|
 |
Home
Swappers Newsletter |
 |
|
|
|
Topics
Covered:
|
Greetings ,
Home Swappers Newsletter is
published bi-monthly to provide up-to-date
information on home exchange vacations for
current and recent members of Home Base
Holidays, enquirers and Newsletter subscribers.
Members' User IDs are included
in some articles. Both Home Base Holidays
members and non-members can search by the User
ID to view exchange offers mentioned (contact
information available to members). See Quick
Links to Member Login and Visitors Preview at
the end of the newsletter.
Exchange Agreed .... in One Hour! 
Member, Val Williams, writes: 'One hour after
my listing was added to the Home Base Holidays
website I had an enquiry from Steve, a
headmaster in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, just
50 km from my first cousin, Margaret Isabel, who
I have not seen for 48 years. I asked Steve to
call her and he got back to me in no time to
report that not only was Margaret Isabel
thrilled that I would visit but also that he had
invited her and her husband to their home for
tea.'
'Steve and his family seemed such nice people
that a firm commitment was made to swap. I bet
that is the fastest exchange agreement you have
had!'
With her exchange to Canada this summer so
quickly set up, Val is now looking ahead to
possible exchanges to Brighton or the Isle of
Wight for one week October 2002 - March 2003
(also to visit relatives) and two weeks in
Tuscany in 2003.
Members: log on to the Member's Area.
Visitors: use Preview Listings link below,
advanced search, to view the listing by the User
ID, HE12666
Preview
Listings ....
|
|
Home
Exchanges on TV - More Volunteers Needed |
|
| Last
year Maverick Television filmed several
Home Base Holidays members while on
exchanges for the first 'Home from Home'
TV series on home exchange vacations for
Channel 4, UK. The series went down so
well that 30 more programmes are being
filmed!
Chloe Ravnkilde from Maverick TV
writes: 'We would love to hear from any
Home Base Holidays members who are
planning exchanges between now and
Easter 2003. Just as a little
background: the idea behind the series
is to follow individual parties from
their homes, on their respective
journies and to witness their reactions
to the homes they have chosen, the
places they visit, the good times - and
the boring times for children, the
advantages and disadvantages. We film
different parts of exchangers' holidays
but we use very small cameras and a crew
of only two! So we would be there but
not all the time and we would not take
over - we want to add to the fun and the
adventure, not get in the way of it.'
Home Base Holidays members who took
part in the first series of 'Home from
Home' sent positive reports back on the
filming and crew. 
If you may be interested in taking
part in the new series please either
contact Chloe (email link directly
below) or call her at Maverick TV on
0121 771 1812 or 0121 6931 1337.
Alternatively contact Home Base
Holidays.
Interested?
Contact Chloe at Maverick TV »
|
|
|
New
Developments at Home Base Holidays |
|
| After
publishing three directories each year
for the last 17 years, Home Base
Holidays has recently published the
final edition, the June 2002 directory.
Although the decision to stop publishing
directories was taken with some regret,
the number of members without internet
access has fallen dramatically in the
last year, making it no longer economic
to continue directory production.
The internet has made searching for
an exchange and contacting members much
easier. Long-time members will recall
the time not many years ago when making
an exchange offer usually entailed
sending expensive information and photo
packages by mail - and then waiting ages
for replies! Although not everyone
checks and responds to messages quickly,
email has generally made communication
much faster and cheaper. Members also
have access to the latest offers on the
website as new members join every day,
another great advantage over directories
which start to date as soon as printed.
Although Home Base Holidays is now an
internet only service we will continue
to send information and membership forms
by mail on request, with a choice of
subscription payment options.
Look out soon for an announcement on
the website of new membership choices to
replace the directory option. Upgrades
to the site are almost non-stop and
another major development is now
underway. This will include additional
search options, quick checks on how long
listings have been in circulation,
translation of listings into various
languages, etc. Full details on new
membership options and the website
enhancements will be included in the
next edition of Home Swappers.
Home
Base Holidays »
|
|
|
URGENT:
Late Exchange Requests |
|
Very rarely an agreed exchange has to be
cancelled due to the serious illness of
a member of one of the exchange parties.
Two members have found themselves in
this position recently and we hope that
this extra publicity will help each find
another exchange this summer. The third
member below has a very specific
exchange request with time short to
arrange it.
London members, Oliver &
Murielle, already have tickets booked to
Boston, MA on 19 June, returning 3 July
and are very anxious to arrange an
exchange within travelling distance of
Boston. Their one bedroom flat in a
converted Victorian mansion (photo
above) in Clapham, SW London would make
an ideal base for members wanting to
take in the sights of central London.
Please view the full listing and contact
Oliver asap, User ID: HE12489
Helen & Christian Champendal and
family live in a large flat on the third
floor of a 17th century house in the
historic town of Nice. Their home is one
minute from the beach and in the next
street to the famous flower and fruit
market. The Champendals are looking for
an exchange to South West England in
July/August. Check out their full
exchange offer, User ID: HE12274
James Kelso has a special request for
a swap or other accommodation in or near
Sheffield, England, where he and his
wife will be attending a wedding on 10
August. The Kelsos' 20 year old house in
Brantford is centrally located in
Southern Ontario for visiting the
attractions of nearby Toronto and
Mennonite country and is also within
easy driving distance of the US border.
Check the listing and contact James if
you are interested in his exchange offer
or can suggest alternative
accommodation. User ID: HE12578
Members:
Login to View Listings by User IDs
»
|
|
|
Skiing
in Canada in Exchange for Christmas in
the Caribbean |
|
| Experienced
exchangers, Carolyn and Kumar Mendis,
would love to swap their home in
Alberta, close to the ski resorts of the
Canadian Rockies, for a Christmas
vacation in the Caribbean. Carolyn
writes: 'Come ski and spend a memorable
winter holiday in the lap of the
Rockies!'
The Mendis family can exchange from
approximately 15 December 2002 - early
January 2003. 
Use
Advanced Search to View Listing by User
ID, HE6645 »
|
|
|
Happy
Home Swap Leads to New Life in Australia |
|
| Member
Colin Williams writes: 'The story of a
home swap to Australia in your last
newsletter prompts a story of my own
experience there. I had previously lived
in Perth, Western Australia for 10 years
and wanted to arrange an exchange to
visit friends and relations. I was very
happy to receive an exchange proposal
from a member in Guildford, who wanted
to bring his family to Somerset for
three months in the winter, giving me
the summer in Perth where my eldest son
and his family live. Later I received
another approach from a lady living on
the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane in
Queensland. She lived only five miles
from my No. 2 son!'
'After lots of emails it turned out
that the two exchanges fitted together
perfectly and I spent a month visiting
my second son and his family in
Queensland followed by two months down
the road from son No. 1 in Perth.'
'However, I will not be making
similar exchanges in future. I enjoyed
my time in Australia so much that I have
decided to go back and live there. My
Somerset house is on the market and my
next exchanges will have to be from the
other end, as an Australian resident
visiting England.'
Note: no User ID reference is given
for Colin at this time while he settles
back into life in Australia before
joining again to arrange his first swap
back to the UK.
Check
out all the attractive offers in
Australia and England! »
|
|
|
Newsletter
Contributions |
|
| We
are always pleased to receive
contributions for the newsletter - short
articles about your exchange
experiences, tips for those new to the
idea of swapping homes and questions
from subscribers considering a home
exchange holiday for the first time.
Do you like the new format for the
newsletter? Your feedback is invaluable.
We are happy for you to forward Home
Swappers to friends and colleagues who
may be interested in home exchange as
long as the newsletter is sent in full.
All Home Swappers content is copyright
and cannot be used in any form without
written permission from Home Base
Holidays
Home Base Holidays, London, UK
1985-2002: 17th year providing a home
exchange service worldwide
Lois
Sealey, Editor, Home Swappers Newsletter
»
|
|
|
Stop
Press: Request from New Zealand
Journalist |
|
| We
have just been contacted by freelance
journalist, Vicki Price, who is writing
an article on home exchange holidays.
Vicki would like to talk to both members
in New Zealand about their exchange
experiences and also any members who
have had exchanges in New Zealand.
If you could help Vicki with her
story please contact Home Base Holidays
and we will pass your message on to her.
Contact
Home Base Holidays »
|
| Quick
Links... |
|
|
To unsubscribe: reply, including
'Unsubscribe' and your name in the
message.
|
 |
 |
|
