Travel the Home Exchange Way

Arranging a home swap: make a good impression, upload photos of a tidy home

Don and Rita's stunning home exchange in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Don and Rita, the owners of this stunning holiday home (above) with private beach front in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, are very experienced home swappers who recently shared tips on how members could best use photos to ‘sell’ the idea of coming to stay in their homes. If your home has a view like this, selling your home exchange offer should be a cinch!

Of course, not everyone can offer such stunning views and the majority of homes available to exchange will be smaller (and probably not offer a private beach!). However, what every member should do to create a good first impression is to ensure that their home is tidy before taking photos.

Home swap tip: Don and Rita browsed through a couple of home and garden magazines to get some ideas on how best to display and photograph their home.

 

Tidying doesn’t mean depersonalising your home; there’s no need to hide away family photos, books and interesting items you have on display (the things that make a house a home, not a show home) but rather to clear unsightly clutter, e.g. 

• Make sure beds are freshly made up and covers smoothed
• No clothes, toys, newspapers, junk is left lying around
• Definitely no kitchen sinks and work surfaces stacked with last night’s dirty dishes

Another important point that Don makes is that, with the photos uploaded of their own homes, members are giving an impression of how they may look after a home entrusted to them and the state they might leave it in at the end of the home exchange. Now the vast vast majority of members leave a home exactly as they found it on arrival (often better!) but those all-important first impressions you give of your own home do count.

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We have covered how to take good photos of your home in previous blog posts such as: Five tips: to make your home swap photos stand out

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• View Don and Rita’s stunning home swap offer in Russell, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Home Swappers newsletter: discover your next destination

Looking to embrace the cold months or escape to the sun? You will find a home exchange holiday offer to suit you. Check out the latest issue of our home exchange newsletter for home swap tips, offers and member stories. 

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In this issue of the newsletter:

• Featured home swap offers: Greek island swap on Crete | UNESCO heritage town of Briancon, France | Houseboat swap in Yorkshire, England | Akkaya Lake home swap in Turkey | luxury central London home swap
• Swap stories: our excellent home exchange in Valencia, Spain
• Promotional code: save 15% on your home swap membership

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>>> View this issue of the Home Swappers newsletter

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Swap homes for free holiday accommodation Arrange anything from a weekend getaway exchange or even a long term six+ month exchange. Browse thousands of home exchange vacation offers Sign up today: add your home to Home Base Holidays so that you can start contacting other members to arrange your home exchange. Join Home Base Holidays

My wonderful home swap with Chrissy in Conwy, Wales

Home swap in Conwy, North Wales: beautiful coastal walks

"I have just arrived home from a wonderful home swap in north Wales. We went with friends, one of whom is a keen walker and climber, so could show us the ropes. I was aware how beautiful North Wales is, but was stunned by the beauty of the mountains and seascapes... and so many romantic and historic stories are linked with the area, so much to see and learn.

Chrissy's home is really lovely and very comfortable, I could not believe how spacious the bungalow was.... I am now even contemplating buying one. The bungalow is really well placed for easy access to everything from a mountain top to Tesco!

We have decided to arrange another home exchange with Chrissy in the near future, as they would like to explore more here, and we would love more time there. Many thanks Chrissy for a wonderful holiday."

- Marguerite

Photos from the home swap

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Highlights our home swap in Conwy, North Wales:

1. Stunning mountains and beaches
2. Excellent communication
3. Very pretty, spacious and cosy bungalow

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Meet the members:   Check out Chrissy and Emlyn's (in photo) beautiful cottage home exchange offer in Conwy, Wales.  View Marguerite's beautiful home swap offer in Harrogate, England

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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Arrange free holiday accommodation

Rather than booking a hotel or holiday rental, arrange a home exchange through Home Base Holidays and enjoy free accommodation. 

• Search thousands of home exchange offers

Our family home exchange holiday in Majorca

The beautiful Canyamel beach in Majorca

"We enjoyed a home swap holiday in Pere and his families beautiful home in the resort of Canyamel, Majorca. Canyamel has one of the most beautiful beaches in Majorca - a wide, gently sloping, clean beach protected by wooded hills on either side.

The apartment is just a 5 minute walk alongside a picturesque river to the sea front. The views from the back of the apartment are over countryside, with wooded hills and sheep.

The nearest town of Arta is filled with interesting shops, cafes and restaurants and has an excellent weekly market in its historic centre. Capdepera, the next village to Canyamel has a wonderful ancient castle with stunning views over the Mediterranean Sea towards the island of Menorca.

We were fortunate to also swap cars for the period of the home exchange and so found it very easy to tour the island, where everything semms closeby and there is so much to see and do. Historic cities, such as Palma and Alcudia, high mountains, beautiful countryside and amazing coastline. We enjoyed boat trips from Cala Ratjada and visited the Caves of Drach at Porto Cristo, both just 30 minutes from the apartment.

Pere and his family took great care of our home during the home swap and communication was excellent. I thoroughly recommend this home exchange!"

- Alistair and Caroline

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Highlights of our home swap in Majorca:

1. Excellent location near a beautiful beach
2. Helpful and friendly exchange family
3. Car swap so that we could explore the area

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Meet the members:   Check out Pere's beautiful home exchange offer in Majorca, Spain.  View Alistair and Caroline's (pictured in photo with their two children) home swap offer in Cambridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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Arrange free holiday accommodation

Rather than booking a hotel or holiday rental, arrange a home exchange through Home Base Holidays and enjoy free accommodation. 

• Search thousands of home exchange offers

Home Swappers Newsletter: Autumn & Winter Holidays

There's still time to arrange a home exchange holiday for the autumn, winter and into the new year. Check out the latest issue of the Home Swappers travel newsletter for home swap tips and offers. By swapping homes rather than booking hotels or holiday rentals you'll dramatically cut the cost of your autumn and winter getaways.

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In this issue of the newsletter:

• Featured home swap offers: Stockholm, Sweden | Gold Coast, Australia | Central London, England
• Five tips: for arranging home swap accommodation
• Photo competition: thank you for the wonderful photos

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>>> View this issue of the Home Swappers newsletter

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Free vacation accommodation Arrange anything from a weekend getaway exchange or even a long term six+ month exchange. Browse thousands of home exchange vacation offers Sign up today: add your home to Home Base Holidays so that you can start contacting other members to arrange your home exchange. Join Home Base Holidays

Promoting local attractions: home swap travel tip

If you live in a tourist area or a major city, you may think that potential home exchange partners will only be interested in how easy it is to get to well-known attractions from your home; of course, it is important to provide such information, and details of public transport, but don’t ignore those lesser known attractions closer to your home that you may take for granted or even not be aware of, for example, if you don’t have children living at home. Home swappers tend to be adventurous and open to exploring local neighbourhoods and will appreciate your suggestions which, of course, you can expand on when in direct contact during your home exchange arrangements.

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Anna and Jeremy, along with their toddler daughter and baby son, live in Herne Hill, a suburb in southeast London. They have included in the Home Base Holidays home swap offer a detailed and really inviting list of attractions in their area. See below the description of their local attractions. 

 

Within walking distance… 

• At the bottom of the road you’ll find Sunray Gardens, a peaceful public garden and play-park, with an artisan bakery and coffee shop nearby. The glorious Ruskin Park with wild flower garden, paddling pool and views across London is 10 minutes away on foot and you’ll pass the Grade II listed art-deco Carnegie Library en route. 
• Herne Hill, with its pedestrianised hub, is 8 minutes away on foot. You’ll find a flower shop, book shops, gift shops, artisan bakeries and restaurants amid live music from the street piano. The buzzing Sunday market sells a wide range of high quality food alongside vintage collections and designer craft.
• Herne Hill is directly opposite the magnificent Brockwell Park, South East London’s largest park, with orchard, rose garden, ponds, Lido, large children’s play area and cafes. There is a 600 year old oak tree and a fantastic view across London. 
• Dulwich Village is 15 minutes away on foot, home to the famous Dulwich Picture Gallery, serene Dulwich Park with its American Gardens, bike hire, boating lake and enticing café and ice-cream parlour. There’s also a historic pub in the village, plus more restaurants, cafes and gift shops to explore. 

Within 10 minutes by car or an easy bus ride away you’ll find…

Visit the fabulous overstuffed walrus in London's Horniman Museum

•  The unmissable Horniman Museum, with its natural history and musical instrument collection, gardens, butterfly house, aquarium and panoramic view across London (the famous over-stuffed walrus in the museum is shown in the photo).
• East Dulwich and Lordship Lane; home to a fantastic range of restaurants, including a pastificio selling to-die-for handmade pasta, a lively Saturday street market, plus cinema and boutiques.
• Brixton Village, you’ll find a maze of small, independent food outlets, selling authentic dumplings, pancakes, craft ales, Italian Cuisine, tapas and cocktails alongside unique galleries, clothes boutiques and gift shops. Brixton also has the elegant, refurbished cinema, the Ritzy.
• The South London Gallery in Camberwell, a famous contemporary art gallery, with café, bookshop and landscaped garden. 
• Sydenham Wood: one of London’s best kept secrets, a delightful mix of new and ancient woodland with remnants of Victorian gardens, home to more than 200 species of trees and plants as well as bats, birds and woodland mammals.
•  You`ll of course have all of all London available within easy reach - whilst there is much to enjoy within the immediate local area too.

View the family's full home exchange offer in London including photos of their home.

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Have a look at your own home swap offer and see if there is extra information you could provide on your area that would be of interest to potential home exchange partners.