Travel the Home Exchange Way

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!

---

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

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

 

---

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.

Staycations? Arrange a home exchange holiday

Staycation? Sea view home swap offer in Bangor, Wales (click image to view offer)

It's been great seeing many Home Base Holidays members again starting to plan their holiday home exchanges for later this year and into 2021. There's been a big boost in new home swap offers added just in the last two weeks - all very encouraging signs and just so lovely to see!

Staycation holidays are continuing to prove particularly popular as we cautiously step out of lockdown. Staycations are where you holiday within your own country rather than travelling abroad. As a result, many of the UK's campsites and rental properties have already been fully booked and often their prices substantially increased. However, you'll still find plenty of holiday home swap accommodation offers available and, by choosing to swap homes, you'll enjoy free holiday accommodation along with all the space, comfort and safety of a home from home. 

So, whether you're looking for that perfect holiday in a country cottage, a place by the sea or a weekend city break ...you'll find an your ideal getaway by choosing a home swap!

---

Staycation swap: lovely holiday in a beautiful area of Suffolk

"We spent 5 nights at Sue's home and looked after the hens and geese. Although semi-detached it felt very private with a south west facing garden and conservatory. It was a real pleasure to stay as the house is very homely and welcoming. The surrounding area is unspoilt with lovely villages, pubs and the coast not far away. Sue is an excellent communicator and our home swap arrangements were made promptly and with ease. A great place to stay. Thank you Sue!" - Steve (Ovingdean, East Sussex)

View Steve's seaview home swap offer in East Sussex  |  View Sue's home swap offer in Suffolk

Staycation swap: cosy cottage in a beautiful Lake District location

"We have often visited the Lake District, but neither myself nor my partner knew this area of the Lakes. What a lovely discovery! As keen walkers and bird watchers the estuary was wonderful, and we found the most gentle and lovely walks, all with a view of the northern lakes. Very handy for Coniston too, and Cartmel, where we recommend The Pig and Whistle for good food and beer. Thank you very much Steve and Jean for an excellent exchange." - Marguerite (Harrogate, Yorkshire)

View Marguerite's home swap offer in Harrogate  |  View Steve & Jean's Lake District home swap

 

---

Start home swapping By swapping homes you'll enjoy free accommodation plus all the space and convenience of a home from home. Sign up to Home Base Holidays and cut the cost of your travels. Join Home Base Holidays

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?

---

• Check out the latest issue of the Home Swappers newsletter

---

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.

---

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)

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

---

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

---

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]

 

Books and a comfy chair: cosy home swap homes

When someone is being interviewed in their home office for a TV news report, do you ever get side-tracked from listening, trying to read the titles of books in a bookcase behind them? If you do, you are very likely to also be eager to check out the books in your home swap hosts’ home, perhaps looking for common interests, or something completely different from your normal reading matter to dip into.

Books really do furnish a room if you love reading and, on a quick check through some Home Base Holidays listings, many interior photos do include books, often with an inviting comfy chair or sofa nearby.

Small selection of book-filled homes available for home swapping:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

---

Links to the above home swap offers:

1. Recently converted 1930's Presbyterian church in Shrewsbury, Shropshire,  England. View home exchange offer
2. Home in the pretty little town of Hay-on-Wye in Wales, famous for its many bookshops and annual literary festival. View home exchange offer
3. Large Edwardian family home located just south of central Manchester, England. View home exchange offer
4. 300 year old cottage in pretty village near Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England. View home exchange offer
5. Cosy flat in a listed 1920s apartment block in Berlin, Germany. View home exchange offer
6. Large, comfortable home in a beachside suburb, just south of Fremantle, Western Australia. View home exchange offer
7. Bright Victorian 2nd floor apartment in Glasgow, Scotland. View home exchange offer
8. Charming 18th century stone cottage in the heart of a village on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England. View home exchange offer

Swap stories: our fabulous winter home exchange

Sheringham swap: Marguerite's December home exchange on the Norfolk coast

This home swap experience was sent in by Home Base Holidays member and very experienced home exchanger, Marguerite.

---

"This is the second year in a row we've arranged a Christmas holiday home swap. I'd usually think about home swapping in the spring or summer, but a couple of years ago we received a very tempting home exchange offer in Suffolk for a couple of weeks before Christmas - we took up the offer and enjoyed it so much that we arranged another Christmas exchange in 2019!

One of our favourite places is Norfolk, thanks to the beauty of the coast and the wildlife. We were very lucky that Sue and her husband from Sheringham were happy to exchange in December. Their home was so warm, comfy, full of character and right next to the sea. Sheringham itself was a delight with its Christmas lights and lovely little shops and such friendly locals.

We'll definitely be looking for another Christmas home swap this year. In the meantime we have so much lined up, next week we have a home exchange in Ulverston (Lake District) thanks to Steve and Jean, followed by home exchanges in France, East coast, and the Peak District ...and hopefully still time to pack lots more in! Thanks to Home Base Holidays for making this possible."

- Marguerite

---

Marguerite's Christmas Sheringham swap

• 
• 
• 
• 

---

Meet the members:   Marguerite (in photo) is a retired Teacher and avid traveller. Having lived in France many years, she speaks fluent French. - View Marguerite's home swap offer in Harrogate - View Sue's home swap offer in Sheringham

---

Arrange your 2020 home swaps Sign up to Home Base Holidays and cut the cost of your 2020 getaways. By swapping homes you'll enjoy free accommodation plus all the space and convenience of a home from home. Search home swap travel offers