 

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Thinking about home swapping? Just go for it... you won't regret it! "Back in the day - as they say - when our children were young teenagers we ventured on our first swap to Santa Barbara in California. A lawyer’s house with all kinds of goodies. Cars were swapped; we had a blow out at 37degrees of heat in the desert – our kids still remember it. But all was fixed and we had a wonderful time visiting the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. Since then we have had a month in Brittany (very relaxed and quiet), ventured to Grenada in the West Indies (very hot and beautiful) and to Australia twice (Brisbane and Sydney). In fact, we have just returned from two months in Sydney up on the northern beaches, high above trees overlooking the yachts on Pittwater and Scotland Island. We couldn’t believe our luck that a couple close in age to us (70s) would want to come to the UK in the winter. But they loved it – even the ice and snow. I think they forged more friendships in our small Cotswold village than we have in the two years we’ve lived here. We loved their house and we were so sad to leave. It was such a s fantastic base from which to visit our family and friends travelling up to the Sunshine Coast and down to Melbourne and Point Lonsdale over the Christmas period and New Year. In addition to the big home swap holidays abroad, we have had lovely swaps closer to home here in the UK. We've swapped to Cornwall, Derbyshire, Kent and Cheshire... all of which have been amazing. No troubles, ever. We have returned each time to find the house immaculate and even lovely gifts left for us. The key to successful swaps is certainly to have a friendly approach with lots of communication, and we always choose to exchange with like-minded people. We have found it excellent to talk on the telephone and to meet the other members if at all possible. We have been approached by people who we felt would not get on well in our cottage or where their offers did not appeal to us, and so we have declined gracefully so that they could contact other members. We have always known almost from the first message we received if it felt like a good match and that they would enjoy our cottage and location. If you're thinking about home swapping, my advice is to go for it… you won’t regret it! We have loved our experiences and can’t wait for more - closer to home; Cumbria, Cornwall – already organised for 2023. Thank you Home Base Holidays… our best investment ever." Sally Hadley

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Photos from Sally's home swap in Australia

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Sally's stone house in Gloucestershire   Bell Lane House was added to a much older house about 100 years ago. It is a lovely 3-bedroom stone built house with a garden overlooking the neighbouring church. It's in the centre of the small town of Minchinhampton, in the south west Cotswolds (the hilliest section). The ancient town is built on top of a ridge with wonderful views over the "golden valley", towards the river Severn and close to Stroud. An excellent location for walks in the beautiful countryside and there is a highly rated golf course nearby.

View Sally's home swap offer in the south west Cotswolds

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