Topics Covered: Exchanging 'People' Photos Discount Membership Offer Home Exchangers in Great Demand: TV & Magazine Requests New Enhancements to the Website A 'Cool' Site for Home Exchange: Home Base Holidays Member Rental Request - Andalucia, Spain Travelling with Children Travel Planning Help from a Travel Savant Newsletter Contributions

Home Swappers Newsletter is published bi-monthly to provide up-to-date information on home exchange vacations for current and recent members of Home Base Holidays, enquirers and Newsletter subscribers.

Members' User IDs are included in some articles. Both Home Base Holidays members and non-members can search by the User ID to view exchange offers mentioned. See Quick Links to Member Login and Visitors Preview at the end of the newsletter.

Exchanging 'People' Photos

Home Base Holidays member, Rhonda Petersen, writes: 'I have just done my first home swop - well half of it - we couldn't do a simultaneous swop so we had a New Zealand couple stay in our home last week. We will have their home in January 2003 and we drew up an agreement to that effect. They sounded lovely on the phone and left the house immaculate and cared for our four cats with tlc.

All perfect and fine, BUT I don't know what they LOOK like and this left a wierd kind of gap in our swop! Even though I may see them in January I sort of wanted to picture them in my home! I can't send or open attachments with my email (I am online through my TV) so wasn't able to send or receive photos this way. Am I strange or is this a common problem?'

Some suggestions: (1) See article in Home Swappers Newsletter issue 9 (link below) on using free photo album websites to include additional home, area and family photos to share with other members. Note: the availability of such free resources will change from time to time. In Rhonda's case, without the means to scan or upload digital images, this idea won't be of use. (2) Most listings have photos of the homes only. Some members may want to consider including one photo showing family members in their home. (3) As most exchanges take place several weeks after an agreement is reached, there should be plenty of time to mail each other family photos.

I'm sure Rhonda is not alone in wishing to visualise her exchange partners in her home. So please, when exchanging information and photos before your exchange, include some people photos too. The photos above and below are of Rhonda's charming rustic farmhouse in a quiet, rural location in Andalucia, Spain (that's Rhonda sitting on her porch in the photo directly below). Check out her offer, HE12749, available for both exchange and rental.

Home Swappers Newsletter: issue 9

	Discount Membership Offer
Home Base Holidays will very shortly offer a choice of internet membership periods - one year listing as at present plus two year listings. The directory option is no longer available. When the new two year option is added you will also see new, lower membership rates. Until this takes place new members will automatically be charged at the new one year membership option rate, £29 (approx $40US) rather than the current published rate of £38. Renewing members will continue to receive substantial discounts on subscription rates and will also shortly have the choice of a two year listing if preferred. Looking ahead to exchanges at Christmas or in 2003? As it usually takes several weeks to find and arrange an exchange, join now as an 'early bird' to get your exchange offer into circulation and contact members as they join throughout the new season. Join Home Base Holidays Now! »

	Home Exchangers in Great Demand: TV & Magazine Requests
Home Exchange continues to be a very popular subject for TV travel programmes and magazine articles. If you might be able to help any of the four TV companies and one magazine detailed here, contact directly or use the link to Home Base Holidays and we will pass your message on (let us know which of the five organisations it is meant for!). (1) We have recently been contacted by KCNC-TV in Denver. If you live in Denver and have had an exchange, reporter Ericka Lewis would like to hear from you: eslewis@cbs.com. And, a request just in: (2) Country Living Magazine is publishing a feature on people who have home swapped in the British countryside. Please contact Rebecca Home, Features Assistant, rebecca.home@natmags.co.uk with brief details about your home, garden and area and the home you stayed in. If you have photos she could borrow that would be much appreciated. (3) The BBC Holiday Programme: Jenny Cole, the producer, is looking for a family in the UK who have arranged an exchange to Florida, willing to be filmed while on exchange. Ideally the exchange should take place before the end of September but can take place later. Contact Jenny on 020 8752 5156 or email: jenny.cole.01@bbc.co.uk (4) Home from Home, Channel 4: In the last newsletter we reported Maverick Television's plea for several participants to take part in filming the second series (a whole series on home exchange!). We have now had two specific requests: (a) US/UK exchanges taking place in September - particularly exchanges to Florida, Arizona and adjoining states as well as UK exchanges to other parts of the US. (b) members with fantastic homes in the US who would agree to have their homes filmed (you don't need to be exchanging at the time) to feature as trailers for the programmes and within the programme. Members' whose homes are featured will gain extra publicity with viewers directed to the Channel 4 website with a link to the Home Base Holidays website (direct links will be added from the home page to feature home listings). If you could help with either request, contact Kate Staples at Maverick TV on +44(0)121 693 1796 or by email: k.staples@mavericktv.co.uk Note: programmes from the first series filmed last year, and including a number of Home Base Holidays members, are now being repeated (when the cricket isn't on!) on Channel 4, 5.25 pm week days. (5) BBC1 Passport to the Sun: Lion Television would like to hear from members travelling to Mallorca or Ibiza for participation in the 4th series of the BBC factual programme which follows UK holiday makers and ex pats in the region. Filming can take place any time up to mid September. Call Natilie Hill on 020 8735 4084. Message to Forward by Home Base Holidays »

	New Enhancements to the Website
Note to Members: change to member login - use your email address (as in your listing) instead of your User ID to log on. This change was made as a number of members forgot User IDs. The new system should be easier with only the password you set to remember. Special Notice: If you have more than one listing and have used the same password in both, please contact Home Base Holidays before trying to log on with your email address. We are always looking at ways to improve the website and make searches as easy as possible. Recent changes include the option to view brief listings in batches of 5 - 50 with the default still 10 per page. Choose the option easiest to view on your monitor. The main default search is by age of listings, starting with the newest listings. You may now re-arrange any search results by location, destination, exchange dates or exchange duration - whatever is most important to you. A link to a translation service has been added to all members' listings to make reading our (mainly in English) listings easier for everyone. Long time UK member, Jo Piercey, HE1704, suggested it would be helpful to have a way to easily see which homes are suitable for children when searching the brief listings. Although one of the Advanced Search options will narrow search results in this way, symbols have now also been added to the brief listings so members/visitors immediately see which homes are child friendly (children symbol above left) and which are unsuitable for young children (pacifier/dummy symbol below right). Listings are instantly added to the site as members join or renew and, to ensure out of date listings are never kept on the site, those not renewed are automatically hidden on their expiry dates. Both member registration dates and expiry dates are shown in listings so that you can determine exactly how long any listing is in circulation. Being able to clearly see how old listings are, along with our aim to balance listings as far as possible in popular destinations, is more important than the total number of listings in gauging how likely you are to arrange a suitable swap. Search the Latest Exchange Offers Now »

	A 'Cool' Site for Home Exchange: Home Base Holidays
Antoine Zammit, President of SearchEurope.com, Inc. writes: "As a major search engine, we index hundreds of websites every week. A small number of sites stand out for a combination of good design, clear navigation and great content on their subject." "Home Base Holidays stands out as a cool site for home exchange vacations." Search Europe, a search engine and directory dedicated to everything European. Search Europe »

	Member Rental Request - Andalucia, Spain
UK member Jenny Beuker, is now not able to consider an exchange as her house in Devon is up for sale. However Jenny and her husband still want to go to Spain in September or October this year (Andalucia, preferably a village location in the lower slopes of Alpujarras). If you have rental accommodation available in the area please contact Jenny directly (HE12795) giving details and rental charges or, if you are not yet a member, contact Home Base Holidays (link below) and your offer will be passed on to the Beukers. Contact Home Base Holidays »

	Travelling with Children
Home Base Holidays members include many families with young children. Swapping homes is an ideal way to reduce some of the stress of travelling, especially abroad, with babies and young children. Exchanging with another young family ensures all the space and convenience of a home from home with baby gear, toys, books and often local playmates and babysitters available. When we come across other sites of likely interest to a number of members and subscribers we are delighted to pass details on in Home Swappers. Travelling with Children is just such a site. Whether you are at home and just need something to help you with the school run, or planning longer trips by car, train, boat or plane, www.travellingwithchildren.co.uk has lots of tips and information to help you plan safer, easier and happier journeys with your children. The site also offers an extensive range of innovative products and natural alternatives to help with childcare wherever you are. Travelling with Children »

	Travel Planning Help from a Travel Savant
Traveling to a new destination? Not sure what to do while you're there? Plan your vacation with a travel savant from Travants' comprehensive network of pre-screened US-based specialist travel agents. Wherever you're going, Travants has a specialist who can help you plan and book a vacation especially to suit you. The Travants motto is, 'We Know Where You're Going'. Visit Travants.com and find your savant today! Travants.com »

	Newsletter Contributions
We are always pleased to receive contributions for the newsletter - short articles about your exchange experiences, tips for those new to the idea of swapping homes and questions from subscribers considering a home exchange holiday for the first time. We are happy for you to forward Home Swappers to friends and colleagues who may be interested in home exchange as long as the newsletter is sent in full. All Home Swappers content is copyright and cannot be used in any form without written permission from Home Base Holidays. Look out for more exciting development news from Home Base Holidays very soon. Happy home swapping! Home Base Holidays, London, UK 1985-2002: 17th year providing a home exchange service worldwide Lois Sealey, Editor, Home Swappers Newsletter »

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