News

'We did two consecutive swaps in Queensland, Australia for four and a half months. It was one of the most wonderful experiences in our lives and we wouldn't have missed it for the World.

Whilst in Australia we went to Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef, we saw beautiful rainforests, parrots and wallabies. We travelled on the Kurranda railway. We went to the Outback and saw kangaroos and the sunrises and sunsets were unbelievable.

Our first swap was in Emu Park with the Watersons. Our second swap was with Kevin & Yvette in Brisbane, HE12506, who are coming to visit with us again next year. We made good friends with our swappers and all their neighbours. We were invited for morning tea, barbeques and trips out into the countryside. Our Australian visitors were enjoyed so much by our neighbours, they all still keep in touch! They were invited in for dinner, drinks etc., and were even taken to the train station. It just went on and on. My sister has been invited over to stay and our neighbours can't wait for our next visitors!

Being first time exchangers we were initially wary and unsure of what to do, so I e-mailed a couple of existing members and asked for their views. They told me of their very good experiences, wonderful swaps and they gave me some pointers. I also spoke with Lois at Home Base Holidays who also gave me some very good advice.

I feel like a child in a sweet shop when I surf the Home Base Holidays pages; I get so excited at all the places and the wonderful opportunity of seeing the World. It's so much nicer being in a home with all the facilities, living like the locals do, than sitting in a hotel room.' - Sandie Gibson, HE13026

The Aug/Sept newsletter included an article, 'Member References or Rate an Exchange?', and I was pleased to receive some feedback from members on the subject of whether a subjective rating system would actually be fair to all members or if the simpler idea of encouraging members to write references for each other after an exchange would work best. Terry from Brighton, UK, wrote:

'Thanks for another excellent newsletter. I think the tick box for references available from previous exchanges is a very good idea. Then members could ask people they have previously swapped with to provide confirmation that everything went well. I think for you to get involved and police the site would be too complex - much easier for members to organise this themselves just as they do for all other areas of arranging home exchanges. And quite frankly - we get such a good deal on the membership price that to expect any extras which would take ages to do on your part is very unrealistic. We have done around 12 excellent exchanges, and I would happily give references to all of those people. We have had one not so good experience (nothing drastic, but their home was dirty and they brought more people to our home than agreed) and I would not recommend them. That would show up in their listing if down as Experienced Exchangers but without also indicating References Available.'

Maureen Poulton, HE14532, a first time swapper from Gold Coast, Australia writes:

'Have just received your latest newsletter and as usual enjoy the content and forward it to interested friends. I am just passing on something we did that might be of interest to other members, especially first timers like us, looking for references from exchangers ....

Two different couples, one we contacted and the other who contacted us, were both looking for a swap between England and Australia. The first English couple had already arranged their swap to Queensland so we were too late, and the other couple who contacted us didn't live in the South of England where we wanted to swap. So no swaps were arranged but both couples sounded so nice in the email correspondence that we invited them both (at different times) to come for dinner and stay overnight when they came to our area. However, each opted to come for lunch and we had a most enjoyable time with both couples and hearing of their experiences. This gave us, first time swappers to be, a great deal of confidence in the swap system. This could, of course, be used as a reference for a potential swapper who wants to know "What were the people like?" "Was the house as nice as the photos, etc." We have a swap arranged for 2005 to Craven Arms and are really looking forward to it.'

Note: By the time you read this you should see a new tick box option on the membership form, References available from previous exchanges. If you are a member, and have had an exchange, offer to provide a reference to your previous exchange partners and ask for one in return if you haven't already done so. Then, log on to your member area, access your form, tick the References available box and click Continue to save this addition to your listing.

Are you a blogger yet? I have to admit that until very recently I had a very vague notion of what a weblog was but, having looked into the idea, I saw how useful this could be for our home exchange community.

Basically, a weblog (or blog) is presented like a diary that is posted on the Web for anyone to see. You may have come across some personal blogs - they are an ideal way of keeping and sharing a diary and photos of a trip for example (maybe some Home Base Holidays members have already recorded a home swap as a blog? If so, I'd love to hear from you). The great advantage is the ability to post new information instantly whenever needed and to also enable readers to add comments to any of the 'posts' (although ultimately we can edit comments or even delete if necessary).

Not a lot of people will know about our new Home Exchange Travel weblog until now (I've been quietly learning how to use it myself!) so please have a look, add a comment to any of the current posts and let me know if you have ideas for new categories or topics.

The aim, as with this newsletter, is to keep the weblog closely focussed on home exchange and related travel topics. I will shortly be adding a post on how to subscribe to blogs you are interested in by installing newsreader software. For now, bookmark our weblog site (link below) and visit often to check for new posts and comments. Inevitably there will be overlap in topics covered on the weblog and newsletter but topical issues (such as urgent exchange requests or requests for help from journalists) will be posted on the weblog as soon as received.

Those considering home exchange for the first time are often concerned about the possibility of an exchange agreement falling through. Taking time and care before agreeing to an exchange plus communicating regularly with exchange partners have been covered in articles in various issues of Home Swappers. Related to this is the concern that either you or your exchange partner may not be able to travel as planned on agreed dates for a valid reason. UK member, John Storry (pictured with his wife, Dorothy, outside their home, the Old School House, in Richmond, N. Yorkshire, HE14678), wrote:

'We undertook our first exchange this year. Unfortunately due to illness, our exchangers were unable to occupy our home. They still offered to go ahead with the exchange since we were to occupy their beach house rather than their main dwelling. We accepted and had a wonderful six-week stay with their support and without undue intrusion on our privacy. We have offered to host a future visit by them, perhaps not six weeks but a substantial period to suit their needs.

A lady with whom we will be exchanging in 2006 (and who was to visit us this year for a weekend) hurt her knee and couldn't travel this summer. Rather than disappoint her exchange partner, she invited her to stay and reported that it was going fine.

I've read in the past that illness, marital estrangement, etc. can screw up the best laid plans but I have never seen anything about possible solutions to such problems apart from the advice to delay booking flights until the last possible moment. As retirees we expect that age-related problems can easily interfere with an exchange programme. In our case it was with a weeks' notice.

My wife and I feel that once we have agreed to an exchange we have a moral obligation to do all in our power to follow through. I am sure that some of your members will have met similar issues. Any chance of finding out what others do or feel about such possibilities?'

Although it would be wrong to alarm subscribers considering home exchange for the first time unduly (the vast majority of exchanges do go ahead as planned), John has raised important points that all members should be aware of, i.e. considering ways to minimise inconvenience for an exchange partner should you have to break a firm committment to exchange for a good reason, such as illness, injury or a death in the family. Needless to say, it is never acceptable to cancel an agreement for frivolous reasons or to just change your mind after agreeing to an exchange. Both the members John has mentioned have gone out of their way to ensure that their exchangers' holidays weren't ruined by offering accommodation even when illness and injury prevented them from travelling themselves. This and the Storrys' own offer to host their exchange partners at a later date are very good examples of 'home exchange best practice'.

Not everyone will have the space to offer to host exchange guests in their home at a later date as John and Dorothy will be doing but there are other ways to return the kindness of members who ensure your trip can go ahead despite their own problems - perhaps offering use of your home when you will be away at another time? Do let us know if you or your exchange partners have had to adapt to changed circumstances like those described by John. Had you discussed such a scenario during the run up to your exchange? How did you re-arrange your exchange plans with minimum disruption?

This article will be followed up in the next newsletter (and no doubt on the weblog too) with feedback from members on this and on the related issue of travel insurance.

If you need to arrange an exchange at short notice, or your exchange location needs are very specific, be proactive for the best chances, i.e. contact every current member whose exchange offer might possibly be suitable whether or not their dates/destinations appear to fit with your own needs. Then, check for New Listings every day and contact new members right away. Also log on and add your listing to Last Minute Offers and check the offers on this list. Then, if you still haven't found a suitable swap, contact us with your details and your exchange request will be posted on the weblog. But, of course, still keep looking for possible swaps yourself! If time and space, we will also include your offer in the next issue of the newsletter. Two such offers this month:

16th Century English Manor House Swap Offer in Kent, England for New York City, 23-30 Oct04

Philpots Manor, HE15579, is reputed to be part of Anne Boleyn's estate; Hever Castle, her childhood home, is only a short distance away. Any New Yorkers out there interested in a wonderful historic base in the heart of the English countryside yet very convenient for London? Time is getting short to take up this great home swap offer.

San Francisco Edwardian Home Offered for London, 19-29 Nov04

The home, HE13247, (photo above) is located in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood, very close to shopping streets such as Union, Fillmore and Polk Streets. Five minutes from downtown by car or a 20 minute walk.

This member needs to find an exchange home in London to fit in with the dates of tickets already purchased (arriving London 19 Nov, leaving 29 Nov).

Not yet a member of Home Base Holidays? Click the links above to view the full descriptions for these offers. If interested in either offer, join now and contact the member without delay.

New Zealand member, Jeanette Craig, HE15444, wrote in early August:

'Hi Lois, Like Kerry (article in last newsletter, "Exchange Arranged? Update Your Listing"), I have sent about six e-mails to members suggesting a house swap. One replied promptly which was great, wasn't suitable for them, but that's fine, just was great for them to reply. The others haven't and I think I may be too ahead of myself as we are not wanting to exchange until April 2006 onwards. Am I too early in trying do you think?'

It's always disappointing when members don't respond to offers as a quick "no thanks" reply seems easy enough. There will be a certain number of messages that don't reach their destinations for one reason or another (too vigourous spam filters, old email addresses) and members may be away or don't check their email often. I would guess, though, that you are probably right that most members won't be able to commit to an exchange as far ahead as April 2006 yet. That's still not an excuse not to reply but maybe you could include a sentence or two in your messages, something like:

'I know that it's likely you won't know what your holiday plans might be for 2006 as yet so don't expect a committment to exchange at this early stage but, if you think there may be a chance that you would be interested in our offer later on, could you let me know? I will then make a note to contact you again in a few months' time. But, if you already know you can't take up my offer please let me know so that I will not contact you again.'

Hopefully Jeanette (and other members also planning exchanges a long time ahead) will start building a list of 'possibles' and, by checking new listings often and contacting members as they join, as time goes on, should find more members also planning exchanges for 2006 and start to receive more positive replies. In Kerry's case, she had left it quite late to find an exchange but Jeanette's lack of responses may be for the exact opposite reason! It is always best to allow plenty of time before exchange dates but adapt your message depending on how far ahead you are contacting members with your exchange offer.

Many of you will know that from time to time we have published requests from the UK production company, Maverick TV, for members willing to be filmed while on an exchange for the Channel 4 TV series, 'Home from Home'. The new series will, for the first time, be shown on primetime TV, probably in December or early January.

The good news is that, unlike with previous series' that were broadcast in the afternoon, Maverick has a larger budget and so are able to pay for participants' flights and cover some expenses. Since swapping homes cuts out the cost of accommodation anyway, taking part in a 'Home from Home' programme should give some lucky families a truly low cost holiday abroad!

Anshu Ahuja, a researcher at Maverick TV, contacted us with a very special offer:

'I am currently looking into finding members in the UK who would be interested in swapping homes with a family in India and being filmed while on the exchange for 'Home from Home'. We have already found three potential families in India who would be interested in taking part (2 in Bombay, 1 in Kerala). I am very keen to find a family in the UK who would like to make the most of such a fantastic opportunity. We are thinking of doing the swap in the last two weeks of October. Naturally we want to ensure that both families have the best time possible and will encourage those chosen to be in contact and view each other's homes on the internet before the exchange takes place. Ideally, the UK family will have older children (11+).

I look forward to hearing from you very soon'. - Anshu

Note: As there is not much time to arrange this special exchange, please contact Anshu directly by email (link below) or call her on 020 631 1062 for further information.

Newsletter Contributions: We are always pleased to hear from members and newsletter subscribers and to receive contributions for the newsletter - short reports on your exchange experiences, tips you feel would be useful to those new to the idea of home swapping and any questions you have on home exchange. Please incude 'home exchange' in the subject line when contacting us as messages with no subjects (or dubious sounding subject lines!) or unexpected attachments may end up in our spam folder and deleted unread.

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Home Base Holidays, London, UK 1985-2004: 19th year providing a home exchange service worldwide