Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Climate change & travel: benefits of home swapping

We are very aware that our home swap community encourages people to travel and so, as a responsible business, Home Base Holidays always urges members to use the service thoughtfully, limiting air travel especially, to drastically reduce the effects of travel on global warming. The wild fires that have affected vast areas of Canada and USA in recent weeks should serve as another wake-up call. Reducing the effects of climate change can no longer be delayed by governments whatever the cost, and we must all do our part to reduce our carbon footprint.

‘Tourism is not just a victim of global warming - it also contributes to the problem’                                                                                              - Sustainable Travel International

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A growing number of Home Base Holidays members are discovering the pleasures of home swaps closer to home. Home swappers have always tended to prefer unique experiences (not merely sitting on a beach for two weeks every year!), whether it be swapping a rural home for a flat in the city to visit museums and the theatre or, as city dwellers, seeking out rural locations to enjoy fresh air, quiet open spaces, country walks and pubs. Although cost savings are a factor for those on a tight budget in choosing home exchange over expensive hotel rooms and holiday rentals, this is certainly not the only reason that swapping homes has become increasingly popular over the last few years (Home Base Holidays has been operating a home exchange service since 1978 and were pioneers in promoting the advantages, never more important than now).

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How home swapping can reduce your travel impact on the environment:

1. Use your home as a resource when it would otherwise be left empty while you are away
2. Stay in a real home from home rather than contribute to the development of more hotels
3. There are no rental costs so stay longer and travel less often, especially to long-haul destinations
4. Retired or working from home? Swap homes for longer for a change of scene or to visit family
5. Look for homes in areas where a car is not needed and, if possible, travel there by train
6. Wash bedding and towels as needed, not every day as happens in many hotels
7. Support small businesses by shopping locally for food, crafts and regional specialties
8. Swaps closer to home are easier to arrange than international exchanges without the need for air travel.

"Actually, there are also deeper layers of thought to the home exchange idea. When you think about global waste and conservation, the idea of combining resources with other people on the globe has more merits than those you experience on a personal level. Think of all the hotel sheets and towels that are washed every day; of the low-paid hotel workers (often foreigners); of the huge and wasteful industry that has grown around the needs of people who want to experience a holiday in a different country."  - Ruti Singer (from 'Home Away From Home')

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Add 'local to you' options to your home swap offer: As well as giving details of local attractions, provide information on getting there by public transport If you have bikes you could share, give details and also whether there are safe bike lanes in your area and cycling/walking trails If there is little public transport in your area and you offer to swap cars, is yours electric and are there convenient charging points nearby? Do you have good local food markets? Many people, switching to a more plant-based diet, would love to buy fruit, vegetables and baked goods from local sellers Are there cafes and restaurants close by offering a variety of vegetarian options (much more appealing than fast-food chains)? Do you have memberships to local sports or arts clubs that you could share?

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Join Home Base Holidays - start your home swap adventure! Sign up to the Home Base Holidays 2-week free trial and start planning your home swap holiday. You'll find thousands of tempting home swap offers, including country cottages, city apartment, houseboats and homes by the sea. Search home exchange holiday offers

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Useful Resources: websites and articles

• Sustainable Travel International
• Nature: Rethinking travel in a post-pandemic world
• David Suzuki Foundation: Air travel and climate change
• Friends of the Earth: Responsible travel – eco tips for getting around
• DW Made for Minds: Climate change - Is eco guilt changing the way we travel?

Our first home swap: exploring the Scottish Highlands

Kinlochleven lies at the eastern end of the beautiful sea loch, Loch Leven

Our first home swap exploring the Scottish Highlands "We have just come back from our first ever home swap holiday - leaving London in the evening on the Caledonian Sleeper with very comfy bunks and waking up in the Highlands was a great way to start. We used the local buses and the Traveline Scotland app to get about. The buses were extremely reliable and frequent enough to make exploring the local area without a car possible. Our 'swapees', Jimmy and Anne, are experienced home swappers and provided us with all the information we needed to make the most of the area. Their lovely flat in Kinlochleven was a very comfortable base for the four of us to enjoy our holiday. On the practical side the Co-op just a few minutes from the flat, the Chinese take away, local taxi (to seafood restaurant) and the buses, as mentioned, meant we had no practical problems. In terms of our take home memories - walking out form the village to quiet peaceful mountainside and then also being there for the weekend of the pre-65 motor-cross (our choice to be there for that!). Walking in and around Glencoe and learning some more of the history including visiting the Folk Museum in the village and the visitors centre up the glen was great; a trip along the other side of the loch to Lochleven Seafood cafe - best oysters ever in the hot seafood platter - was definitely 'worth a detour' - and the loch seen from "the other side" is possibly even more beautiful. By way of summary: we saw waterfalls (Inchree Waterfall was a lovely afternoon); walked moors, ate excellent food; went on a sea loch cruise from Fort William and learnt a little more about the Highland history. If you want to explore further afield you probably do need a car and if you use public transport you do need to plan a bit so you don't miss the buses you want. Anything we would have done differently? We should have allowed more than the 90 minutes we had before closing for the West Highland Museum. We returned to London rocked to sleep on the train and came back home to find everything in perfect order. We trust Jimmy and Anne had as good a time in London (if very different) as we did in Kinlochleven. Many thanks for a wonderful first swap." - Sue & Dave (Lancaster, UK)

Our home swap highlights: Walking in the wonderful Scottish Highland countryside Eating amazing seafood Seeing the Pre-65 motor-cross

Photos from the Highland home swap

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Home Base Holidays members' offers:

Central London, England (HE26664) 3-bedroom house with roof garden in London's Islignton. Five minutes walk from Angel Underground station (zone 1) and one minute to the main bus routes for central London. View Home Base Holidays offer	Loch Leven, Scotland (HE37747) 2-bedroom flat in the west Highland village of Kinlochleven. Surrounded by stunning mountains, lochs and rivers which offer a unique range of activities including walking and climbing. 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.

Coronation invitation lost in the post? Visit London by swapping homes instead!

London is getting ready for King Charles' Coronation on the 6th May

With Union Jacks already up on many streets in the city, London is gearing up for the Coronation of King Charles III on 6^th May. All we need now is for the sun to return for the big day!

• Information about The Coronation Weekend events

If you haven’t had an invitation to the Royal bash, London is still an amazing city to visit in spring (or any time of the year!) with its dozens of beautiful parks to relax in between visiting the famous attractions, theatres and museums.

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Swap homes and enjoy free holiday accommodation in London Home Base Holidays is based In London and has a very large choice of up-to-date home exchange holiday offers throughout the city, everything from city centre bijou apartments to large Edwardian family houses in the leafy suburbs, all connected by good public transport.

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    Small selection of London home swap offers to tempt you:

Greenwich, London (HE39872) Luxury apartment with panoramic Thames River views. View home swap offer	Richmond, London (HE26435) Spacious family home in Twickenham, just 300m from the river. View home swap offer

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Hampstead Heath, London (HE39315) Stylish home just two minutes from the open spaces of Hampstead Heath. View home swap offer	Wimbledon, London (HE41521) Family house in Wimbledon with lovely garden (+ two lovely cats!). View home swap offer

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Forest Hill, London (HE41913) Four storey semi detached Victorian house close to excellent public transport. View home swap offer	Baker Street, London (HE24680) Light spacious Art Deco apartment next to beautiful Regents Park. View home swap offer

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Spitalfields, London (HE34200) Cosy apartment next to the fabulous Spitalfields Market. View home swap offer	Camden Town, London (HE26796) Attractive four storey town house in Camden next to Regents Canal. View home swap offer

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Search home swap offers in London

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Join Home Base Holidays: enjoy fabulous budget friendly holidays Cut the cost of your next holiday by choosing to swap homes. Sign up to Home Base Holidays Start home swapping: browse home swap holiday offers

Home swapping: exploring the delightful South Downs

Home swap holiday exploring the delightful South Downs "We've just returned from a lovely two and a half week home swap holiday in the South Downs, West Sussex. We swapped with Timothy and Louise, it was their first time home exchanging but they were really friendly, relaxed and easy to communicate with. Their home was stylish, spacious and we were very comfortable and throughly enjoyed our stay. We were very close to the beautiful West Wittering, East Wittering and Bracklesham Bay beaches. We cycled the more or less car free route along the canal to Chichester and on the lanes to explore Medmerry Nature Reserve and the west side of Pagham harbour. We also did lots of walking and trail running! Our coastal potters were from the doorstep and round to West Itchenor, between East and West Wittering, around Chidham peninsula, and around Thorney Island. Inland we had a great time in the woodland and on the downs around West Dean, Kingley Vale, Walderton, North Marden, Eartham Wood and Amberley, and following the river Arun. If you like to be outdoors and away from the crowds you are spoilt for choice - plus the footpaths were very well maintained and clearly signposted. An added bonus was that all the chapels and churches that we came across were open to and welcoming of visitors, it was so nice to be able to explore them, and (on some days) to get out of the cold, or just enjoy a rest on a bench in the graveyard. Add to that the liberal scattering of earthworks, forts, cross dykes and tumuli, for all fans of the Bronze Age and Olde Stuffe. Plus some wildlife... we are not very patient or observent, but did see a barn owl, fox, polecat, goldcrest and loads of kites and dark-bellied brent geese! The spectacle of clouds of gulls following the farmer's tractor (enjoyed from bed with a morning cuppa) was also great. Chichester itself is very walkable and interesting to explore (Cathedral, museum, city walls, gardens), we also went by train to Portsmouth (though were too mean to pay the entry fee to the naval museums!). The public transport provision is good - a bus every 15 mins to Chichester from very close to the house, and trains linking the main sites along the south coast. All in all a really great trip, thank you Louise and Timothy!" - Sue & Dave (Lancaster, UK)

Our home swap highlights: Walking and running on the chalk downs Popping into ancient churches Exploring the coastal peninsulas and enjoying the birdlife there

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Photos from the home exchange holiday

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  View the Home Base Holidays members' offers:

Lancaster, UK (HE39603) 3-bedroom on a quiet residential street close to Lancaster’s mainline train station and within a few minutes walk of our historic city centre. View Home Base Holidays offer	South Downs, UK (HE41342) 2-bedroom detached house in West Sussex within easy reach of West Wittering, East Wittering and Bracklesham Bay beaches. 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.

3 easy steps for creating a home exchange user guide

Guest blog post: Janis Fisher Chan is a writer, editor and passionate traveller who loves home exchanging. If you love travel and love getting a real feel for your destination, Janis encourages you to give home swapping a try!

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I have special fondness for home exchange partners who anticipate what my husband and I might need to know about their home. Too often, we’ve been left on our own to figure out how to coax warm air from the heater or use the fancy new appliances, where to put the garbage, or what to do when the toilet makes that terrible coughing sound.

 

Be the kind of host we love by writing a great home user guide. A user guide not only helps guests enjoy their stay, it conveys a clear message: “We want you to enjoy your stay!”. It has the added benefit of helping to keep you from being bombarded by texts and phone calls while you’re exploring the Galapagos or touring the lights of Paris.

 

Here are 3 easy steps for creating a great home user guide for your home exchange guests. Once you’ve written and assembled the guide, all you’ll need to do is update it when something changes.

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Step 1. Decide what “must-have” content to include

Think about what guests need to know to live comfortably in your home and handle any problems that might come up. Must-have content typically includes:

 

• A short, friendly note welcoming guests to your home
• The home’s street address and telephone number (if there’s a landline) along with instructions for accessing the voicemail
• How guests can reach you while they are staying in your home
• The password or code for your security system, if any, and how to turn it and off
• The Wifi password and what to do if it goes downInstructions for sorting the recycling, where to find the garbage cans, and where to put the cans on pickup day
  What to do if the power goes out, the plumbing backs up, the heater or water heater won’t go on, they lose their keys, or something else serious happens
• Phone numbers for the fire department, police, hospital, pharmacy, emergency plumber

Tip: Also post this information prominently on the door of the fridge

• Instructions for sorting the recycling, where to find the garbage cans, and where to put the cans on pickup day
• What to do if the power goes out, the plumbing backs up, the heater or water heater won’t go on, they lose their keys, or something else serious happens

Tip: Have someone nearby who can step in to help

• Instructions and/or manuals for the appliances, heater/air conditioner, TV, DVD player, cable box, sound system, barbecue, and other equipment
• Cautions (“The toilet in the front bathroom backs up easily so be gentle”; “Please do not lock the door between the stairs and the back hall – we don’t have a key”; “the drawer in the kitchen table falls out easily so be careful when you open it”)
• Rules (“Please do not play the TV or music loudly after 10:00 at night”; “Please do not smoke in the house or on the property”; “Please park only in our assigned space, #288”)
• What guests should do when they leave (“Please replace the toilet paper and cleaning supplies”; “Strip the beds and put the sheets in the washer”; “Leave us some milk, eggs, butter, and bread”)

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Step 2. Decide what nice-to-have information to include

A big part of traveling is the fun of exploring a new area, but it’s also nice to have a local’s point of view. Help guests have a great experience by being a “virtual tourist guide,” with suggestions for places they might not find in their travel books.

 

• Where to shop: grocery stores, farmers’ markets, malls, bookstores, boutiques
• How to get around: maps of the area along with bus, train, and ferry information and schedules along with phone numbers for taxi and airport shuttle services
• Where to play: parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, gyms, beaches, golf courses, tennis courts, hiking trails, ski slopes, and other recreational facilities
• Where to eat: a selection of cafes, bars and restaurants they might enjoy

Tip: Collect menus from places you like and leave them for your guests

• What to see: local attractions such as museums, art galleries, nature preserves, sports arenas, universities, and more

Tip: Leave tourist guides, brochures and other information your guests might find useful

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Step 3. Write and assemble your home user guide

Make your home user guide easy to read. Use lists and headings to help guests quickly find specific information. Keep sentences and paragraphs to a minimum. To assemble the guide, you can staple the pages of instructions and suggestions together and put the maps, menus, and brochures in a basket or put everything in a binder or folder with pockets.

Tip: E-mail guests a copy of the written part of the guide so they can look it over before they arrive.

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Join Home Base Holidays: start home swapping Enjoy free holiday accommodation by arranging a home swap. Sign up to Home Base Holidays

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Family holiday: home swap in the heart of the Pyrenees

Home swap in Spain: amazing scenery and lovely thoughtful hosts "We swapped to Teresa's lovely apartment set in a charming town in the heart of the Pyrenees. The surrounding area was stunning with plenty of lovely scenic strolls right from the doorstep. There were lots of excellent longer walks available nearby in the beautiful Aiguestortes National Park. A perfect location for a relaxing family holiday. The apartment was clean, tidy and, with all the essentials for a comfortable stay. Best of all was the effort and the attention to detail the owners put to make a great time out of our stay. They provided us with lots of maps, information on activities to do nearby, and excellent recommendations on where to eat and shop locally. Communication was always excellent which made arranging the swap very easy and reasuring. Very much recommend - thank you so much for a fabulous holiday!"   - Sofia & Family (Exeter, England)

Highlights of the home swap: Owners effort and attention to detail Excellent recommendations on where to eat and shop locally The apartment was clean and tidy with all the essentials for a comfortable stay. Beautful location with lovely scenic walks

Photos from Sofia's family holiday in the Pyrenees, Spain

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View the home swap holiday offers:

Exeter, Devon, England (HE38650) Three bedroom family home in Exeter (Devon) in the southwest of England. Exeter is a vibrant cultural town with museums, library, theatres and the University of Exeter. Near the seaside where you can visit Exmouth, Dawlish, Sidmouth and Topsham. View home swap holiday offer	Vilaller, Pyreness, Spain (HE28192) Two bedroom apartment in a mountain village. Ideal for two couples, or a couple with children, looking for calm and nature. This Pyreness village is the ideal location for walking, biking, skiing and countryside ride horse. View home swap holiday 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.

5 Tips to make sure you have happy home swap guests

Guest blog post: Janis Fisher Chan is a writer, editor and passionate traveller who loves home exchanging. If you love travel and love getting a real feel for your destination, Janis encourages you to try home swapping!

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“Conveniently located”  -  “loved it”  -  “comfortable”  -  “just what we expected”  -  “highly recommend”  -  “friendly and helpful”  -  “would love to come back”

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Just the words we want to hear from our satisfied guests! It’s so wonderful when our home swap partners say “We loved your home!”. Experienced home swappers know that helping guests enjoy their stay in your home isn’t difficult, but it does take some extra attention. Here are 5 tips for making sure that you have satisfied guests.

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Tip 1. Make sure your home description is accurate

We were excited to find a 2-bedroom home swap near the Coliseum for our 6-week trip to Rome. It was a wonderful apartment, spacious and filled with light, with a brand-new kitchen and bath. The only problem was the bed. The description boasted of a “brand new queen-sized bed” – exactly what we wanted. It was new, all right, but instead of a mattress, it was unforgiving futon stuffed with cotton batting set right on the tile floor. After a couple of sleepless nights, we finally reached our host. “Never thought to mention,” he said over a crackly phone connection from Cuba. Pause. “Sorry.” 

Misleading guests about the sleeping arrangements is one quick way to make them unhappy. Another is to be vague or misleading about the home’s location. Daly City is not the center of San Francisco. A suburban home 5 blocks from the beach is not a beachside cottage. Have a 5 floor walk up apartment? Make sure guests know that there is no elevator.

If you want satisfied guests, be accurate and complete in your home listing about sleeping arrangements, location, the condition of the kitchen and bathroom, the size and layout of the home, whether it’s light or dark, the number of stairs… everything they might want or need to know. Be sure to emphasize anything unusual – such as a futon on the tile floor.

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Tip 2. Provide the basics (toilet paper, basic food, bedding, towels)

Once in a while we’ve arrived at a home exchange home to find a single roll of toilet paper, one worn towel for each of us, a meagre sliver of soap, and nearly bare kitchen cabinets. We don’t expect our home exchange and short-term hosts to provide everything we need for a long stay, but it’s annoying when we have to put shopping for basics first on our agenda and spend our valuable travel money to supplement household goods. We have a special fondness for hosts who are thoughtful enough to provide what we need to be comfortable: paper goods, cleaning supplies, towels and sheets, pots, pans, kitchenware, and so on.

It’s not difficult or expensive to provide the basics for your guests. Think about what you would need if you were staying in a home like yours for a few days or a few weeks. Then stock up.

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Tip 3. Let your guests know how things work

One European apartment we stayed in had a newly renovated kitchen, with shiny new stainless-steel appliances, including a state-of-the-art induction stove. It looked great in the photos and great when we arrived. But when we tried to cook, the induction stove was a puzzle. We spent hours poring through the manual with a translation dictionary and talking with our host over Skype, and we never really learned how to use it.

Every home has its quirks. Increase your chances of having satisfied guests by anticipating what they need to know about your home. Give them clear, detailed instructions: how to turn on the heat or air conditioner, where to put the garbage, or how to keep the toilet from overflowing. Not only will that help your guests enjoy their stay, you’ll be less likely to be bothered by frantic emails and phone calls when they can’t figure something out.

Check out our 3 easy steps for creating a home swap welcome guide

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Tip 4. Have someone on the ground in case of emergencies

Two weeks into our home swap in Paris last year, I checked email before we headed out for a walk in the Marais. There was a message from our short-term tenant: “Sorry to bother you, but there’s water leaking from the ceiling in the downstairs bathroom.” Oh, no, we thought, envisioning the ceiling giving way and the upstairs shower crashing down. What to do? That’s not the kind of thing you want to happen at any time, but certainly not when you’re a continent and ocean away. Fortunately, we were prepared. We asked her to contact Jim, our wonderful fix-it guy who knows our home and has seen us through many emergencies over the years. By the next morning, Jim had checked out the problem, reassured us that the ceiling was not about to come down, and started the process for getting the leak fixed.

It’s a fact of traveling life that all kinds of things can happen while you’re away. So plan for them. Arrange for one or more people you trust who can step in when a pipe bursts or the furnace goes out. You and your tenants will be glad you did.

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Tip 5. Be a virtual tour guide

One of the things we like most about living in someone else’s home is exploring the area, finding places to buy groceries and have coffee, trying new restaurants, poking into shops, learning about this new place. But some hosts make it easier for us than others by leaving information and tips that help us get started.

Think about what your guests might need or like to know about your neighborhood and your town or city, things they might not find in their tourist guides. Then put together a “welcome” packet. Depending on where you live and how long guests will be staying, you might include maps and restaurant menus; directions to grocery stores and markets; where to buy bus and train tickets; locations of parks, gyms, beauty salons, and pharmacies; suggestions for good places to walk; and brochures for interesting places and sights known only to locals. 

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Join Home Base Holidays: start home swapping Looking for a much needed break? Arrange free holiday accommodation by choosing to swap homes rather than book hotels or holiday rentals. View the latest home exchange vacation offers then sign up to Home Base Holidays.

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