Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Euro 2020/21: England to Italy home exchange holiday

Anticipation is at fever pitch for tomorrow night's 8pm kick-off of the Euro 2020/21 final between England and Italy at Wembley stadium. This is England's biggest game in 55 years and against an Italy side who are on a 33-match unbeaten run. Good luck to both teams and both sets of fans!

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England / Italy home swap holiday: at Home Base Holidays we love hearing members' home exchange experiences. So, with England vs Italy very much on our minds, here's a lovely trip report from Barbara & Iain on their home swap holiday between their Cotswolds cottage and Christopher & Adrian's gorgeous Tuscan farmhouse.

 

Fabulous home exchange holiday between The Cotswolds and Tuscany "We enjoyed a fabulous home exchange holiday staying in Christopher and Adrian's converted farmhouse in Tuscany. Arranging the swap was really easy and the communication with Christopher and Adrian was always clear, very friendly and prompt. The area in Tuscany was fabulous! Up into the hills you can discover little villages where life goes on in an almost timeless fashion. But then just a twenty minute drive down the valley and you are in gorgeous Lucca. Also just a short easy drive away and you're in the Appenine and Apuan Alps - an ideal location for walking and exploring the coastal beaches and towns such as the beautiful renaissance towns of Prato and Pistoia. Florence is an easy day trip too! Christopher and Adrian's house, La Roccia, has a private driveway and overlooks a lovely peaceful wooded valley. There are four houses in the area, including one belonging to our hosts, who maintained a very helpful but discreet distance at all times. The other two cottages were set well apart from our home swap home. The house has several beautiful sunny terraces and a lovely sitting room and kitchen area that overlook the valley. A short walk from the home, down the hill, took us to the lovely swimming pool with recliners on the peaceful terrace. The bathrooms and kitchen were clean and attractive. There is also a huge rock in the kitchen/diner - an unusual but really interesting feature! There are lovely views from the large sitting room had elegant dining area. Christopher and Adrian were wonderful, generous, helpful hosts and left our Cotswold cottage in perfect shape after their stay. Thank you so much for a wonderful home swap!" - Barbara & Iain

 

Photos of Christopher & Adrian's home in Tuscany

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Photos of Barbara & Iain's home in The Cotswolds

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Meet the home swappers

	Barbara and Iain (HBH members #32409) Barbara and Iain's exchange offer is a beautiful 180 year old stone cottage in idyllic village in the heart of the Cotswolds.  View Barbara and Iain's Cotswolds home swap offer
	Christopher and Adrian (HBH members #36781) Christopher and Adrian's exchange offer, La Roccia, is a beautifully converted traditional two-storey Tuscan farmhouse. View Christopher and Adrian's Tuscan 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). Search the latest home exchange holiday offers Home swap guarantee: second year free if you do not arrange a swap during your membership.

Tennis fan? Arrange a home swap in London for the Wimbledon Championships 27 June to 10 July

Many homes close to the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club where the Wimbledon Championships take place each summer are let out to players and fans during Wimbledon fortnight. As you can imagine, renting a house in the area for this prime period does not come cheap!

There is another accommodation option that won't break the bank - home exchange. Homes for swap in the SW19 postcode are very popular and some will not be available for exchange during the Championships. However, it is easy to get to Wimbledon by public transport from most parts of London and nearby counties. Click here for full information on Wimbledon transport.

If you are already a Home Base Holidays member, and hope to arrange a swap to London for the Championships this summer, do ask London members for information on getting to Wimbledon from their homes. The photo of the kitchen above is from a current home swap offer in Wimbledon (click here to see full details).

As hotel or rental charges can be particularly high when accommodation is in great demand for any major sporting or cultural event, home swap offers in the area will also be very popular. As always, it pays to start your search for a suitable exchange several months before the dates of the event to avoid disappointment.

Special event coming up this year in your area? Don't forget to include details in your home exchange description. Not yet a member? Join here.

Rugby World Cup 2015 – too late for a home exchange?

Q: I’d love to see a game or two in the Rugby World Cup this year. Is it possible to arrange a home swap? – Terry, France

A:  Time is getting short to arrange a home swap (the World Cup runs from 18^th September to 31^st October) but, if you are open to arranging a swap in or not too far from one of the UK host cities, it should still be possible to find members interested in an exchange at this time.

You can see full details of the host cities and fixtures on the official Rugby World Cup 2015 website.

Click here to search for home exchange offers.

Cardiff: After selecting Europe, choose Wales (country); then Cardiff (region).

For all other host cities, choose England (country), select the county (region) one at a time (see county names in brackets after the list of host cities below. Once narrowed by region, you will be able to narrow your search results further by Place):

Birmingham (West Midlands)

Brighton (East Sussex)

Exeter (Devon)

Gloucester (Gloucestershire)

Leeds (Yorkshire)

Leicester (Leicestershire)

London (London)

Manchester (Greater Manchester)

Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire)

Newcastle (Tyne and Wear)

As time is getting short to arrange an exchange in England or Wales close enough to attend games you want to see (check if tickets are still available), join Home Base Holidays now to add your home exchange offer (full description of your home and area plus a selection of photos). You will then be able to contact members in host cities to suggest a swap.

The best way to find wheelchair accessible home exchange homes

After the great success of the London 2012 Olympics, the Paralympic Games are just about to start (29 Aug - 9 Sept), with tickets already almost sold out for most events.

Many Home Base Holidays members arranged home exchanges during the Olympics and no doubt a number are already on home swaps in London, ready to attend the Paralympics. The organisers have done an admirable job in making venues accessible to all, and detailed information is available on accessible public transport in London.

To find the most suitable homes:

When browsing exchange offers, choose 'Show more options'; tick the box beside 'Disabled Access/Facilities'. Make any other choices you want to limit your search results. All the home exchange listing summaries will show the small wheelchair symbol.

The actual facilities in each home will vary but, at a minimum, any home displaying the wheelchair symbol should be wheelchair accessible. Check for further information on facilities available in members' detailed descriptions. Then, once you join Home Base Holidays, you will be able to contact members whose homes look most suitable. Provide information in your own home exchange offer, and in the messages you send, about any particular needs you have.

Members whose homes have been specially adapted for particular disabilities will indicate this in their exchange offers. Members will also share information on past exchanges with those who had special needs. In one listing (home in photo):

'Recent exchange couple used wheelchair throughout house, although some mobility is required in shower'.

See the member's full home exchange offer near Brisbane.

 

 

Time to start planning your 2012 London home swap for the Olympics

Now's the time to arrange your home swap to London for the Olympics and Paralympics next summer when the city will be even more buzzing with activity than normal! As Home Base Holidays is a long established London based service, we offer the largest choice of attractive offers during this period. 

To quickly see some of the most recent offers, visit our dedicated Olympics home exchange offers page. This is only a few of the many offers available - do check for all offers as detailed on the Olympics page.

Note to members: if your exchange offer within easy reach of the Olympic Park or other event venues isn't on the special Olympics list, please let us know and we'll add it (also let us know if you have already arranged an exchange and your offer will be taken off the list).

2012 Olympics home exchange request: Sydney for London

   

'We are looking for an exchange to London (Zones 1/2 only) for a period from late April 2012 until about late September(up to 5 months) ...including the Olympics.  We have a stunning, brand new Hyde Park precinct apartment in central Sydney (and a wonderful beach house).  We need a minimum of 2 bedrooms and upscale standard. Car exchange preferred. - Dorothy K

We are a retired medical couple with more than 60 exchanges so far. We are addicted to travel and find living in someone else's home the best way to do it!' - Dorothy K

See Dorothy's full home exchange description and more stunning photos of her apartment in Sydney. London Home Base Holidays members, log on to view her home swap offer, 25220

More homes available for home exchange during the 2012 Olympics

With tickets for the London Olympics now on sale through the official Olympics site, more and more Home Base Holidays members who live within easy reach of Olympic venues are offering their homes for exchange at this time, and more members who want to avoid the high costs of hotel rooms are requesting home swaps to attend some of the events. Note: Applications for tickets are open from Tuesday 15 March to 11.59pm on Tuesday 26 April 2011. Now is the time to start planning your Games!

See earlier post, Homes available for home exchange during the 2012 Olympics, and browse all London home exchange listings (or use Detailed Search to search by the key word, Olympics, to restrict the results).

 

Dorking, Surrey (in photo above) - Quintessential English village set in the heart of the Surrey Hills. A designated area of outstanding natural beauty. A Converted Victorian Mansion into luxury residencies. Our home has a Superb private corner position, situated on first floor (top floor) with stairs & lift/elevator. A gated community set in magnificent grounds of nine acres. Nestled at the foot of the North Downs the area is popular with walkers & cyclists alike. Apartment is very light and spacious with great views of gardens.

Good transport, local shops, pretty villages and Towns all around. Regular Trains into London under 1 hour. Open to offers - stay here for London 2012 Olympics.

Colchester, Essex - Situated on Suffolk/Essex border our new town centre flat has secure parking and entrance. Convenient to all amenities including 50 min direct rail link to Olympics & London. Cambridge a 50 min drive, sandy beaches 20 mins. Buses, restaurants, theatre, castle, award winning park, Roman remains, museums, cinema, hospital and shopping/supermarket are less than 5 mins walk.

Home Exchange London - Attractive art deco period semi-detached family house with lovely garden in a quiet street. Situated in Islington, a lively area of inner London, just north of the centre.

We are a married retired couple (62 and 70) looking for a comfortable apartment or house probably near a city centre, as we don't like driving. We are not beach people. New York in 2011 or 2012 (Olympics Year in London) avoiding the July/August heat or winter snow is a particular interest.

Home Swap London - This is a town house in the Bow Quarter complex which has a swimming pool and gym. Located very close to the 2012 Olympic site, you can see the main stadium from the back yard.

We are close to the hip areas of Shoreditch, Brick Lane and Spitalfields. The nearset tube is Bow Road and DLR station is Bow Church.

Hertford, Hertfordshire - Our house is situated on the outskirts of the historical county town of Hertford. Hertford has many cafes and restaurants and of course a Castle with lovely gardens. We are 5 minutes from a main line station that gets you into London in less than 30 minutes. Cambridge is an hour's easy drive away.

We are ideally situated for the London Olympics and very close to one of the water sports locations. We would be very interested in a home exchange over the 2012 games.

Are you interested in arranging a home swap near any of the Olympic events next summer, or want to offer your home for exchange at this time? Join Home Base Holidays now for the best choice.