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Newsletter Archive Spring 2007
Hi Member,
Just in case you thought that you were on your own, this newsletter is dedicated to past experiences, independent articles and stories of people who enjoy the holiday swopping experience and confirmation that it is getting bigger and bigger each year.
Enjoy your holidays wherever you may be going and as always a reminder for photos if your property does not have them you re missing out by missing them!
As always, spread the word, we all need to see the members pot grow and it is still free to join so start letting everyone know and who knows where you might end up this year.
Kind regards
The HolidaySwopping Team
Enquiries to info@holidayswopping.com
Recent Articles
House Swopping - trying a new place on for size
As Jude Law and Cameron Diaz s new home swopping film The Holiday came to the big screen on 26th December 2006, the latest real estate survey shows that house swopping may well become the new holiday trend for Australians.
Independent Families: 'Is house swopping good for a budget break?'
Q. Seeing the film The Holiday recently has made us consider the possibility of a house swop. Is this practical for a family of five (children aged 18 months, five and 10) with a limited budget, a dog, a cat and a leopard gecko? We don't live in a particularly swanky house, so aren't sure if we'll find any takers.
Liz Strauch, Devon
A. House swopping, where two homeowners agree to stay free-of-charge in each other's property, isn't just for sleek singles like the lonely hearts in The Holiday - it can be ideal for families. If you swop with other parents, your accommodation is likely to come ready supplied with computer games, highchairs, bicycles, cots and all sorts of other bits of useful kit. Staying in someone's home and meeting their neighbours also gives your children an unmediated taste of local life that's quite different from being boxed up in a hotel.
Home-exchanging has spread globally since its American beginnings 50 years ago. Each year, around 250,000 householders swop homes worldwide. The majority are in the US and Canada, Australia, New Zealand and northern Europe, but some are as far afield as Brazil and Russia.
As the West Country is popular with visitors to the UK, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding takers with houses, holiday homes, caravans and even the odd boat on offer. But, as house-swoppers are often organised types who arrange their holidays up to a year in advance, start looking now if you're hoping to get away this summer.
The good news is this is a relatively low-cost way of visiting long-haul destinations. There are about 30 of these worldwide, which vary in the number of members they have and the areas they cover, but all work in basically the same way: you have a description of your house, and what sort of swop you're looking for, included in a regularly updated listing. Other members will then get in touch with you direct; it's up to you to decide whether to proceed with any offers.
10 March 2007
House swop for a cheap vacation - Here are some tips on how to save money on your next trip
When Mike and Peggy Francomb from Essex go on holiday, it's not to an anonymous hotel or busy resort. Instead they live rent-free in a private home in their chosen destination.
As do Brian and Sue O'Connor from Brisbane. But what links these otherwise unrelated couples is that they stayed in each others' houses. House swopping is one of tourism's booming trends, thanks in large part because of something it can offer which hotels or B&Bs will never be able to - it's free. And people taking part have a fairly good idea that their house will be looked after while they're away.
Janice Lieberman
TODAY Consumer Correspondent
Testimonials
I had a great exchange to London. I highly recommend swopping homes as a way to really get to know a neighbourhood and it was great to have a real home to come back to. It does take time though and arranging an exchange is down to the people doing it. I found that lots of emails back & forth was important so I got to know the people who were going to be staying in my apartment. This got rid of the anxiety that we probably both felt at first (first exchange for both of us).
Liz McClean, Sydney (in London again at present)
I swopped homes with a couple from California whom I contacted through a home swopping agency. We exchanged letters and photos of our homes (and each other!) but only ever met for one evening in a bar in LA at the end of the holiday! Inevitably there is a degree of trust but my experience was excellent
I started swopping homes when I was single and couldn't think how to have a comfortable and safe holiday on my own. It's remained my preferred type of holiday ever since. You can afford to travel further, and you get to sample real life in another country. In the meantime your own house is more secure, and your pets and garden are being looked after. We've had great holidays in Spain, Hungary, Victoria: British Columbia, Berlin, and now San Diego. I recommend it - the world could be your oyster!
Janet Seaton, Edinburgh (currently in San Diego))
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