Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Swap homes and enjoy a budget friendly holiday

Looking for a budget friendly break? Try a home swap holiday

We're all starting to feel the pinch with the cost of food, taxes, mortgages and energy bills all going the wrong way. Many of us are having to look at cost saving ideas and ditch many of the non-essentials.

But what about holidays? Everyone needs a break and after the last few years, we're probably in need of a holiday more than ever. The good news is that by arranging a home swap holiday rather than booking a hotel or rental, you can enjoy a fabulous holiday but at a fraction of the cost. By swapping homes your accommodation is free - therefore, it's not uncommon for home swappers to cut the cost of their getaways by over 90%.

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Swap homes: arrange free holiday accommodation

 

Cut the cost of your holiday by swapping homes

What is a home swap holiday?

Home swapping is where you agree with someone living in a destination you'd like to visit to exchange homes for the duration of your holidays. You can arrange an exchange for anything from a weekend getaway, a 2-week holiday or even a 6+ month longer term swap.

 

Additional cost savings (cars, bikes, meals...)

Forget cramped hotel rooms - nothing beats the space and comforts of staying in a real home. You'll have the space and convenience of a 'home from home' - you'll have full use of a fully equipped kitchen and laundry facilities. Preparing your own breakfasts or a packed lunch for a day out exploring is an excellent way to make additional savings. 

 

Cars and bikes: Many home swappers are also happy to exchange cars / offer use of their bikes during a swap, giving you more flexibility and even more cost savings.

 

"I used the Home Base Holidays website to arrange a home swap holiday in London. I had a wonderful time and saved a lot of money by cooking a few meals at 'home' (I liked shopping at the local food markets and little shops) - this meant I could afford to splurge once in a while on excellent meals out."  - Arthur

 

How to arrange a home swap holiday? 

First sign up to a home swap club such as the London based, Home Base Holidays. On signing up, you will go through quick steps to add your offer (details about your home and where/when you want to go on holiday). You can then browse offers and start contacting members to plan your home swap holiday.  

 

Home Base Holidays has a step-by-step guide to help arrange your home swap holiday. You'll also find lots of home exchange travel tips and advice here on the blog.

 

We love to hear from people interested in home swapping - please contact us with any questions.

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Home swap holiday offers for 2022 / 2023:

Paris, France	Insch, Scotland	Lake District, England	Symi Island, Greece

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Looking for a autumn / winter break? Browse home swap holiday offers

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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.

Extra guests during a home swap? Ask owner's permission!

"At the beginning of August, we visited the island of Madeira off the coast of Portugal. We arranged a home swap with a family's lovely large villa on Madeira while they stayed in our apartment in central Rome. We invited family members from Portugal to fly or take the ferry to Madeira to join us. There were 13 at one point and then we reduced down to five."

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The above quote was from a recent trip report of a home swap holiday between a couple with an apartment in Rome and a family with a villa in Madeira. What was striking about the trip report was the size of this exchange party - 13 is a lot of people to accommodate! However, from the trip report it sounded like it had been a very successful exchange and there was a lovely reply from the Madeira family that confirms this. Therefore, I am sure in this case it had all been agreed in advance that the family in Madeira were happy for the Rome couple's extra family members to stay in their home during the exchange.

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Inviting extra friends or family? If you do plan to invite any friends or family members to join you during a home exchange, it's crucially important to get the home owner's permission while in the early stages of discussing a possible exchange. Even if a home is large enough, with enough bedrooms to accommodate an extended party comfortably, never assume that it will be alright to invite extra guests without seeking permission first - doing so would be breaking the trust that is crucial to happy, successful home exchanging.

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Use the Home swap search on the Home Base Holidays website to narrow down your search to properties large enough to accommodate your family. As mentioned, make sure to confirm details (including ages of any children) of everyone in your exchange party with your hosts before agreeing to the swap.

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Join Home Base Holidays: start home swapping Looking for a much needed break? Arrange free holiday accommodation by choosing to swap homes rather than book hotels or holiday rentals. View the latest home exchange vacation offers then sign up to Home Base Holidays.

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Perfect house swap holiday by the Cornish coastal path

Summer swap: lovely house in a along the Cornish coastal path "Just enjoyed a perfect house exchange holiday, both from the perspective of a lovely house in a beautiful location, and also the great relationship built up with Jocelyn and Alan over the past few months online and in person. It was one of the rare occasion where we were able to meet on the journey down and say hello! Jocelyn's house is immaculate with views everyone hopes for from a Cornish holiday. Stunning views both from the upstairs open plan living space and the terraced garden behind the house where we enjoyed many evening meals with our daughters. The upside-down layout proved ideal given the extreme hot temperatures we encountered this summer during our stay - the bedrooms remained wonderfully cool. We particularly enjoyed the many strolls to the beach along the fields and woodland below the house, it only took about 10 minutes but fairly steep so keeps you fit. The car was always an option, if you can take the gamble of a face-off along the tiny Cornish lanes. The lovely Tintagel village was just a 20 minute walk, or 5 minutes easy cycle ride - ideal for pubs, chips and groceries. Our favourite though was the MillHouse pub which is just 5 minutes down the hill - we went there twice as the food was so good. The coastal path walks were a delight; we went as far as Port Quin one way and Boscastle the other. One of the highlights was swimming in the waterfalls at Rocky Valley. Many thanks again Jocelyn and Alan for such a delightful stay in your wonderful home." - Rick & Jen (Yorkshire Dales, England)

Highlights of the home swap in Cornwall: Great chats with Jocelyn before and during the swap Superb views and proximity to beach, minimises need for car (bus stop 10mins walk) Trebarwith Strand beach - got to be one of the best in Cornwall

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Photos from the home swap in Cornwall

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View their home exchange holiday offers:

Treknow, Cornwall, England (HE38392) Our cottage is a very short walk from the South West Coastal Path, along the magnificent cliffs of North Cornwall, and in easy reach of one of the best surfing and bathing beaches in the area - Trebarwith Strand. View Home Base Holidays offer	Yorkshire Dales, England (HE39785) 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, including the Dales Way. 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.

Q&A: preparing my house for a home exchange holiday?

Q: I've been browsing offers on the Home Base Holidays website and am very interested in the idea of arranging a home swap holiday. It looks such a good idea but, as this would be my first swap, I am a little bit unsure of what people will be expecting of my home. My home is a 2-bedroom apartment in North London, it's not overly fancy or anything but I think it's a very nice comfortable space and has excellent public transport options nearby making it ideal for getting around London. However, it's where I live and so has all my clothes and personal belongings, etc  - am I meant to remove these items / hide them away prior to a swap?

- Alan (London, England)

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A: It's great that you’re interested in home swapping! Although Home Base Holidays does have quite a few second/holiday homes available for swapping, the vast majority of properties are just like yours - homes that are lived in full time. Therefore, being real lived-in homes, they will be fully furnished and contain personal items, kitchen stuff and in some cases things such as kids toys, cots, etc. Home swappers will expect to be staying in a real home rather than a holiday rental or hotel room. Therefore, there's absolutely no need to remove your personal belongings, just make sure that your home is clean, tidy and welcoming for your guest's arrival. 

However, it's always good to clear a little space in your wardrobe so that your home swap guests have space to hang their clothes rather than living out of their suitcases (they won't likely need a lot of space if swapping for a short period). Make sure to also provide clean bedding and towels. It's also recommended to clear out the clutter from your fridge but it's nice to leave some basic foodstuffs such as tea, coffee, milk, bread and butter so that your guests have this for their arrival. 

 

Welcome folder: prior to a swap, spend some time putting together a home swap a welcome folder for your guests; use this to explain how things work in your home (e.g. heating, alarm, locking doors, etc), tips for local attractions, recommendations for nearby cafes and restaurants, transport information and emergency numbers. 

 

For peace of mind, some home swappers use a lockable room or take advantage of friends/family nearby to store items that they would not want available during an exchange (e.g. work laptop or items of sentimental value).

 

House insurance: it’s very rare that we hear of problems during an exchange but it’s important to contact your house insurers to confirm your policy will cover the period your guests will be staying (we can also point you in the direction of reasonably price top up insurance for home swappers).

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Understandably, it can be quite a daunting planning your first home swap holiday but we're always here to help in any way we can! Contact us with any questions

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Budget friendly break? By swapping homes you can cut the cost of your holiday by over 90%. View the latest home exchange holiday offers and sign up to Home Base Holidays

Q&A: switching from holiday rentals to home swaps?

Q: We have a traditional cottage in Devon which we have been successfully holiday letting for many years. However, we are becoming more and more disillusioned with the holiday letting industry, with huge multinational corporations taking over the market and charging extortionate prices to us the property owners as well as the potential guests themselves. We are therefore looking at other options to make the property work for us and are very interested in home swapping.

As it is all new to us, we are a little nervous about arranging our first home swap and would appreciate any further help and advice you could offer.  Our main concern is that we are still worried about travelling while Covid is a threat (we are slightly more vulnerable than most) and while there are ongoing flight disruptions at many UK airports. 

 

This will be a learning curve for us but we're very keen to try home swapping and are hopeful that it could be way forward for our future travel plans. 

- Sally (Devon, England)

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A: It really does feel like the holiday rental market is getting very expensive both for property owners and their guests. Home swapping is an excellent alternative as, other than the small fee to join a home swap website, there are no additional costs ...which makes it a very affordable and very rewarding way to travel!

Your cottage in Devon sounds ideal and I am sure you will find lots of people that will really like to arrange a swap. The first step is to add your cottage to Home Base Holidays. You can either sign up to the two-week free trial or to a full membership (6-months is just £29). Once you've added your cottage, you can browse home swap offers and start contacting members to see if they would be interested in an exchange. 

 

Successful home swaps require good communication, so give yourself plenty of time to find a member that is interested in swapping with you and then make sure to discuss all details of the proposed swap before making any firm commitments. Stay in communication with your exchange partners in the lead up to the travel dates. 

 

House insurance: it’s very rare that we hear of problems during an exchange but it’s important to contact your house insurers to confirm your policy will cover the period your guests will be staying (we can also point you in the direction of reasonably price top up insurance for home swappers).

 

Home swapping helps you step away from the busy tourist trail and enjoy the space, comforts and safety of a home from home. This can be especially reassuring at this time while Covid is still a real concern.

• Check out our cleaning guidelines for home exchanging during Covid.

As a result of recent travel restrictions, we’ve seen a big increase in members looking for home exchanges closer to home (such as members in cities looking for swaps to the countryside). A good option for a first swap could be to arrange a shorter break such as a long weekend getaway within the UK. Once you have your first successful swap under your belt, you could then start planning a longer trip or even plan a swap abroad.

Understandably, it can be quite a daunting planning your first home swap holiday but we're always here to help in any way we can! Contact us with any questions

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Start planning your home swap holiday accommodation

Join Home Base Holidays: start home swapping Looking for a much needed break? Arrange free holiday accommodation by choosing to swap homes rather than book hotels or holiday rentals. View the latest home exchange vacation offers then sign up to Home Base Holidays.

Family holiday: home swap in the heart of the Pyrenees

Home swap in Spain: amazing scenery and lovely thoughtful hosts "We swapped to Teresa's lovely apartment set in a charming town in the heart of the Pyrenees. The surrounding area was stunning with plenty of lovely scenic strolls right from the doorstep. There were lots of excellent longer walks available nearby in the beautiful Aiguestortes National Park. A perfect location for a relaxing family holiday. The apartment was clean, tidy and, with all the essentials for a comfortable stay. Best of all was the effort and the attention to detail the owners put to make a great time out of our stay. They provided us with lots of maps, information on activities to do nearby, and excellent recommendations on where to eat and shop locally. Communication was always excellent which made arranging the swap very easy and reasuring. Very much recommend - thank you so much for a fabulous holiday!"   - Sofia & Family (Exeter, England)

Highlights of the home swap: Owners effort and attention to detail Excellent recommendations on where to eat and shop locally The apartment was clean and tidy with all the essentials for a comfortable stay. Beautful location with lovely scenic walks

Photos from Sofia's family holiday in the Pyrenees, Spain

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View the home swap holiday offers:

Exeter, Devon, England (HE38650) Three bedroom family home in Exeter (Devon) in the southwest of England. Exeter is a vibrant cultural town with museums, library, theatres and the University of Exeter. Near the seaside where you can visit Exmouth, Dawlish, Sidmouth and Topsham. View home swap holiday offer	Vilaller, Pyreness, Spain (HE28192) Two bedroom apartment in a mountain village. Ideal for two couples, or a couple with children, looking for calm and nature. This Pyreness village is the ideal location for walking, biking, skiing and countryside ride horse. View home swap holiday 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.

Home exchange holidays: tips for good communication

Whether you're planning a staycation or a trip abroad, home exchanging is an excellent holiday option. We always love to hear from Home Base Holidays members about their swaps. The key to successful home swapping is to always have good communication.

So, when planning an exchange, make sure to have ongoing communications with your potential home exchange partner. Messaging and emails are great for initiating and keeping track of a proposed swap, but also take the time to talk directly either via phone, Skype, Zoom, etc. Having voice/video calls really helps to get to know one another, develop the trust that is key and helps to avoid any potential misunderstandings.

Shown below are some tips for helpful conversations to have when planning a home exchange.

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Tip 1. Do a little planning

After checking out the member's home swap listing and profile, think about what questions you’d like to ask and what you want to be sure the other people know about your home and location.  Jot down a few notes and reminders so that you don't accidentally forget to ask any important questions during the call.

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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. You want to feel relaxed and use the call to help build a happy, friendly connection with your potential exchange partners.

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Tip 3. Set the right tone

Build that trust with a friendly, polite tone so that your exchange partners will  feel happy having you stay in their home.  Set the tone of the conversation right away with openers like, “We’re so happy that you’re interested in a home swap with us”; “We’ve always wanted to visit…” “Your home is so lovely, it really looks like it would be the perfect swap 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 home swap guests 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 travelling and why you want to do a home exchange instead of staying in a hotel or a holiday rental. Talk a little about what it’s like to live in your home / neighbourhood, and ask about theirs. If you've swapped homes before, tell them about your previous experiences (both pros and cons).

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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

After the conversation, send the other people a message letting them know how nice it was to chat with them, thanking them for taking the time to talk, and summarising the details of your home swap agreement. 

Swap agreement: once you have agreed to swap, set up an online swap agreement through the Home Base Holiday website.

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Join Home Base Holidays: start home swapping Looking for a much needed break? Arrange free holiday accommodation by choosing to swap homes rather than book hotels or holiday rentals. View the latest home exchange vacation offers then sign up to Home Base Holidays.

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