Travel the Home Exchange Way

Post-lockdown holiday? Try a home exchange

Over the last few weeks we've been receiving so many inquiries from people new to home swapping and looking for budget friendly, safe ways to enjoy a much needed holiday.

Staycations are proving a particularly popular option, however, many people have found that holiday rentals and campsites are already fully booked. The good news is that there are still lots of very tempting home swap holiday offers available through Home Base Holiday.

One of the big perks of home swapping is the cost savings - who doesn't love free holiday accommodation? In addition to being a very budget friendly way to travel, swapping homes allows you to enjoy the space, comforts and conveniences of staying in a real home; this can be especially appealing at this time where the thought of busy hotels and holiday rentals can be quite off-putting. By staying in a real home you have your own private safe base just for you and your family (+ if you're not yet comfortable eating out, you can simply prepare meals from your home swap host's kitchen). 

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Is home exchanging right for you?

Home exchanging was once seen as a bit of a niche way to travel and not really well known by most holiday makers. However, over recent years, more and more people have discovered home exchanging and discovered what makes it such a fantastic way to travel. Swapping homes allows you to really get a feel for the places - often side-stepping the busy tourist trail in favour of staying in a real local neighbourhood. Plus, you can pick up so many wonderful travel tips and recommendations from your home swap partners - a real local's insight. 

Give yourself plenty of time: the most successful home swappers often tend to be the most proactive and so allow yourself plenty of time to discuss and then agree your home swap holiday. If you do not have the time to communicate with members to agree a swap, or if you know that you will not be able to relax knowing people are staying in your home, then perhaps home swapping is not the best option for you. For most people though, home swapping is a very rewarding and wonderful way to travel.

How to start home swapping: The first step is to sign up to Home Base Holidays so that you can add your home swap listing. There are three membership options: Two-week free trial membership: Free Six-month membership: £29 One-year membership: £49 Once you have added your home, you can then start contacting other members to discuss and agree your home swap holidays.

 

Will your home be safe?

Home Base Holidays has been helping people arrange holiday home swaps for nearly 40 years and over that time it’s been extremely rare that we've heard of issues during an exchange. However, it is important to contact your home insurance company prior to accepting an exchange to confirm that your insurance policy will remain valid during the period that non-paying guests will be staying (contact us if you need any help finding suitable cover).

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Members’ exchange experiences:

Below are links to blog post of Home Base Holidays members’ home swap experiences.

• Home exchange in beautiful Vermont
• We had a wonderful home swap in Belgium
• Discovering new destinations: home swap experiences
• Member with 100+ home exchanges completed
• A wonderful home swap in Windermere
• Best location ever: central London home exchange
• Wonderful 2-month home exchange on Vancouver Island
• Home swapping puts you in touch with the nicest people!

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Some of the latest holiday home swap travel offers available through Home Base Holidays.

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• Arrange free holiday accommodation: search home swap offers

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Join Home Base Holidays: start home swapping Whether for a working holiday or just a much needed break, by arranging a home swap you'll enjoy free holiday accommodation. View the latest home swap offers then sign up to Home Base Holidays to start your home swap adventures.

 

Cabin fever? Try a 'working' holiday home exchange

Working from home? Arrange a home exchange for a change of scenery

If you are one of the thousands of people who have been working from home during the Covid-19 lock-down period, you may already have an acute case of cabin fever from staring at the same four walls day after day. If this sounds like you, and you are in desperate need of a change of scenery but still must continue to work (yes, working from home is definitely not an easy option!), you might want to consider arranging a 'working' home swap holiday. You don’t need to fly off to far-flung destinations (and possibly can’t yet anyway) but by arranging a staycation home exchange you could potentially continue to work while enjoy a much needed break. 

For example: Maybe you live in a London flat (and, like many people, possibly combining remote working with home schooling); home exchangers with country or seaside homes may desperately need a safe base in London, perhaps grandparents eager to catch up with grown-up children and grandchildren they’ve been separated from for months. Perfect match!

 

Understandably, for weeks during the height of the pandemic, most peoples' thoughts were not on home swapping or, indeed, travel of any kind. Many Home Base Holidays members had to postpone their home swap plans or put arranging new swaps on hold. However, over the last few weeks, as the UK and many other countries have cautiously started to step out of lockdown, many of us are at last able to get back to some form of normality. This has, much to our delight, resulted in, first a trickle, and now a steady flow, of new and renewing Home Base Holidays members.

As experienced home exchangers know, to give yourself the best chance of arranging a suitable swap, you should ideally allow yourself plenty of time (you will want to get to know potential exchange partners before agreeing to go ahead with a swap). Therefore, even if you aren’t planning to travel until later this year or maybe not until 2021, it really is a good idea to add your home swap offer now so that you can contact other members to start making your travel plans!

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Shown below are some of the latest holiday home swap offers added to Home Base Holidays.

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Join Home Base Holidays: start home swapping Whether for a working holiday or just a much needed break, by arranging a home swap you'll enjoy free holiday accommodation. View the latest home swap offers then sign up to Home Base Holidays to start your home swap adventures.

Cleaning tips for holiday home swaps during COVID-19

Home swapping has always helped Home Base Holidays members step away from the busy tourist trail and enjoy the space, comforts and safety of a home from home. As the world starts to slowly reopen for travel, many of us will be wondering what steps we need to take prior to a swap. To help make sure your home exchange guests are safe while staying in your home, we’ve compiled these cleaning guidelines. 

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Tips for cleaning

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces after each home swap stay. If you hire a cleaner between stays, make sure that they follow the cleaning guidelines. We recommend using both regular household cleaners plus an antibacterial spray / wipes.

Examples of frequently touched surfaces: Keys Key lockbox Light switches Door handles Staircase handrails Wardrobe and cabinet handles Kitchen surfaces, appliances, and cupboard handles Bathroom surfaces Toilet flush Thermostats Alarm system controls Washer / dryer handles and controls Window latches and handles Home swap welcome pack Download our full cleaning checklist (PDF)

 

Other household surfaces:

Use regular household cleaners on floors and other less frequently touched surfaces. We recommend wearing disposable gloves when handling dirty laundry and discard after each use. Wash bedding and towels using the warmest setting. Make sure to empty the vacuum cleaner after each use and then disinfect the surface of the vacuum cleaner.

Tips for disinfecting

Most common household cleaners / disinfectants should be effective. Make sure to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after cleaning or use a hand sanitizer (that is at least 60% alcohol based).

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Tips to help your guests 

Think about stocking up on certain items to make sure that your home swap guests feel that you have gone the extra mile to make them safe during their stay.

Items for your guest’s safety: Hand sanitizer Handwash / soap Antibacterial wipes Disposable gloves Facemasks (check if your location requires that a facemask be worn on public transport and in shops, cafes and restaurants)

 

Transport tips for guests

If public transport use in your area is for essential journeys only, make sure that your guests are aware of this prior to their stay. Where possible, provide alternative transport options (bike hire, walking routes and taxi phone numbers).

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Disclaimer

These guidelines are based on publicly available information from the World Health Organization (WHO), the UK Government’s Covid-19 guidelines (GOV.UK) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Home Base Holidays / Travel the Home Exchange Way make no guarantees of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability of these guidelines. Any reliance a member places on these guidelines is at their own risk.

Home Swappers newsletter: summer 'staycation' swaps

There's been a big increase in members looking to arrange 'staycation' swaps

Summer home swaps: with travel restrictions easing in many countries, we've seen a big increase in members looking to arrange much needed getaways. 'Staycation' home swaps within our own countries are proving particularly popular. Country cottage, a place by the sea or a city break?

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• Check out the latest issue of the Home Swappers newsletter

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This issue of the Home Swappers newsletter:

• New home exchanges: selection of new tempting home swap offers (including some beautiful thatched cottages!)
• Home swap cleaning tips: cleaning / disinfecting guidelines for home swapping during Covid
• Swaps abroad: the latest on 'travel corridors' between countries
• Members helping NHS: Home Base Holidays members providing free holiday stays to NHS staff and frontline workers worldwide
• Here to help: get in touch if your home swap travel plans have been affected by Covid-19

 

Staycation home exchanges  Home swapping helps you to step away from the tourist trail and enjoy the space, comforts and safety of a home from home. Explore the beauty of your own country by arranging a staycation home exchange through Home Base Holidays. Search home exchange holiday offers

Post-lockdown getaway? Try a staycation home swap

Starting to think about travel? Try a home swap in your own country

It’s been quite a worrying and surreal few months. Although everyone has been doing their very best to turn negatives into positives (baking sourdough bread, brushing up on a new language, struggling into yoga positions, or just binge watching Netflix), lockdown has been a tad tough and I know many of us are itching to plan our next home swap getaway. One things for sure, that first post lockdown trip is going to be extra special!

It seems likely that for many of us, our first post-lockdown trip will be a getaway within our own country. We're starting to see signs that “staycation” home swaps will be a very popular option in the second half of this year. Over the last couple of weeks, there has been a gradual but very encouraging uptake in new members signing up to Home Base Holidays - the majority of which have noted in their destination request that they are looking for a home exchange within their own country.

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Searching for a post-lockdown getaway? Here's a small selection of new holiday home swap offers added over the last couple of weeks (click to view larger version)

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Links to the above home swap offers:

• North Yorkshire, England: lovely 3-bedroom cottage in the market town of Yarm. View offer
• Malaga, Spain: stunning sea view 3 story home just a short stroll from the beach. View offer
• Amsterdam, Netherlands: charming four-floor canal home built in early 1600s. Overlooks famous Herengracht canal in the heart of Amsterdam. View offer
• Devon, England: beautiful Georgian house overlooking open countryside. View offer
• Glasgow, Scotland: beautiful 3-bedroom red brick family home in Glasgow. View offer
• Torquay, England: Grade II listed historic Crescent with beautiful period features. View offer
• Paris, France: modern house just 8 minutes from the A Cergy Préfecture rer station. View offer
• Devon, England: stunning converted barns in the heart of East Devon's Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). View offer
• Trusham, England: thatched cottage in a beautiful English village on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. View offer
• Bristol, England: Victorian terraced home in a beautiful, friendly, leafy street. View offer
• Lismore, Ireland: Georgian Country House set in beautiful landscaped gardens, in magnificent countryside. View offer
• Warsaw, Poland: Cozy flat in one of the coolest parts of Warsay, close to the river and city centre. View offer

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Planning a post-lockdown getaway? Sign up to Home Base Holidays and then start contacting other members to arrange your free holiday home swap accommodation.  Have any questions? Contact us at: [email protected]

 

Staycation home swaps: home swappers newsletter

Staycations: start planning a home swap holiday closer to home

Staycation home swaps: we've all been following the ever changing travel restrictions with an eye on whether our summer holidays can go ahead. However, with talk of quarantine periods, it's looking likely that international travel will be slightly slower to open up. On balance, arranging a home swap 'staycation' sounds quite an appealing option. We're expecting a big uptake in people looking to arrange their next home exchange closer to home - how about a country cottage or perhaps somewhere by the sea this August?

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• Check out the latest issue of the Home Swappers newsletter

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This issue of the Home Swappers newsletter:

• Staycation home swaps: spend your next home exchange getaway in your own country rather than travelling abroad
• My Travel Pledge: a massive thank you to our amazing members for stepping forward and offering free holiday stays for healthcare workers and frontline staff
• Membership extensions: free membership extensions for anyone whose travel plans have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis
• Just in: new home swap holiday offers

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Staycation home exchanges 

Home swapping helps you to step away from the tourist trail and enjoy the space, comforts and safety of a home from home. Explore the beauty of your own country by arranging a staycation home exchange through Home Base Holidays.

• • • • • • Search staycation home swap offers