Travel the Home Exchange Way

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 heat dome that hovered over the vast area of western Canada and much of the USA recently, bringing dangerously high temperatures followed by hundreds of forest fires, should be a 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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Many Home Base Holidays members are discovering the pleasures of discovering destinations closer to home by arranging home swap staycations. 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 for nearly 40 years and were pioneers in promoting the advantages of home swap holidays).

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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? Even as Covid-19 restrictions ease, swap guests will be re-assured by knowing the steps you will take to leave your home clean and safe. View the Cleaning tips for holiday home swaps during COVID-19

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Join Home Base Holidays - arrange a home swap holiday Sign up to the Home Base Holidays 2-week free trial and start planning a home swap holiday. Whether you're searching for a staycation accommodation or looking for a trip abroad, you'll find lots of tempting exchange offers. 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?

3 easy steps for creating a home swap welcome guide

Guest blog post: Janis Fisher Chan is a writer, editor and passionate traveller who loves home exchanging. She recently shuttered her informational website, Travel on the House, where this post originally appeared. If you love travel, Janis encourages you to try home swapping!

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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 home swap 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. 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 your home swap 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 your guests to your home The home’s street address and telephone number (if there’s a landline) 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 Wi-Fi password and what to do if it goes down Phone numbers for the fire department, police, hospital and doctor Instructions for sorting the recycling, where to find the garbage cans, and where to put the cans on pickup day Contact details of someone nearby who can step in to help (such as a friend or neighbour) 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 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 your home exchange guests have a great experience by being a “virtual tourist guide,” with suggestions for places they might not find in their travel books.

Nice-to-have information might include: 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 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: Pick up brochures, maps and other sight-seeing information your guests might find useful

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Step 3. Write and put together 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 and ask questions before they arrive.

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Start planning your next home swap holiday:

Paris, France	Insch, Scotland	Symi Island, Greece	Lake District, England

WIN a Kindle Paperwhite! Home swap photo competition

Win a Kindle Paperwhite, ideal for your next home swap getaway

Send us your best travel 'like a local' photos taken during a home swap holiday to be in a with chance of winning a Kindle Paperwhite e-reader. Three runner up photos will be selected with the senders winning a one year Home Base Holidays home swap membership (worth £49).

Send us photos that best encapsulate your travel experience; it could be an off-the-tourist-trail discovery or perhaps simply you and your family enjoying your home swap hosts’ home / local area.

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How to enter: Send us your best holiday photos to [email protected] Tell us a bit about the photo / your home swap* holiday Closing date: 21st November 2021

 

*Not yet home swapped? You can still enter, simply send us your best travel 'like a local' holiday photos and tell us why home swap holidays appeal to you.  

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Previous winning photos:

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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 swap holiday offers

Looking to return to international home swapping?

Bee & Derek's waterfront home on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Bee and Derek, Home Base Holidays members, and very experienced home exchangers, from Noosa, Queensland, Australia, write: "At the moment, we’re waiting for Covid to abate so that we can return to home exchanging. We’re originally from England, haven’t been to Europe for two years, and are longing to return. But, in the meantime, we’re looking for exchanges in Australia."

 

This sums up what many members who’ve enjoyed swaps all over the world are feeling at the moment. It’s great to see so many closer to home swaps taking place, members now looking ahead to longer distance swaps, and tentative exchange plans being made for when it’s safe to travel again. The beautiful views, lovely beaches and this gorgeous home should whit your appetite to start making your own home swap plans!

 

"Our new home with swimming pool on the Sunshine Coast overlooks Twin Waters lagoon and is close to white sand beaches, several world-class golf courses, local shopping, restaurants and an international resort-style hotel. Our home is Just a few minutes’ walk from the Twin Waters Golf Course where kangaroos can often be seen grazing at the end of the day. We are moments from Mudjimba beach, a stunning strip of white sand, stretching eight kilometres from the Maroochy River to Coolum. The area is a walkers paradise with dedicated paths for pedestrians as well as bikes."

Bee & Derek (HE32011)

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Photos of Bee & Derek's Sunshine Coast home swap offer

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• View full details of Bee & Derek's Sunshine Coast 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). Home swap guarantee: second year free if you do not arrange a swap during your membership.

London for free: top ten London parks

On a sunny hot day like today, what better than to take a break and relax in one of London's lovely parks. Explore everything from the picture perfect St James's Park to the huge 2,500 acre Richmond Park where you might forget you are even in London. Here we list our top ten London parks.

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Top ten London parks

 St. James's Park with views of the London Eye and Horse Guards Parade

1. Hyde Park:

Hyde Park covers 350 acres of central London. Hyde Park has something for everyone, you can enjoy swimming, boating, cycling, skating or just relax in this central London oasis. There are pitches for team games, tennis courts, tracks for horse riding and a spectacular children’s playground. The park is fabulous all year, a great place for summer time picinics or enjoying the Winter Wonderland festival during the winter months. royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park

2. St. James's Park:

One of my personal favourite Royal parks, St. James's Park covers 57 acres and is home to a wonderful mix of flowers and birdlife (don't miss the pelicans being fed between 2.30pm and 3pm daily!). The bridge over the lake offers great views of Buckingham Palace at one end and the London Eye and Horse Guards Parade at the other end. royalparks.org.uk/parks/st-jamess-park

3. Regent’s Park / Primrose Hill:

Located in NW London, Regent’s Park is a Royal park that covers 410 acres and is home to London Zoo, the Open Air Theatre (performances end May to early September), and a boating lake. The view from the top of Primrose Hill is one of London’s best, with fantastic panoric views across the city. royalparks.org.uk/parks/the-regents-park

4. Richmond Park:

Located in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Richmond Park is the largest Royal Park in London covering a massive 2,500 acres. This beautiful park of hills and woodlands set amongst ancient trees, with plants, animals (including 650 deer) and butterflies, offers a peaceful respite to visitors. royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park

5. Greenwich Park / Blackheath: 

Located in SE London, Greenwich Park covers 183 acres and is the second oldest enclosed Royal Park. One of the largest green spaces in south east London, Greenwich Park offers a wide range of facilities and points of interest, including a child-friendly boating lake, six tennis courts and the National Maritime Museum just on the perimeter. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park is home to the Greenwich Meridian Line which represents the prime meridian, relative to which world time is calculated and the distance to every place on Earth is measured. royalparks.org.uk/parks/greenwich-park

Blackheath stretches across the very top of Greenwich Park into the pretty village. Tip: check out the views from 'The Point', a small area at the corner of Blackheath, with it's spectacular views over the city.

6. Hampstead Heath:

Hampstead Heath is located in NW London but just four miles from Trafalgar Square. The Heath has some of the best views and highest points in London for everyone to enjoy. It includes Parliament Hill, Golders Hill Park, an open air Lido (open 365 days a year), swimming ponds, splash pools, countless sports pitches and facilities, athletics track, playgrounds, stunning listed Pergola and Hill Garden and enough green space to really feel like you have escaped the City! Hampstead Heath

7. Kensington Gardens:

Kennsington Gardens covers 275 acres and was formerly the private gardens of Kensignton Palace. The park is planted with formal avenues of magnificent trees and ornamental flower beds. It is home to Kensington Palace, the peaceful Italian Gardens, Peter Pan statue, the stunning Albert Memorial and the Serpentine Gallery. There are two playgrounds, including the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground. royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens

8. Victoria Park:

Victoria Park is a fabulous 213 acres oasis located in East London's Tower Hamlets. Attractions include canals, ponds, a pavilion, tennis courts and a sports ground. Open air pop and rock concerts are held in the park during the summer. Victoria Park is not very far from a number of other attractions including Brick Lane, Spitalfields and Columbia Road flower market. Victoria Park

9. Battersea Park:

Battersea Park is a 200 acre park in the London Borough of Wandsworth in SW London. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea. An inner city park with so much variety, hidden secrets, and activities. batterseapark.org

10. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park:

This lovely park in East London includes many of the former Olympic and Paralympic venues – including London Stadium, the London Aquatics Centre, the Copper Box Arena and Lee Valley VeloPark. www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk

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Free staycation in London

One of the biggest budget busters when visiting London can be the cost of accommodation. However, rather than booking a hotel or holiday rental, arrange a home swap in London and you will dramatically cut the cost of your London holiday.

Home Base Holidays is a London based home swap holidays website and has a large number of tempting home swap holiday offers.

Our home swap: the perfect post-lockdown tonic!

Sophie and Bill enjoyed a perfect post-lockdown home swap

"The moment we could after lockdown, we headed to Garway Hill for a home exchange with Corinne & Colin. Their attractive Edwardian house and large gardens lie in a beautiful, remote valley with wonderful views across to Wales. We were lucky, as the sun shone every day we were there and so we were able to enjoy fabulous walks from the door. We know the area quite well and there is much to see & do in the area: the characterful towns of Monmouth, Hay-on-Wye, Abergavenny and Hereford are all within easy reach and we were able to make another visit to the amazing Kilpeck church. Corrine & Colin were perfect exchange partners; they looked after our house perfectly and even cared for our cat. Would we exchange with them again? Like a shot!" - Sophie & Bill (Bradford-on-Avon, England)

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Highlight from the home swap:

1. The view from the top of Garway Hill
2. The comfort of Corrine & Colin's house
3. The stunning, unspoiled countryside, with newborn lambs everywhere!

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Perfect post-lockdown staycation in Garway Hill

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Meet the Home Base Holidays members:

Member HE39837: Sophie & Bill  Sophie is a professional musician who gives recitals internationally and teaches from home; Bill teaches at a local secondary school. They have a very friendly cat, Darcie, who has something of an international fan-club, built up through their house swaps over the years! View their home swap offer in Bradford-on-Avon

 

Member HE39186: Corrine & Colin  Corrine & Colin love the countryside and exploring other places and cultures. They are also interested in short city breaks when they feel like an injection of shops and galleries and museums. View their home swap offer in Garway Hill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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.