It's lovely hearing Home Base Holidays members' home swap experiences. Here we have a trip report from Heather who swapped her townhouse in Paris during the Olympics for a fabulous summer holiday in Alex's family home in a quiet village close to Umeå, Sweden.
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Home swap in Sweden gorgeous family house set in glorious countryside "We managed to dovetail the home swap so that both families met, which was really delightful. It was great to escape Paris during the Olympics for a relaxing summer break in the beautiful Swedish countryside. The drive from France to Sweden was looooooong but we found great places to stop along the way. The Swedish outdoor life in summer was a revelation - eating strange new berries and mushrooms, the light nights and incredible skies, swimming and building bonfires. Costs in terms of supermarkets etc were pleasantly similar to France. The weather was mostly great and the extra trip we added to visit Norway was easily done with Umea as a base. We only visited Umeå once (beware the incomprehensible parking regulations and speeding fines!), we didn’t make much of an effort to get to know the town - we were set for an outdoors/country break and it couldn’t have been lovelier. The house itself is in a pleasant hamlet, just a short bike ride from an amazing lake. So civilised! Fire pits and little huts you can stay in - then wander into the forest for a handful of blueberries. Alex’s garden was bountiful and we feasted on her delicious potatoes, beans and redcurrants. The house was spotlessly clean and tidy but spacious and very comfortable - we particularly appreciated the minimalist feel, which was the direct opposite of our house and has inspired some epic clearouts, now that we’re home. We’ve had many home swap holidays and they’ve pretty much all been fantastic, but this one was particularly lovely. The camaraderie between us messaging each other and sharing our family delight at how extraordinarily different our summers were, was very warm, genuine and funny and I hope we’ll stay friends! Can’t wait to come back to see the Northern Lights! " - Heather |
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Highlights of the home swap holiday:
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Heather's townhouse in Paris, France 3 storey family home in a friendly quiet neighbourhood with excellent transport links. |
Alex's lovely village home near Umeå, Sweden Northern Swedish village house in picturesque location only 9 km from city centre. |
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