Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Family holiday: exploring Norfolk on our first home swap

Family holiday: exploring Norfolk's beautiful beaches

Family holiday: one week home swap in Norfolk "This was our first home swap holiday and Anna made everything really easy for us with loads of communication beforehand, a house guide on arrival and just generally being really friendly and welcoming! We packed in a huge amount across the week we were there. Our kids are 4 and 8 so the beaches were a prime reason for visiting Norfolk and they didn't disappoint. There are a huge range to choose from and they are all around 30 minutes' drive. The area is obviously rural and there were lots of pretty towns and villages to explore. We visited ROARR - a dinosaur theme park which is only five minutes' drive from Reepham and a decent day out for young children. And we popped next door for a swim in the private indoor pool, wandering home afterwards in our towels. We had such a great time and did a lot - we didn't even manage a trip on the Broads or a visit to Norwich, so there was plenty left to experience. Thank you Anna and family!." - Will (Devon, UK)

Our home swap highlights: Norfolk's incredible beaches The beautiful home we got to stay in and the excellent communication with Anna The indoor swimming pool next door

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Photos from the home exchange

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Home Base Holidays members' offers:

Reepham, Norfolk, England (HE29052) Anna has a beautifully converted coach house set with in the heart of Norfolk. View Home Base Holidays offer	Bovey Tracey, Devon, England (HE41167) Will has a lovely family home within walking distance of Dartmoor and 15 minutes' drive from the sea. 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. Home swap guarantee: second year free if you do not arrange a swap during your membership.

Reus, Spain: a fantastic home swap in an amazing city

Our home swap coincided with a big festival in Reus

Reus, Catalonia, Spain: a fantastic home swap in an amazing city! "We have just returned from such a memorable home swap holiday in Reus. It’s such a gorgeous place, it’s everything that a Spanish city should be, but smaller friendlier and delightfully unspoiled. Matthew’s apartment is positioned perfectly for everything this town has to offer, there are literally cafes restaurants and bars within steps of the door, but the layout of the interior of the apartment means that the bedroom is restful. Matthew deserves a special mention as he is such a great host, and nothing is too much trouble for him. Public transport is easy and cheap, we enjoyed trips to the coast and Tarragona. We didn’t realise that our time there coincided with a big festival, so we were right in the thick of the action, human towers, fireworks runners and colourful parades with dozens of marching bands, dancers and the giant figures carried by teams of people. Reus is the centre of excellence for Vertmut production and we quickly got into the habit of sitting in the square with a vermouth, olives and crisps for some pre dinner people watching. We absolutely loved our time there!" - Dawn & Peter (Chester, UK)

Our home swap highlights: Festival fever in Reus Vermouth O’clock (plus olives and crisps!) Matthew the super home swap host

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Photos from Dawn and Peter's holiday in Reus

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Home Base Holidays members' offers:

Reus, Catalonia, Spain (HE41334) Matthew has a stylish apartment in right in the centre of the attractive city of Reus (close by Barcelona). View Home Base Holidays offer	Chester, England (HE41833) Dawn and Peter have a beautiful top floor apartment in Chester, just two minutes walk to the Roman Walls. 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.

We enjoyed a perfect home swap in Fowey, Cornwall

Fowey, Cornwall: perfect home exchange walking the beautiful coastal paths

Fowey, Cornwall: fisherman's cottage, coastal paths and boat trips "We had the perfect home swap holiday in Fowey exploring Cornwall's beautiful coastal paths. We stayed at Michele and John's lovely fisherman's cottage, which was in an ideal location in the prettiest part of the village. Fowey is such a cute and pretty village, we really enjoy exploring the quaint old alleyways on evening strolls. We had the choice of eating at the Crab Shack or North St Kitchen, which were both just yards from the cottage, or taking our own meals out to the tables overlooking the pretty harbour each evening, whish is literally just outside the front door! In fact, there were so many excellent places to eat and drink in Fowey, I think we managed to cover most of them, plus the walks to the pubs in Polkerris and Golant prompted by Michele's great suggestions. On one day during the exchange we hired a motorboat which was such a nice and relaxing way to explore the estuary. Further afield we caught the buses to Polperro and Mavagissy to enjoy more of the coastal path. In fact, we left our car untouched during the whole stay, leaving it in the handy Caffa Mill carpark (just £15/wk). Thanks again Michele and John for such a great home exchange in your beautiful cottage." - Rick & Jen (Yorkshire Dales, UK)

Our home swap highlights: Lovely cottage in gorgeous location Exploring the estuary on a hired motorboat Wandering the old alleyways in the evenings

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Photos from our holiday in Fowey, Cornwall

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Home Base Holidays members' offers:

Yorkshire Dales, England (HE39785) Detached stone farmhouse in quiet location at end of cobbled drive just off the main square in Grassington. View Home Base Holidays offer	Fowey, Cornwall, England (HE39531) Former fisherman's cottage just steps from Fowey harbour - take your morning cuppa across the street and watch the boats sail past. 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.

Our home swap in Fife: sea views, beaches and puffins!

Sea view balcony, sandy beaches and... puffins!  "We had a wonderful two week home swap holiday in Jo and Keith’s lovely house in Fife. The location is excellent as it is so near to the beach, on a quiet street, but near local shops, cafes and pubs. Their home has a lovely balcony that overlooks the beach, we enjoyed breakfast on the balcony every day but one. The house is spotlessly clean and very well equipped. The notes that were left were an excellent guide to where to go and where to eat. It is this local knowledge that is so good with home swaps! There are so many places to visit locally – Kelley Castle, St Andrews and Cambo Gardens, with the outstanding event being the trip to the Isle of May and seeing thousands of Puffins. This area of Scotland is wonderful for a holiday that combines beautiful clean, sandy beaches, and plenty of interesting places to visit. We aren’t golfers but anyone wanting to play golf would be spoilt for choice! Jo and Keith were excellent at communicating and we would highly recommend this swap." - Jayne & Sean (Devon, England)

Our home swap highlights: Isle of May trip to see the Puffins Being so near to a beautiful sandy beach The balcony with views over the sea

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Photos from the home swap in Scotland

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Home Base Holidays members' offers:

Seaton, Devon, England (HE40343) Modern detached bungalow, by the sea with a lovely beach hut. View Home Base Holidays offer	Elie, Fife, Scotland (HE40697) Family sea viewhome located in the beautiful coastal village of Elie. 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.

Exploring Cornwall's coast path | Home swap holiday

Home swap in Cornwall: exploring walks along the coast path "Our house swap holiday in Cornwall staying at Sara and Chris's beautiful home was such a real treat. We loved their home's lovely decor, the wonderful views from the many outdoor raised decks and showers were to die for! Oh and who knew you could live quite happily without a kettle? We were blessed with glorious sunshine throughout our stay, which allowed us to enjoy delightful walks from the house. One fabulous walk was down the St Micheals Way footpath to the beach overlooking the the stunning St Micheal's Mount. Another walk was about a mile or so to the nearby sculpture gardens - Jen reckons these were equal to those at Eden Project, just without the domes and 90min drive. Further afield we walked the coastpath westbound from St Ives, we also walked from Penzance to Mousehole, and our favourite was parking our car at Treen then taking the bus to Lands End and walking back. During the walks we explored some of the best beaches in Cornwall. Sara provided us with excellent recommendations, including a tasty meal at the Turks Head, with the experience next door at the Admiral Benbow not to be missed. Communications between us via WhatsApp were really welcome throughout the swap, with lots of helpful tips shared. Thank you again Sara and Chris for sharing your beautiful home, we're so pleased you enjoyed equally good weather at our home in the Yorkshire Dales." Jen & Rick (Yorkshire, England)

Reply from Sara & Chris: "Thanks for the great feedback Rick and Jen. It sounds like you had a lovely time in Cornwall and enjoyed your stay. It has been a really wonderful experience to learn how to host from experienced home exchangers and your support throughout has been really appreciated. Happy future exchanging."

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Highlights from the home swap: Lovely home with amazing views and garden Exploring the many amazing coastal walks Cornwall's beautiful beaches and sculpture gardens

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Photos from the holiday in Cornwall

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View the Home Base Holidays offers:

Yorkshire Dales, England (HE39785) Detached stone farmhouse in quiet location at end of cobbled drive just off the main square in Grassington. View home exchange offer	Penzance, Cornwall, England (HE40494) Lovely cottage style house is situated in the beautiful, wooded Eden Valley close to Penzance and St Ives. View home exchange 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.

Family holiday: fabulous home swap in the North Downs

Our home swap family holiday exploring the North Downs "We swapped homes and enjoyed a fabulous and very budget friendly family holiday. We stayed in a pretty village on the edge of the North Downs - this place is so special and beautiful. Our hosts, Geoff & Anne, couldn't have been more helpful; they even sourced a big bundle of toys for our 1 year old and 3 year old grandsons ...as we all know, if the kids are happy, so is everyone else! Their garden is huge and is a fabulous mix of well manicured flower beds as well as areas of wild flower trails to explore. The location was perfect and there is a lovely little tea room and small supermarket just down the hill. Many thanks Geoff & Anne, thank you for letting us swap to your wonderful house." - Paul (Murcia, Spain)

Our home swap highlights: Our grandsons loved exploring their huge beautiful garden Spacious home with so much character Located on edge of a pretty and leafy village with good facilities

Photos from the home exchange

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Home Base Holidays members' offers:

Penthouse in Los Urrutias, Spain (HE35491) Beachfront apartment in the lovely village of Los Urrutias on the Mar Menor. View Home Base Holidays offer	On the edge of the North Downs (HE31860) Lovely house and garden on the edge of the village overlooking the North Downs. 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.

Isle of Wight: home swap holiday along the coastal path

Isle of Wight: home swap holiday exploring the coastal paths

Our home swap exploring Isle of Wight's coastal path "We were looking for home swap holiday somewhere along 'the coastpath' when Jacky suggested her home on the Isle of Wight. It was perfect, you can actually watch people walking up the coastal path whilst watching the telly! What a perfect location for exploring the quieter southern part of the island, the walks in both directions were gorgeous, with secret paths down to hidden beaches and road long closed due to landslips making for a perfect car-free cycle route to the nearby Ventnor Botanical Garden. The Buddle pub, situated just below the house, received three visits during our stay, enjoying their idyllic garden overlooking the sea and tasty seafood on the menu. Further afield you have Mottistone gardens just 20min drive along the quiet coast road, or Godshill inland with its quintessential English thatch cottages. Jacky and Paul's home provided the perfect location for our walks and cycles, well equipped with everything we needed and a lovely garden oasis to relax in at the end of the day. Comfy beds, lots of storage space provided, and a perfect strong shower. Great communications with Jacky throughout our stay, prompting places to visit and checking we were happy with everything in the house - thanks Jacky, we loved our stay in your lovely home." - Rick & Jen (Yorkshire Dales, UK)

Our home swap highlights: Coastal path walks direct from the doorstep Buddle pub garden with stunning seaviews & excellent seafood  A week of blue skies

Photos from the home swap holiday

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Home Base Holidays members' offers:

Yorkshire Dales, England (HE39785) Detached stone farmhouse in quiet location at end of cobbled drive just off the main square in Grassington. View Home Base Holidays offer	Isle of Wight, England (HE28869) Detached chalet bungalow in friendly village of Niton on the southern tip of the Isle of Wight next to the coastal path. 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.