www.homebase-hols.com                                                                                              October 2012 (issue 90)

Stop - thief!: runner-up in the 'Tell us a home swap story' competition

"One of our past exchanges was to a Caribbean island which had a total population of 12000 people. Before we left to go our exchangers informed us that the local burglar had recently been released from prison, he was well known and the police were in the process of trying to 'catch him in the act'!  

Off we went to our Caribbean dream island which was amazing and we did all the touristy things that one does. One day we had gone off to the mainland to do some shopping and as luck would have it I took my laptop as due to a recent hurricane there was no wifi in the house we were staying in. On our return many hours later as we walked up the hill to the house we saw a car in the driveway and quite a bit of activity between neighbours, which up to this point we had not seen anyone. The lady who looks after the house and her family were waiting on us as the house had been broken into via a very high window reached by a ladder which came from a neighbour's house that was being painted! The police arrived next and asked us to look around to see if anything was missing. My mobile phone had gone, the TV and not really much else.  

A couple of nights later we were going out for dinner and as we had never been out of sandals and shorts, had failed to notice that my husband's Reebok trainers had disappeared, leaving him only a pair of sandals to wear! The trainers were in fact brand new so the thief must have decided they were his size and taken them! My poor hubby had to wear sandals until we could get to a large store to buy a new pair to travel home!  

On the day we left, the TV was recovered and returned to the house, the culprit had been arrested, processed and on his way to the mainland prison, unfortunately wearing my husband's trainers!"  

Glynis McCauley (HE19456)   

The McCauley home is a charming Victorian terraced house, circa 1863, in the Newington area of Edinburgh. Click here to view this home exchange offer... 

We are delighted at the response to our recent survey, and for the many very positive comments on our service! Your feedback is invaluable (please contact us directly at any time if you have a question or a suggestion).  

Please respond to all home swap offers:

We will be addressing various issues raised but, as it came up in several responses, this is a reminder to respond promptly to all exchange offers. Even if the offer isn't of interest, a short reply is a courtesy to a member who is waiting to hear from you. If you live in a popular location and feel inundated with offers you can't consider, log on and update your destination request if needed or tick the 'Exchange request fulfilled' box near the top of the form. This will deter members from contacting you until you un-tick the box.   

Three members who completed the survey were selected at random to receive an extra year added to their membership. Check their home swap offers:

• E. Pedersen, London, England (HE13238) Click here to view this swap offer...
• M. & B. Wright, Mexico (HE19575) Click here to view this swap offer...
• G. Woelfle, California, USA (HE21620) Click here to view this swap offer...

"I am Julia Blake, living in Jericho, Vermont, USA, and an enthusiastic home exchanger. Retired from educational work, I and my husband have made numerous exchanges, beginning in 2005, mostly to Britain, but also to Ireland and the USA. We have received many offers to exchange to other countries but always feel a strong pull to return to Britain. We love this way of traveling! There are so many advantages to being in a home and part of a community, so I enjoy explaining the concept to the many people I find interested in exchanging, but hesitant.  

I first heard about swapping homes back in the 80s or 90s when an older couple told us about swapping their vacation home. They were wealthy and did not do it for financial reasons. I filed away the info. My husband and I traveled to Europe in the 90s, at first staying 3 nights in each place in B&B's, then we began to rent cottages and stay a week in one place. We loved getting to know a community and not having to pack up and move so often. Finally looked into exchanging homes and our first one was in fall 2005. I was very nervous, asked for references, proposed signing a written agreement, etc. But it was highly successful and we were off - have done 7 more in the intervening years and our 9th exchange is already lined up for 2013. Britain is our favorite destination - we love the rural areas, enjoy the people, the pubs, the sheep and open land, and so many other things. In '06 we did back-to-back exchanges and stayed almost 3 months in England (this included 2 rentals). We love being in a home, where I can cook meals when we don't want to go out, watch TV, meet neighbors. We only wish we had begun exchanging years earlier!"   Julia Blake     

Julia would be happy to answer any questions you might have. View Julia's page... 

Complimentary membership to 2nd swap site (ends 31 Dec 2012) 

If you are a current Home Base Holidays member (or join by 31st December 2012), you are offered complimentary one year membership to a second North American home exchange agency. To take up this offer, contact us (subject line: Global offer) with a note of the password you would like set.  

Your message, along with a link to your Home Base Holidays listing, will be forwarded to a representative of the 2nd swap site who will contact you directly with information on using the site. Contact us to sign up to the free offer!