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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. Unsubscribe link at
bottom of page.
See Quick Links at the end of the newsletter
to Member Login, Visitors Preview, Membership
Form plus further information.
Home Exchanges: Beer Stays Home in Amsterdam 
That's Beer in the photo on the left, looking
very content in his beautiful 5th floor
harbourside apartment in Amsterdam. Beer's
owner, Ria Haagsma writes:
'As we love travelling and getting to know
new places we were very glad to find Home Base
Holidays on the net a couple of years ago. We
had some experience in house-sitting for friends
in Italy and we enjoyed that so much that we
decided that we preferred spending our free time
this way. Our first experience was an exchange
with a lovely couple outside Sacramento. For
them and for us it was a first exchange. Through
the mail we got to know each other so well that
when they arrived it felt like receiving
friends. They stayed for three weeks and, apart
from taking care of our cat, Beer, and getting
to know Amsterdam and other parts of our
country, they also made trips to Belgium (the
lovely cities of Bruges and Gent) and Paris. We
left a day after their arrival. We first toured
Los Angeles and surroundings and slowly moved to
their place, where we were very warmly received
by their daughter and neighbours. It was really
ideal. A very comfortable home to rest in,
interesting places to visit - who could wish for
more. After getting back in Amsterdam we were
able to meet them again (coming back from Paris)
and exchanged experiences over dinner before
they went back home. Since then we have been in
touch and shared all the major developments in
each other's lives.
Our next exchange was supposed to be with a
couple (originally Dutch) in Glenwood Springs
near Denver. A very short time before the
exchange my husband got the news that he had to
go into hospital for an operation. We all had
our tickets already, so what to do? We were all
lucky. The operation went well and friends of
ours let us have their apartment in the suburbs
for the recuperation period. That way Gerry and
Marja still could come over and spend time in
Amsterdam. We met several times with them and
have been in touch ever since. So far we haven't
had the opportunity (we have moved since then)
to visit them. But guess what? This month they
will be coming over for holidays in Europe and
we will meet them at the airport and spend time
together again. This is really a tremendous
important side-effect from these exchanges: you
make friends! We also did exchanges closer to
home - last summer to Brighton in England,
shortly to Edinburgh. The first was really
lovely, the second will no doubt also be nice.
And this summer we will go to Tuscany for three
weeks - our favourite place in Europe! Our
apartment will be taken over by a family of
four.
And what does cat Beer think of all this?
Although I would love to think he misses us, I
am afraid that there is no time for that. All
the new people to get to know, all the extra
food and milk to score. Oh well, as long as he
is pleased when we get back ... Really, if you
are in doubt about home exchange, I would highly
recommend that you try it. Things will be
different from at home. But is that not why you
go on holidays?' - Ria Haagsma, HE10127
View
Ria's Amsterdam listing, HE10127
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Exchange
Offers: England for Beach/Seaside;
Mallorca for Italy |
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Experienced exchangers, Sue and Andrew
Middleton and their six year old
daughter Maybelline, offer their
character Victorian house in Berkshire,
England this summer in exchange for a
beach/coastal holiday location. The
Middletons are flexible on destination
and look forward to receiving offers.
Their home in the village of Twyford is
ideally located for trips to London and
Oxford (both 40 minutes by train) as
well as riverside and country walks and
many other local attractions and
activities. See photo of garden above.
Member ID: HE12584
Maria Hubert offers her light, bright
three bedroom 5th floor apartment in
Palma de Mallorca in exchange for a home
in Italy, either Rome or anywhere within
reasonable distance from Milan airport.
Maria and her husband already have
flights booked to Milan on 1 September
(return 28 September) and are very
anxious to arrange an exchange soon.
Maria's apartment is within easy reach
of beaches, mountains and countryside -
an ideal base for a relaxing holiday.
See photo of the living/dining room
below. Member ID: HE13454
Members: log on to view both Maria's
and the Middletons' exchange offers by
the Member IDs given. Visitors: use the
link directly below and view by Member
ID. 
View
Listings by Member IDs: Twyford,
England, HE12584; Palma de Mallorca,
Spain, HE13454 »
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Historical
Homes with Antiques: Swap for Similar? |
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| With
a beautiful, historic, carefully
restored Victorian home in Washington,
DC, to exchange Dorothy Simmons recently
asked:
'Just as somewhere I read it is
probably a good idea to exchange similar
value automobiles I'm wondering if I
should not be thinking similarly in
regards to the houses involved? Someone
with a historic type property would
certainly know what is involved in
monitoring another.'
Dorothy related the story of her 250
pound son-in-law (used to sculptured
iron furniture in his contemporary home)
accidentally breaking an 1860's original
pettipont Victorian loveseat whilst
visiting her antique filled townhouse.
So it's understandable that she is
concerned about entrusting her home to
anyone who, quite innocently, may not
understand the fragility of some of her
older pieces. Comparing property values
is not very useful as values depend on
areas and markets. However, although it
is up to each individual member to
decide who would make the best likely
home swap partners, it could bring peace
of mind for avid antique collectors to
look for others with similar interests
who will know how to care for such
precious and often fragile furniture.
We'd love to hear experienced home
exchangers' thoughts on this: do you
look for homes/furnishings similar to
your own on an exchange or do you hope
to experience a completely different
style in your exchange home?
Dorothy continued, 'I don't want to
leave the impression that I am so
enamored with my furnishings that I hold
my breath everytime someone comes into
my home. On the contrary, much as I like
what I have collected I firmly believe
belongings should in fact be used and
enjoyed by others. .... I have enjoyed a
full range of travel experiences from a
hut in a tribal village to a castle in
Switzerland and almost everything in
between. I can't get enough of travel
and cross- cultural experiences. It is
my hope that home exchanges will add yet
another dimension. I look forward to the
possibility of Cotswold cottages,
California glass houses, vicarages, you
name it!'
See
Dorothy's Washington townhouse listing
(photos to be added shortly), HE13566
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Member
Login: Changing an Email Address |
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| Most
login problems are caused by not
entering a password or email address as
they appear on the membership form. Both
are case sensitive and must be entered
exactly as set. Note: cookies must be
enabled on your computer to log on
successfully.
If you change your email address you
must still log on by entering your old
email address along with your password.
Once logged on, access your form and
change the email address. Click Continue
at the bottom of the form to save the
change. Then, the next time you log on,
enter you new email address and your
password as now set in your listing. If
you have any problems let us know by
email (link at end of newsletter) and we
will make changes for you.
Please let us know your new email
address, or use the 'update your
profile' link at the bottom of the
newsletter, to ensure that you continue
to receive copies of Home Swappers.
Member
Login » |
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Longer
Home Exchanges: Arranging Regular
Medications |
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The following question and answer was
published in the 'Guardian' newspaper
travel section under the 'The Flying
Doctor' column on 22 March 2003. It is
reproduced with the permission of the
author, Dr Jules Eden (see link to Dr
Eden's website, e-Med Private Medical
Services, below):
Q: My wife and I plan to take
extended home-swap holidays in the US of
up to six months at a time, but I suffer
from rheumatoid arthritus for which I
have Myocrysin (Gold) injections of 20mg
once every two weeks. How would I go
about getting injections and the
monitoring that goes with them in the
US?
A: There should not be any problem in
getting a shot of gold and blood tests
in the US. Over there, it's a walk in
and pay system for GP-like services. But
what could become an issue if you have
an entended stay is cost (I have been
quoted $350 just for the basic shot, and
then there is $120 for getting someone
to inject you). You would not be covered
by insurance because it is a
pre-existing condition, and for long
stays you may not be able to take that
many shots over with you to cover all
you need due to expiry dates on the
medications. If it is out of your
budget, you could look at home-swaps in
Canada or Australia, where the
medication is much cheaper.
e-Med
Private Medical Services » |
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Car
Swaps: Preserving a No Claims Bonus |
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| The
last issue of Home Swappers (Feb/Mar 03)
included an article on whether agreeing
to swap a car as part of an exchange is
worth any possible risks if you are
unlikely to need much use of a car
yourself while on exchange. If all other
aspects work for both members, it would
seem a shame if a potential exchange
didn't go ahead because one member
needed a car as part of the exchange
more than the other. However, it is
understandable if a member with little
or no need for a car may feel it's not
worth the small risk of a potential
increase in the annual premium in the
event of a claim. Member David Crabb
sent the following suggestion:
'In order to preserve a no claims
bonus would it not be an idea that the
person borrowing the vehicle arranges
their own insurance for the period for
which they will use the car? Proof that
premiums had been paid could be faxed or
sent to the owner prior to departure.'
David's suggestion seems a simple and
logical solution to the problem but have
any members done this - or perhaps had
problems arranging insurance cover for
an exchange member's car? We'd like to
hear of any experiences members have had
or other suggestions for overcoming any
potential problems in exchanging cars as
part of a home exchange agreement.
David offers his new five bedroom
home a 10 minute car or bus journey from
the centre of Cambridge (England) for
exchange to France, Italy or Spain in
August or September this year.
View
David's Exchange Offer in Cambridge,
HE13346 » |
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ABC
Holiday Extras: UK Airport Parking and
Hotels |
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Pre-book and save pounds with ABC
Holiday Extras: airport parking, airport
hotels with parking, coach or rail
travel and airport lounges at most UK
airports.
ABC
Holiday Extras » |
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Flight
Tickets: Don't Buy Before a Firm
Exchange Agreement |
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Many Home Base Holidays members will be
hoping to finalise plans soon for home
swaps during the busy (northern
hemisphere) summer period. We are living
through very uncertain times and this
will inevitably affect some members'
attitudes to travel. The fact that
staying close to home during a turbulent
world situation will no more guarantee
safety than carrying on with travel
plans as normal, plus knowing airport
security has been increased, should mean
the majority of members are unlikely to
postpone holidays. However, as some
members may be more hesitant to make
firm committments, it is more important
than ever for both partners in an
exchange arrangement to make absolutely
certain of each other's agreement to go
ahead before buying flight tickets
(which are usually non-refundable).
Arrange to buy tickets at the same time
and, for extra reassurance, exchange
proof of purchase (perhaps copy and
email or fax ticket receipts).
The welcome message sent to all new
Home Base Holidays members includes:
'Remember that it is your responsibility
to ensure you are satisfied with all
arrangements before agreeing to go ahead
with an exchange. It is always advisable
to put an agreement in writing to avoid
any possible misunderstandings' (and
includes a link to the Guidelines on the
website for further information). It may
seem overly cautious to compile and
exchange contracts but, although not
legally binding, written contracts,
detailing all that you have both agreed
to, help avoid misunderstandings later
(particularly important when one member
is not communicating in their first
language). If you arrange an exchange
quickly and buy tickets as soon as your
exchange partner has provisionally
agreed to an exchange but may still want
further information or to see photos of
your home, you will have to accept that
this is slightly risky at the best of
times and probably more so this year.
Some members like to buy flight
tickets well in advance to take
advantage of lower fare offers. However,
with many airlines facing serious
problems with a drop in passenger
numbers, this year it may actually be
better to take time to shop around to
find the best deals. For example,
British Airways ran a special promotion
for long haul destination tickets booked
during February and March which allowed
flight dates and/or destinations to be
changed free of charge any time up to 72
hours prior to the original outbound
departure date. At the time of writing
it's not certain if the BA offer will be
extended but do some research and you
may find similar deals, which offer a
degree of peace of mind, with other
airlines too.
Guidelines:
Suggestions for Arranging a Successful
Home Exchange » |
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Newsletter
Contributions |
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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.
Please feel free to forward Home
Swappers to friends and colleagues who
may be interested in home exchange (see
Send Page to a Friend link below).
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
1985-2003: 18th year providing a home
exchange service worldwide
Lois
Sealey, Editor, Home Swappers Newsletter
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