www.homebase-hols.com                                                                                                 February 2013 (issue 94)

Home Base Holidays members use the service in many ways, including a recent offer from Marie, who is putting her lovely villa on the island of Oleron up for sale. 

Marie and her husband are offering non-simultaneous exchanges or hospitality swaps from May to the end of September this year before the villa is sold, and will 'bank' their return swaps for later in the year when they should be free to travel at any time. 

 Marie says the island of Oleron is famous for three things: 'it's sunshine, it's oysters and it's pure sea air'. 

If the thought of a lovely holiday on the island sounds tempting, do check out Marie's home exchange offer and contact her if you are able to offer a non-simultaneous exchange or hospitality.

What makes home exchanging so good for the single traveler?

A journalism student recently approached us for members willing to help for an article she was writing on home swapping. Here is one of her questions, followed by answers from two Home Base Holidays members: 

"Why would a home exchange holiday be appropriate for a mature woman, as an alternative to travelling on holiday alone?"

I've made an incredible amount of new friends  

"As a mature (65) single woman, I've found home exchange much better than taking singles holidays. Why? I'm in charge of my own destiny(!), can make my own decisions as to where to travel and when. I've made an incredible amount of new friends through travel (in fact two Aussie friends are coming to visit here later today - they are the next door neighbours of my last Brisbane swap). So much so that after one Oz swap in 2010 (Port MacQuarie) I was invited to fly over to New Zealand and stayed with friends for six weeks in their annexe, which enabled me to use this as a base to travel both islands."

 Polly (W. Ottery St Mary, Devon, England)   

View Polly's lovely home exchange offer...

Wealth of knowledge to pass on

"Establishing a relationship with the exchangers prior to your visit is invaluable, they know you are arriving alone and can prepare you. They can suggest places to visit according to your interests, introduce you to neighbours and friends. Often they have travelled before and have a wealth of knowledge to pass on regarding transport links from the airport, expected costs etc. There is security in having a base and contacts nearby with local knowledge. In my experience they have been only too pleased to help and take me exploring and have understood the "must sees" for a visitor within their area and beyond, often off the tourist trail. Unlike singles holidays, you have the choice of how much you wish to interact with others, you have the freedom to pick and choose what places you wish to visit and when. If you wish a quiet day, the choice is yours. There is no single supplement."

Jackie (Tavistock, Devon, England)

Complimentary membership to 2nd swap site

If you are a current Home Base Holidays member, 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! 

"EuroTravel Magazine focuses on all of Europe from the mysterious Orkneys to the wine dark seas of the Aegean, the romance of Rome, the hotels of Paris and the medieval masterpiece that is Krakow. With around 4 million sq miles, 50 countries, a population of 733 million people who speak 230 languages and hundreds of different cultures, there will never be a shortage of stories to tell. We hope we have created an accessible, intelligent and relevant online resource for readers with a thirst for knowledge who enjoy their Europe at a reasonable price." 

Look out for the Home Base Holidays article on home exchange in the next issue of EuroTravel published early February. www.eurotravelmag.com