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 heat dome that hovered over the vast area of western Canada and much of the USA recently, bringing dangerously high temperatures followed by hundreds of forest fires, should be a 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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Many Home Base Holidays members are discovering the pleasures of discovering destinations closer to home by arranging home swap staycations. 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 for nearly 40 years and were pioneers in promoting the advantages of home swap holidays).

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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? Even as Covid-19 restrictions ease, swap guests will be re-assured by knowing the steps you will take to leave your home clean and safe. View the Cleaning tips for holiday home swaps during COVID-19

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Join Home Base Holidays - arrange a home swap holiday Sign up to the Home Base Holidays 2-week free trial and start planning a home swap holiday. Whether you're searching for a staycation accommodation or looking for a trip abroad, you'll find lots of tempting exchange offers. 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?

Member gifts free holiday in France to NHS keyworker

Megan & Andy enjoyed a wonderful holiday in Tim & Jan's home in Auvergne

The past two years have been hard on us all, but it's been an especially stressful time for healthcare staff working on the frontline of the pandemic. That's why we were delighted to team up with the My Travel Pledge campaign to help provide much needed holidays to healthcare professionals.

 

It was amazing to see so many Home Base Holidays members sign up to the campaign and offer free holidays to NHS staff. As a result, healthcare workers enjoyed free holiday accommodation in members' homes in London, the Lake District, Cornwall, Devon, Amsterdam, Auvergne, and many more. It really highlighted the warmth and generosity of our home swap community. 

 

We were so happy to receive the feedback (below) from Megan, a NHS Physician Associate, who enjoyed a wonderful relaxing stay with her husband at, Home Base Holidays members, Tim and Jan's beautiful home in Auvergne in France. 

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"I still can’t believe our luck that we were chosen by Tim and Jan to stay at their absolutely beautiful home in Auvergne, France. As you can see from the pictures, the views from their home are so stunning and Tim and Jan are some of the kindest, most generous people I have had the pleasure of meeting. It was so wonderful to have this week of relaxation - I am an NHS physician associate working in oncology and had been deployed to a new area during the covid pandemic. I absolutely love my work, but it has certainly been more stressful and emotionally draining. Additionally, my husband and I are both American so hadn’t been able to see any of our family since the beginning of the pandemic. That’s why I was so humbled and excited to be selected for this extremely generous offer - my husband Andy and I (and our dog!) had a wonderful relaxing week hiking and cooking and we were even able to reunite with my husbands brother who met us from Colorado and so it was so great to both unwind and be able to see family for the first time in almost 2 years. We enjoyed lots of beautiful walks in the surrounding countryside, drank coffee at adorable cafes, ate delicious French food, and drank wine in the evening in the terrace enjoying the view and the company. And if it wasn’t already generous enough, Tim and Jan invited us to over for a evening of a wonderful dinner and relaxing by the fire pit. I feel so very fortunate to have had this experience as well as having had the opportunity to get to know Tim and Jan through our emails as they are just absolutely lovely people. I was also so interested to hear their wonderful experience with the home swap community and we’ve already discussed swapping homes with Tim and Jan when we get settled into our new home in Scotland. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to Tim and Jan and to Home Base Holidays and all the lovely people of the Home Swap community who so generously offered their homes to healthcare workers and made this possible." - Megan & Andy

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Megan & Andy's holiday in Auvergne, France

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Auvergne, France (HE34021) Fantastic views from the house and patio, here you can watch buzzards, kestrels, red kites (perhaps even a short-toed eagle). Great walking/hiking country in the mountains with lakes and waterfalls. Plenty of outdoor activities such as mountain biking, riding, rock climbing and fishing. View Tim & Jan's home swap 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.

Thank you so much to our home swap community

Thank you so much to all the Home Base Holidays members that have come forward to be a part of the #MyTravelPledge campaign. It's been so incredibly heart warming to see so many members offering free holiday stays to NHS staff / healthcare workers for when it is safe to travel again - you guys are amazing!

This week we've been busy putting healthcare workers in touch with home swappers and we've already seen many holiday plans penciled in.

There have been over 4000 healthcare workers sign up to the pledge and so far our members have received inquiries from nurses, doctors, a nursing sister, midwives, radiologists, GPs, psychologists, social care workers, paramedics, a pediatrician and many more. Quite a few of the healthcare workers getting in touch have included their personal experiences in dealing with Covid-19; these are often quite distressing but always inspirational ...we are so enormously proud and grateful for the work you do.

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BBC's Travel Show featuring the #MyTravelPledge campaign:

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Would you like to help? Please contact us if you would be interested in offering a NHS staff / healthcare worker a free stay* in your home swap property. Contact us for details: [email protected] *Free stays are subject to mutually agreeable dates and availability.

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"My family think this is such an excellent idea and we would very much like to offer both our English and our French house to the #MyTravelPledge campaign" - Tim & Jan (member HE34021)

 

As a thank you, we will extend Home Base Holidays memberships by one year for members signing up to the #MyTravelPledge campaign.

Thank you to our NHS / healthcare staff #MyTravelPledge

Free holiday accommodation for NHS / Healthcare workers

Home Base Holidays are proud to have teamed up with the #MyTravelPledge campaign. We are looking for members that would be interested in offering NHS staff / healthworkers a free stay in their home swap property when it is safe to travel again.

Would you like to help? Please contact us if you would be interested in offering a NHS staff / healthcare worker a free stay* in your home swap property. Contact us for details: [email protected] *Free stays are subject to mutually agreeable dates and availability.

 

"Knowing a few young doctors who are working extremely hard at the moment, we wanted to show our appreciation of their efforts (other than clapping). All our exchange plans have been set aside and obviously our holiday home will remain unused until the travel restrictions are lifted. However we have said to our medical friends that we would be happy for them to have a free holiday in our Whitby home when the emergency is over" - Nick (member HE38988)

 

As a thank you, we will extend Home Base Holidays memberships by one year for members who sign up to the #MyTravelPledge campaign.

Neighbourly love: heartwarming photos from Italy ❤

As families around the world bunker in amid the Covid-19 pandemic, we've seen so many uplifting examples of neighbourly love. Be it the thousands of people volunteering to help the vulnerable in the community, neighbours coming to their windows and doorsteps to cheer on our heroic healthcare workers and, of course, the wonderful heartwarming videos from Italy where people of all generations have taken to their balconies to sing and play musical instruments.

The wonderful scenes in Italy were nationwide from Sicily to Milan and provide a beautiful insight into the Italian spirit. We were sent these two lovely photos from Home Base Holidays member, Valeri Walsh, from her home in the Medieval hillside village of Ceriana, Italy.

 

"Dear friends. During the Coronavirus outbreak you may have seen pictures of Italians singing from their balconies. Unfortunately my neighbours and I don't have balconies and we don't sing either but every evening around 6pm we open our windows and chat to each other across the alley while enjoying a glass of wine. We talk about what we have been doing that day, what we will cook that evening and how much we hope and pray that we will soon get through this terrible time. I hope you like these lovely photos taken by my neighbour across from me. Many regards to you all, Valeri." - Valeri Walsh (Ceriana, Italy)

 

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Meet the member:   Valeri is an experienced home exchanger and lives in a beautiful 800 year old home in the charming hillside village of Ceriana, Imperia, Italy. - View Valeri's home swap offer in Ceriana, Italy

Australian bushfires & home swap travel advice

Our thoughts are with everyone in Australia in areas affected by the terrible bushfires, and for all concerned for family and friends in Australia. We have lots of Australian Home Base Holidays members, many of which have been members and friends for many many years - we're thinking of them all and sending our best wishes at this very worrying time. 

What to know before home swapping in Australia

At the time of writing there isn't advice against travel to Australia in general - but if you do have a home swap planned soon, please get in touch with your Australian hosts to check that they are safe and well. With the temperatures set to rise again in many of the affected areas, you’ll need to keep a close eye on the ever-changing situation and stay in touch with your hosts in the lead up to any travel dates.

Always confirm flights with airlines before departure. Airlines cancelled several flights in NSW due to low visibility from bushfire smoke. Etihad Airways announced it would waive change fees for Australian residents affected by the fires. The waivers will apply for travel to or from Australia. Virgin Australia is also waiving change fees.

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How to help

You can donate to the Australian Red Cross through The Intrepid Foundation (100% of all donations are being donated to these efforts).

As many as 800 million animals, including koalas and kangaroos, have been killed or hurt in the bushfires. You can donate to the New South Wales Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) emergency fund. The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital and Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park have both created GoFundMe pages to help search for injured animals, pay for veterinary assistance and help animals recover.

Blog Action Day: Forced evictions and the universal right to housing #HumanRights #BAD13

Today is Blog Action Day and we are pleased to be taking part again. The theme this year is Human Rights and today bloggers all over the world are publishing posts on various aspects of this extensive topic as detailed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

As Travel the Home Exchange Way is all about how Home Base Holidays members welcome guests into their homes on home swaps, it seems very appropriate on this day that we focus on the many people in the world who aren't so fortunate, who don't have homes, let alone the opportunity to travel and the pleasure of staying in someone else's home. These are people who are particularly vulnerable, living and bringing up children in inadequate housing and, worse, with the constant fear of eviction.

As Amnesty International is a Blog Action Day partner this year, we would like to draw attention to Amnesty's current campaign for a new law to stop people in Nairobi’s poorest communities being kicked out of their homes with no warning:

“Nearly half of Nairobi’s population live in slums and many are at risk of forced evictions which not only often make people homeless, but also involve violence and lead to loss of access to services such as water and sanitation as well as livelihoods, education and healthcare” - Iain Byrne, head of Amnesty International’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights team

Click here to read more about forced evictions in Kenya and sign Amnesty's petition calling for an end to all forced evictions in Kenya. Together, we can make a difference.