Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

First house swap holiday: swapping Cambridge for France

Lovely one week home swap holiday between the medieval village of Soreze and Cambridge

It's lovely to hear from first time home swappers. Mark and his family enjoyed their first exchange, swapping their house in Cambridge for one-week staying in Jan and Fred's holiday home in the medieval village of Soreze in the South East of France.   

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Jan & Fred: swapping SE France for a wonderful week in Cambridge "We have a second home in the town of Soreze, SE France. We spend a lot of time there but don’t live there and so using our place for home exchanging opens up all sorts of possibilities. We were delighted when Mark and his family approached us, looking for a stop-off on their tour of France. They have a home in Cambridge and we thought it sounds really nice, not too far from where we live in the UK, and its got lots of interesting places to explore. Their house is lovely – spacious and light, especially at the back of the house. We spent a lot of time sitting in the open plan family area with the double doors open to the tree-lined garden. Its quiet and in the morning, you can listen to the birds with your first cup of tea. We took the bus into the city each day, choosing a different museum or gallery to explore. The city itself is small and easy to walk to most of the colleges. Not all the colleges allow public access of course, but the ones that did have magnificent grounds and gardens – free to sit in and just take it all in. We visited as many museums as we could, but didn’t get round them all in a week. We’d really need another visit to see everything. The museums themselves were phenomenal. From quaint mahogany cabinets, to state of the art presentations, zoology, archaeology, sculpture, geology, science, Darwin, Newton, etc etc. We loved the Whale Café at the Museum of Zoology, and spent a happy hour in the quirky courtyard at The Punter bar on Pound Hill. Of course, we had to leave time to explore the little coffee shops and restaurants too, so it all takes time. But we took things slowly and savoured it all in the marvellous weather we experienced. Had it rained or snowed though, we would have found plenty to do! We could have taken a punt down the river and under the many bridges, but as it was, found a lovely walk along part of the way. I read the guide books after we returned, which made me realise how much more there is to see. We’ll just have to go back sometime! Highly recommended beautiful city, full of marvellous architecture, very clever people and a gorgeous river. Thank you so much to Mark and his family for a wonderful stay in their home!"

Highlights of the holiday: Emma and Paul's local tips and recommendations Exploring the stunning 'Pueblos Blancos' villages Beautiful stylish home with wonderful village and mountain views

Photos from Jan & Fred's Home Exchange in Cambridge

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Mark & family: swapped Cambridge for a lovely medieval village in France "This was the first house swap holiday for our family of 2 adults and 2 girls, aged 10 and 12. We swapped with Jan and Fred who are experienced home swappers and easy going. All was very uncomplicated to arrange and while they stayed in our home in Cambridge, we were travelling for the summer in France and stayed for 1 week in their lovely holiday home in Soreze. Their house had all one needs for a lovely stay. Jan and Fred were very organised providing lots of information before leaving, posting key well in advance and being available while we were there. The house was lovely and cool even when hot outside and their courtyard, while small, was great spot to enjoy our morning coffee and croissants! Soreze is a beautiful medieval village in Tarn area of SE France. Very relaxed but with bakery, a few restaurants and supermarket to make daily life easy. We enjoyed walks in the immediate hills, and swimming in lake and swimming pool, each 10 minutes by car. We visited the abbey in Soreze when feeling more cultured. We had a wonderful week and would definitely recommend the swap to any couple or family with children. Thank you very much Jan and Fred!"

Highlights of the holiday: Our home swap partners, Jan & Fred, made everything so simple Staying in their lovely house dating back to medieval times Exploring Soreze and the beautiful surroundings

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Mark's family home in Cambridge, UK Family home 10 minutes walk to river, then 30minutes walk into Cambridge's historic city centre. View their home swap holiday offer	Jane & Fred's home in Soreze, France Medieval town house in the pretty village of Soreze, set at the foot of Les Montagnes Noires. View their home swap holiday offer

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Start home swapping and cut the cost of your next holiday Sign up to Home Base Holidays and save up to 90% on the cost of your holidays by arranging a home exchange. Search the latest home exchange holiday offers

Home swap holiday in a 300 year old barn conversion

Rick & Jen enjoyed exploring the North Devon coastline on their home swap holiday

It's so nice hearing Home Base Holidays members' home swap experiences. Here's a lovely trip report from very experienced home swappers, Rick & Jen, on their recent holiday exchanging to Sue & John's beautiful 300 year old barn in North Devon.

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Superb holiday in North Devon swapping to a 300 year old barn conversion "We've enjoyed a superb holiday swapping to Sue and John's lovely home in West Buckland, North Devon. Their home is a beautifully converted 300 year old barn on the edge of a small Devon village with gorgeous views over distant rolling hills. It was such a great location to explore areas around the North Devon coastline. We managed to walk over various days from Combe Martin round to Clovelly - highlights being the beaches at Instow and Braunton Burrows, and a seven mile circular from the village to the Jack Russell pub in Swimbridge. Our favourite meals out were to the Boathouse and Glorious Oyster beach cafe in Instow, the New Inn in Goodleigh and a couple of trips to the Pack 'Cards in Combe Martin which allowed some beautiful sunset strolls on the beach afterwards - heavenly! Really enjoyed the regular catch ups on WhatsApp, making sure we were both happy with how to find things around our respective homes and providing regular suggestions for trips, particularly when the rain appeared on occasion. Hope you enjoyed your stay in Grassington Sue and John, thanks again for agreeing to this excellent home exchange!" - Rick & Jen

Highlights of the home swap holiday: Sue & John's lovely 300 year old barn conversion Exploring the stunning North Devon coastline Boathouse & Glorious Oyster at Instow

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Photos from the home exchange

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Rick & Jen's farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales Stone farmhouse in quiet location just off the main square in Grassington. View their home swap holiday offer	Sue & John's barn conversion in North Devon 300 year old barn that's been converted into a comfortable country home. View their home swap holiday offer

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Start home swapping and cut the cost of your next holiday Sign up to Home Base Holidays and save up to 90% on the cost of your holidays by arranging a home exchange. Search the latest home exchange holiday offers

Travel Q&A: how to prepare our home for a home swap?

Preparing your home for a home swap holiday

Q: I've just added my 3-bedroom flat in Bath to Home Base Holidays and am very excited to arrange my first home swap holiday! I've never arranged a swap before and so I'm a bit unsure what my guests will expect from my home. I'd of course make sure my home is nice and clean for their arrival and I'd provide essentials such as towels, bedding, loo roll, etc. My flat is not a holiday home though and so it's where we live and so has all our personal belongings (clothes, photos, etc). Is it okay to leave our personal items in the flat during the swap? Also, what assurance does one have that one's stuff will be safe if it remains?

- Gill

A: It's great to hear that you’ve added your flat in Bath to Home Base Holidays. Although some members do list their second / holiday home, the vast majority of members do not have a second property and so, like yourself, are swapping the home that they live in. Home swappers will expect to be staying in a real home rather than a generic rental or hotel room. Therefore, there is no need to clear out any of your belongings, just make sure that your home is clean and tidy, you have left some space in wardrobes and drawers for their belongings (they won't likely need a lot of space if swapping for a short period), extra clean bedding and towels are available, your fridge is cleaned (but leave basic foodstuffs like milk, butter, bread). Also put together a welcome pack for your guests to explain how things work, local attractions, recommended restaurants, transport information and emergency numbers.

It's extremely rare that we're notified of any problems during a home swap. However, it's still important to contact your home insurance provider prior to agreeing your exchange so as to make sure that your policy will cover the period that your guests are staying (just on the rare chance that something is damaged during their stay). For peace of mind, some members also choose to use a lockable room or take advantage of friends/family nearby to store certain personal items that they would not want available during an exchange (such as a work laptop or items of sentimental value).

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Home Base Holidays: arrange a home exchange holiday Sign up to Home Base Holidays two-week free trial and start planning your home swap holiday accommodation.  Search Home Base Holidays for the latest home swap holiday offers

We swapped our Paris home during the Olympics for a relaxing summer holiday in the Swedish countryside

Beautiful morning views from Alex's family home near Umeå, Sweden

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

Highlights of the home swap holiday: The fact that we escaped the Olympics to visit beautiful Sweden Picking wild blueberries, swimming in pristine lakes, the High Coast Meeting Alex and her lovely family and swapping lives

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Photos from the summer swap in Sweden

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Heather's townhouse in Paris, France 3 storey family home in a friendly quiet neighbourhood with excellent transport links. View their home swap holiday offer	Alex's lovely village home near Umeå, Sweden Northern Swedish village house in picturesque location only 9 km from city centre. View their home swap holiday offer

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Start home swapping and cut the cost of your next holiday Sign up to Home Base Holidays and save up to 90% on the cost of your holidays by arranging a home exchange. Search the latest home exchange holiday offers

Communication is key to a successful home swap holiday

Home swapping is a fantastic way to travel but good communication is key

It’s hard to underestimate the importance of ongoing communication when arranging a home exchange holiday. It’s this communication that helps you and your potential home swap guests get to know one another, and that is how you build the foundation for a successful holiday.

Do your guests have kids?

It’s important to personalise your communication when discussing a possible swap. So, instead of sending a general copy and paste response, stop to think about the person who has expressed interest in your home. What can you learn about them from their initial message and looking at their home swap profile? What are they looking for? What’s most important to them? Most people offer at least a little information about themselves in their inquiry; consider what they’ve said when you respond. Why are they coming to your area? Do they have kids?

Tailoring your response goes a long way toward ensuring successful exchanges. For one thing, proper communication helps both you and the other party determine whether your place is right for them, saving you both wasted time if it is not. For another, communication helps you spot potential problems before finalising the arrangements (e.g. pet allergies, home not suitable for children, area requires a car, etc).

Communication should not stop once you’ve finalised your home exchange. Make sure your guests know what to expect, and what you expect from them. Continue to ask questions about the home and the area – remember, by arranging a home exchange, you have a fantastic resource of local tips and recommendations in your hosts, real locals! Keep your communications friendly and polite, and don’t hesitate to ask questions or probe for further information about anything that raises a red flag for you.

Ask your guests to leave a review

Continue to communicate even after the guests have moved into your home. Check with them to make sure everything’s okay. Let them know that you’re available if they have questions. It’s good to exchange several ways of communication during the swap such as mobile numbers, email and WhatsApp. Make sure to also follow up with your guests after they leave.

If you were pleased by the way they cared for your home, say so. If they said they had a great time, ask them to post a review on the home swap website.

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Home Base Holidays: arrange a home exchange holiday Sign up to Home Base Holidays two-week free trial and start planning your home swap holiday accommodation.  Search Home Base Holidays for the latest home swap holiday offers

Wonderful home swap in Lake Constance, Switzerland

Beautiful views from Marianne & Hubi's home in Weinfelden, Switzerland

We love hearing from Home Base Holidays members about their home exchange holidays! Here's a recent trip report from home swapper, Linda, on her summer holiday staying in Marianne & Hubi's beautiful home located near Lake Constance, Switzerland.

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Swiss swap: amazing holiday exploring Lake Constance, Switzerland "We had an amazing summer swap exploring Lake Constance region of Switzerland. There was so much to explore, we felt spoilt for choice. Our only regret is that we didn’t ride the cable car to the top of Säntis, as it was too cloudy and we had left it to our last day. So we hope to return one day and discover more of the delights that the region offers! Our most memorable days were probably those that included swimming in the lake at Rorschach and the river at Zurich, the historic bathing huts simply made us smile. We found travelling around really good and easy whether by public transport or on foot. Getting to grips with the ticketing system and timings of boats on Lake Constance was a little tricky but we soon got the hang of it and loved exploring the beautiful region. Our hosts, Marianne & Hubi, were excellent and very thorough in preparing for our home swap. They provided heaps of information on local recommendations, places to visit, transport options, as well as useful information about their house. They made everything so smooth and worry free! Their home was a delight to stay in and couldn’t be faulted in any way. Thank you both so very much indeed." - Linda

Highlights of the home swap holiday: Staying in Marianne & Hubi's unique and lovely home. Stunning location with a great choice of places to visit and things to do. Reliable and regular public transport including boats on the lake

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Photos from the home swap in Switzerland

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Linda 's stone cottage in Swanage Charming 2-bedroom stone cottage located on Dorset's Jurassic Coast. View their home swap holiday offer	Marianne & Hubi's home in Switzerland Lovely 4-bedroom mountain view home located near Lake of Constance. View their home swap holiday offer

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Start home swapping and cut the cost of your next holiday Sign up to Home Base Holidays and save up to 90% on the cost of your holidays by arranging a home exchange. Search the latest home exchange holiday offers

What to say in your first message? Home exchange FAQs

When contacting a Home Base Holidays member with your initial home swap enquiry message, you don't need to go into great detail as, at this stage you're just trying to gauge if they are interested in discussing your offer further. First impressions count so be friendly and polite - after all, you are asking to stay in their home! Personalise your message; address them by name and mention what you like about their home and location (a little flattery never goes amiss!).

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Things you may want to include in your message:

• When you'd like to home swap
• The duration of the swap
• What you like about their home / location
• What is nice about your home / location
• Important information (e.g. pet care required, accessibility requirements, serious allergy information).
• If you've previously home swapped
• Commitment to care for their home

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Example of a home swap enquiry message: "Hi Alice, would you be interested in a swap to our stone cottage set on edge of Snowdonia National Park? We saw your listing and thought your London flat looked lovely. We are a retired couple and were hoping to visit London for a week at the end of September, but our dates are flexible. We've swapped a couple of times previously and both were really lovely holidays. We'd take excellent care of your home and are happy to answer any questions. Look forward to hearing from you. Best Wishes, Jan and Mike"

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Should you send enquiry messages to more than one member?

It's always good to be proactive when planning a home swap holiday. Most experienced home swappers send out a number of initial enquiry messages rather than one at a time and wait for a reply. With your initial enquiry message, you're not making a commitment to a swap, just seeing if the member would be potentially interested. If you are considering more than one offer, make your decision as quickly as possible and let other members you have been communicating with know without delay. Also, let members know if you would like to consider their offer, if available, at a later date.

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What should I do if I do not receive a reply?

It's good to be patient and give them up to a week to reply. If after a week you have still not received a response, try sending a follow up reminder message. If you still do not get a response, either choose to move on or, if particularly interested in the home swap offer, contact us at Home Base Holidays and we will try to get in touch with the member for you. 

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Received a new home swap enquiry message?

Try to check your emails and/or the home swap website messages regularly. Where possible, make sure to reply to all home swap offers you receive within a week of receipt. Even if you're not interested in the offer, reply politely declining the offer so that the other member can move on and find alternative home swap accommodation. 

 

If you need time to think about an offer, reply to the member to let them know and try to give them a timescale for you to make a definite decision.

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Start planning a home swap holiday Sign up to Home Base Holidays for free and contact members to arrange your home swap holiday accommodation. >> Search home swap holiday offers