Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Climate change & travel: benefits of home swapping

We are very aware that our home swap community encourages people to travel and so, as a responsible business, Home Base Holidays always urges members to use the service thoughtfully, limiting air travel especially, to drastically reduce the effects of travel on global warming. The wild fires that have affected vast areas of Canada and USA in recent weeks should serve as another wake-up call. Reducing the effects of climate change can no longer be delayed by governments whatever the cost, and we must all do our part to reduce our carbon footprint.

‘Tourism is not just a victim of global warming - it also contributes to the problem’                                                                                              - Sustainable Travel International

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A growing number of Home Base Holidays members are discovering the pleasures of home swaps closer to home. Home swappers have always tended to prefer unique experiences (not merely sitting on a beach for two weeks every year!), whether it be swapping a rural home for a flat in the city to visit museums and the theatre or, as city dwellers, seeking out rural locations to enjoy fresh air, quiet open spaces, country walks and pubs. Although cost savings are a factor for those on a tight budget in choosing home exchange over expensive hotel rooms and holiday rentals, this is certainly not the only reason that swapping homes has become increasingly popular over the last few years (Home Base Holidays has been operating a home exchange service since 1978 and were pioneers in promoting the advantages, never more important than now).

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How home swapping can reduce your travel impact on the environment:

1. Use your home as a resource when it would otherwise be left empty while you are away
2. Stay in a real home from home rather than contribute to the development of more hotels
3. There are no rental costs so stay longer and travel less often, especially to long-haul destinations
4. Retired or working from home? Swap homes for longer for a change of scene or to visit family
5. Look for homes in areas where a car is not needed and, if possible, travel there by train
6. Wash bedding and towels as needed, not every day as happens in many hotels
7. Support small businesses by shopping locally for food, crafts and regional specialties
8. Swaps closer to home are easier to arrange than international exchanges without the need for air travel.

"Actually, there are also deeper layers of thought to the home exchange idea. When you think about global waste and conservation, the idea of combining resources with other people on the globe has more merits than those you experience on a personal level. Think of all the hotel sheets and towels that are washed every day; of the low-paid hotel workers (often foreigners); of the huge and wasteful industry that has grown around the needs of people who want to experience a holiday in a different country."  - Ruti Singer (from 'Home Away From Home')

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Add 'local to you' options to your home swap offer: As well as giving details of local attractions, provide information on getting there by public transport If you have bikes you could share, give details and also whether there are safe bike lanes in your area and cycling/walking trails If there is little public transport in your area and you offer to swap cars, is yours electric and are there convenient charging points nearby? Do you have good local food markets? Many people, switching to a more plant-based diet, would love to buy fruit, vegetables and baked goods from local sellers Are there cafes and restaurants close by offering a variety of vegetarian options (much more appealing than fast-food chains)? Do you have memberships to local sports or arts clubs that you could share?

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Join 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. You'll find thousands of tempting home swap offers, including country cottages, city apartment, houseboats and homes by the sea. Search home exchange holiday offers

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Useful Resources: websites and articles

• Sustainable Travel International
• Nature: Rethinking travel in a post-pandemic world
• David Suzuki Foundation: Air travel and climate change
• Friends of the Earth: Responsible travel – eco tips for getting around
• DW Made for Minds: Climate change - Is eco guilt changing the way we travel?

Our first home swap: exploring the Scottish Highlands

Kinlochleven lies at the eastern end of the beautiful sea loch, Loch Leven

Our first home swap exploring the Scottish Highlands "We have just come back from our first ever home swap holiday - leaving London in the evening on the Caledonian Sleeper with very comfy bunks and waking up in the Highlands was a great way to start. We used the local buses and the Traveline Scotland app to get about. The buses were extremely reliable and frequent enough to make exploring the local area without a car possible. Our 'swapees', Jimmy and Anne, are experienced home swappers and provided us with all the information we needed to make the most of the area. Their lovely flat in Kinlochleven was a very comfortable base for the four of us to enjoy our holiday. On the practical side the Co-op just a few minutes from the flat, the Chinese take away, local taxi (to seafood restaurant) and the buses, as mentioned, meant we had no practical problems. In terms of our take home memories - walking out form the village to quiet peaceful mountainside and then also being there for the weekend of the pre-65 motor-cross (our choice to be there for that!). Walking in and around Glencoe and learning some more of the history including visiting the Folk Museum in the village and the visitors centre up the glen was great; a trip along the other side of the loch to Lochleven Seafood cafe - best oysters ever in the hot seafood platter - was definitely 'worth a detour' - and the loch seen from "the other side" is possibly even more beautiful. By way of summary: we saw waterfalls (Inchree Waterfall was a lovely afternoon); walked moors, ate excellent food; went on a sea loch cruise from Fort William and learnt a little more about the Highland history. If you want to explore further afield you probably do need a car and if you use public transport you do need to plan a bit so you don't miss the buses you want. Anything we would have done differently? We should have allowed more than the 90 minutes we had before closing for the West Highland Museum. We returned to London rocked to sleep on the train and came back home to find everything in perfect order. We trust Jimmy and Anne had as good a time in London (if very different) as we did in Kinlochleven. Many thanks for a wonderful first swap." - Sue & Dave (Lancaster, UK)

Our home swap highlights: Walking in the wonderful Scottish Highland countryside Eating amazing seafood Seeing the Pre-65 motor-cross

Photos from the Highland home swap

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Home Base Holidays members' offers:

Central London, England (HE26664) 3-bedroom house with roof garden in London's Islignton. Five minutes walk from Angel Underground station (zone 1) and one minute to the main bus routes for central London. View Home Base Holidays offer	Loch Leven, Scotland (HE37747) 2-bedroom flat in the west Highland village of Kinlochleven. Surrounded by stunning mountains, lochs and rivers which offer a unique range of activities including walking and climbing. View Home Base Holidays 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.

Expat life? Exchange homes for visits ‘back home’

Expat life? Home exchanging can be an excellent option when visiting 'home'

Living overseas? If so, home swapping can be an excellent way to arrange comfortable free accommodation when returning ‘home’ to visit friends and family. Having a home 'base' can be especially welcome if you are staying for several weeks and would perhaps feel uncomfortable about imposing on friends or family for a lengthy period.  

Having your own place gives you the space and freedom to relax and get back into being a local again. Often it's the simple things we miss about our home country – just the simple day-to-day way of life. As an expat, some of the small things you miss can’t easily be lived while staying in a hotel or even with family if you feel anxious about disrupting their routines. You are there on holiday, but you are not a tourist. You want to be able to cook a meal at home, have your friends over for coffee or dinner, do the shopping and spend quality time with your family in the same way you would if living there.

As well as the huge savings on accommodation, by swapping homes, you can shop for food in your favourite shops and markets, cook at home with familiar ingredients, and pack lunches for day trips. The savings on eating out all the time will add up too. You might be able to enjoy longer visits or even plan trips back home more frequently.

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Visiting 'home' with your kids

Living as an expat, as time goes by you may be more and more settled in your new country. If you have young children, they will be growing up, making friends and possibly becoming fluent in a new language, but it’s always nice to keep them in touch with your culture too. Taking your kids back to visit relatives in your native country can feel very important and home swapping makes doing so more pleasant and affordable. Staying in a real home in a real neighbourhood will give children growing up in another country a better feel for the culture you grew up in.

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How home swapping works: First you'll need to sign up to a home swap club such as Home Base Holidays. You'll add your own home to the site, search home swap offers and then contact other members to plan your home swap accommodation. By swapping homes there are no hotel or rental fees and so you'll enjoy free accommodation.

 

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Home Base Holidays: join for free and plan your home swap holidays Search home exchange holiday offers in over 90 countries through Home Base Holidays. Sign up to Home Base Holidays two-week free trial or select a full membership (6-month or 1-year).