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'We are a retired professional couple who have done 13 exchanges - mainly to North America. We aim to make the exchange as easy as possible by leaving the fullest house and car instructions and plenty of tourist information with clear maps and routes.

I cannot stress too much the importance of leaving VERY clear instructions - particularly for things like opening the front door if it's less than straightforward, using the car and getting to the shops. We've tried to learn from others' omissions and I'm sure we still have things to put into practice. I would ask potential exchangers to think of themselves as the stranger in their home and to simplify things as much as possible. Don't worry that people may think you're treating them like children: that's preferable to unnecessary stress.'

Editor's Note: Gillian describes below one exchange (a long time ago and NOT with a Home Base Holidays member!) which shows that she and husband, Ray, have probably found the secret formula to be successful home swappers - careful planning and attention to detail plus being able to see the funny side if there is the odd glitch. For those new to home exchange, don't be alarmed by the following story - this is not a typical home exchange experience!

'Many years ago we arrived in Montreal. The flight had been delayed and we were tired. Our exchangee had asked us to collect the keys from a neighbour. This we did, and we were presented with a bunch of, maybe, a dozen keys. Each one was duly labelled and had a piece of string attached. Said neighbour was unable to help us unravel the keys - literally, as the mass of strings had formed an unholy tangle - as she was "senior sitting" an old lady. So, we attempted to sort out the bundle under a nearby street lamp. At last we discovered two keys labelled Front Door. Yes, it had two locks. We assumed it was a simple matter to find which key fitted which lock. Wrong!! After what seemed like an interminable time another neighbour came to our aid. It turned out that one key turned clockwise and the other anti- clockwise AND we had to (I quote) "Put your shoulder into it as it sticks".

That particular exchange had rich pickings!! A few of the things we encountered:

• a leaky car which required the passenger to don a polythene sheet on rainy days
• no saucepans, but 17 frying pans
• no light bright enough to read by
• a large hole hidden by a carpet in the basement floor which made loading the laundry hazardous
• the hand rail on the stairs that came off in your hand
• a melted candle in the microwave (we never did work that one out)

The final twist in the tale came when we tried to access the answering machine (this was some years ago, and we weren't au fait with the complicated monster). We fiddled around, as there were no instructions, to no avail. As the exchanger had said he would be able to access it from GB, we felt it shouldn't be beyond us. It was!! This really was the last straw and we sat in the kitchen having a monumental moan. Of course, we had no idea that our interference with the machine had left its tape recording OUR conversation!!!! Can imagine the householder's chagrin when he learnt his home was "Like the worst student house. Who would have a poster of Che Guevara on his living room wall except an overgrown hippie?" No, neither could we!!!

All I can say in summation is that none of this put us off home exchanging. Many of our exchangers have become friends. A couple from South Carolina have exchanged with us for three consecutive years and a family from Seville for two years. And things are going well for our next exchange - we already have six weeks set up in September for an exchange to California.'

Home Base Holidays members, Jim and Barbara from Shropshire, England, write:

'We had a very successful swap for the whole of September with a young woman in St Petersburg, Florida. We were worried that she would be bored here, but she had a whale of a time! Loved the house, loved the village and made lots of friends here. (We were on the fringe of three hurricanes while we were in Flordia, quite an experience, but the neighbours were fantastic).'

Note: The most successful house swaps are those between members who pre-plan the exchange carefully and are meticulous in their preparations to ensure their exchange guests have all the information they might need to hand while in their home. Jim and Barbara continued:

'We prepared a Folder for our Floridian guest with an alphabetical Index (each section had relevant instruction books, telephone numbers etc.) so that she didn't have to wade through the whole book to find what she was looking for (see our Contents below) and we packed all our clothes away, so there was plenty of space for her and her family's clothes.'

Note: Although every home exchanger's Information Folder contents list will be slightly different, all will include at least some of the same subjects as are covered in the Index below from Jim and Barbara's Folder (this should be a useful reminder list for other home swappers!):

C O N T E N T S

1. CARRIAGE CLOCK
2. COMPUTER
3. COOKER
4. DOCTORS
5. DOOR SECURITY
6. EATING OUT
7. FIRST AID KIT
8. GARDEN UMBRELLA & BARBEQUE
9. HONDA CIVIC
10. HOUSEHOLD REFUSE
11. MUSIC CENTRE, T.V. & VIDEO
12. NEIGHBOURS
13. REFRIGERATORS/FREEZERS
14. SERVICES - electricity, central heating & hot water, telephone, sewage, water
15. SHOPPING
16. VACUUM CLEANER
17. WASHING - washing machine & tumble dryer are in the utility room, instructions for use on top of washing machine, ironing
18. WATER FILTER JUG
19. PLACES TO VISIT

Cheeba, a recent Home Base Holidays member, writes:

'We are new to home exchange and posted an offering quite late for our upcoming trip to England Mar. 8 - 22 (to visit our daughter who is studying in London until April). We are sooooo desperate for either a hospitality home or an exchange in or near London (exchange doesn't need to be simultaneous). We'll be on the go with many nights scheduled elsewhere during our time in England. The fares are great at Travelocity right now to our area. We booked our flights for about $338 ea. including taxes!'

The Sobotkas live in Evansville, Indiana in a wonderful suburban country tri-level home on two acres next to 10 acres of a private hardwood and pine forest; shared two acre stocked lake; boats, water toys, fishing gear.

Check out the Sobotkas' full exchange offer, HE16117 (current Home Base Holidays members, login to view the listing. Contact Cheeba today if there's a possibility you could help). Not a member yet? Contact Us.

TF1, French Television (the equivalent of BBC1 in France), is planning to film a short feature on home exchanges between English and French people. Lamia Cherki, TF1 London based producer, has asked for Home Base Holidays members who have already arranged exchanges between the UK and France this year (or who are planning to), to get in touch if interested in possibly taking part. Lamia writes:

'This story would be broadcast during our evening news in France and would last about two minutes. It may sound short but it still takes a lot of time to organise and film! What we are looking at is to film the French family as they arrive and settle down in their "new property" in England and at the same time film the English family enjoying their cheese and red wine in their new home in France.

Our London team would film in England and our Paris crew would do the filming in France. We will need to have the agreement of both families. To reassure you, we would only spend a little time with each family and so would not spoil your holidays! Last summer we did a story on English people going on summer holidays to the south of France which was very nice. The home exchange story will be treated in the same friendly spirit.'

If you are a Home Base Holidays member and would like to find out more or have any questions, please contact us and your message will be forwarded to Lamia who will reply to you directly.

Our home exchange travel weblog (you are visiting the weblog regularly, aren't you?) enables us to include short posts on particular issues enquirers and Home Base Holidays members raise that may be of interest to other home swappers. A number of the posts are based on replies sent to recent questions:

Wheelchair Accessible Homes

Q: I would like to swap my home in Toronto for wheelchair accessible accommodation in London, England. How can I find homes that might be suitable?

A: Use the Advanced Search page to limit your search results to homes that are listed as wheelchair accessible. Tick the box beside Disabled Access/Facilities. Then select (in your case) England from the drop down country list at the top of the page, and type London in the Town/City box before clicking Search on the bottom right of the page. Full answer on the weblog.

Non-Simultaneous Exchanges

Q: I am looking for a non-simultaneous exchange of our second home in London. Do they happen through your organisation?

A: Like you, the majority of Home Base Holidays members able to do non-simultaneous home swaps are listing a second home for exchange. You can easily see which are second homes by the house icon with the number '2' beside such listings in the brief descriptions you first see when you do a search. You can also confine your results to only second homes by using Advanced Search. Tick the Second Home box (you can also choose country, city, etc) and click Search. See weblog for full reply.

Lodger in Residence: Can I Still Swap My Home?

Q: By the time my new house is available I also may have a lodger. Does this ever happen with other members and am I then eligible for exchange?

A: What an interesting question! Although I can't recall a Home Base Holidays member ever mentioning taking part in an exchange while having a resident lodger, this doesn't mean it never happens. There could be similar situations where a home may be occupied by a grown up child, housekeeper, etc. during an exchange. Having a lodger won't preclude you from swapping your home but you will need to inform potential home exchange partners - and your lodger! Full reply on weblog.

Offering a Home for Rental Rather than Home Exchange

Q: I have a 4 bedroom house to let for the week of the 134th British Open Golf Championship at St Andrews, sleeping 6 to 8 people, situated 5 minutes from the Old Course.

A: The majority of Home Base Holidays members hope to arrange direct home exchanges but rental offered of a home or second home (i.e. a non commercial rental) is another option that is available. Members who are unable to arrange the exchange they want will often be open to rental offers in the location. So, although Home Base Holidays is not a specialist rental site, you could certainly list your home and, as it is available for a popular local event, it is very likely you would find interest. Full answer on weblog.

Cathy, from Auckland, New Zealand, wrote (after a recent exchange to London): 'I think the idea "references available" (from previous exchanges) showing in listings is good as, if members indicate they are "experienced exchangers" but with listings not also including "references available", it might alert you to a possible problem. However, I would be interested in a new exchanger's offer too but, the one thing that does stop me from investigating any listing further is a lack of photos.'

As Home Base Holidays members can now easily add up to five photos to their listings from their member areas, and the first photo is also shown as a small thumbnail in the brief exchange results, the majority of exchange listings do now include photos, often added immediately a member joins. However, if you are a member and are having any problems uploading your own photos, please contact us for help.

Following an issue of Home Swappers Newsletter last year, which included an article on arranging annual travel insurance for seniors (over 70s) at reasonable cost before a lengthy home exchange, subscriber, Ken Silverthorn, sent the following very useful additional information for UK home exchangers on the importance of disclosing pre- existing medical conditions:

If you do not disclose medical conditions before travel, you may not receive payment if you have to make a claim.

Telephone Medical pre-screening line, 0800 281488, first to be issued an endorsement to cover your condition (s).

The following Endorsement applies to your insurance:

Cancellation and Curtailment

All claims directly or indirectly arising from the Pre- screened medical condition(s) detailed.

You must pay the first £5000 (£10,000 if travelling to USA). The sum insured under this section is reduced to a maximum of £50,000. All other terms, conditions and exclusions of your certificate remain unchanged.

Travel Insurers

• Perry Gambol, tel: 020 8542 1122
• Biba, tel: 020 7623 9043
• Brunsden & Co, tel: 011 7942 6877
• Leisure Care, tel: 01793 750150 (specialist in the terminally ill)

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 1985-2005: 20th anniversary year providing a home exchange service worldwide