Topics Covered: Home Swap: Work and Fun in New York City Exchange Offer: Brisbane, Australia for Bath, England New Home Base Holidays Rep: Jennifer in Australia Two Year Home Exchange Listings: Update Information Home Insurance: Tips for Home Swappers Regular Medications During Long Exchanges: Another Idea Summer Exchanges Arranged: Travel Companion Wanted Save Money: Book UK Airport Parking & Hotels in Advance Newsletter Contributions

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Home Swap: Work and Fun in New York City

Margaret and John Larcade swapped their owner/architect designed home (left) in the historic colonial town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for a work/pleasure break in New York. Margaret describes their experiences:

'We had our first home swap in February to the Soho District of New York City. Susan, a theater producer, had contacted us to suggest an exchange with our home in San Miguel. I had been wanting to have an extended work/pleasure trip to NYC but had been putting it off due to the expense. We exchanged many emails and then met for a few hours at Susan's loft before she took off to San Miguel, she wondering how crazy we were for being in New York during a very cold February, while she was off to sunny Mexico for lovely weather. Also there was a certain tension in the air over New York's vulnerability to terrorists.

Well, we loved Susan's neighborhood, access to great take out grocery stores and good access to subways. Our daughter flew up from her college to join us for a long weekend and lots of theater as well as my sister from Michigan. We had the luxury of time in New York and even what looked like a day in Colorado after a pile of snow fell. Susan fell in love with San Miguel, is returning to study Spanish in June, and considers our house now her house (she got our wonderful cook, we got NYC restaurants). My husband is an architect and I am an interior designer and colorist. We would welcome further exchanges where we could combine the business of design with the pleasure of eating.' - Margaret Larcade, HE12638

The Larcades are not the only Home Base Holidays members to find home exchange an ideal way to combine business with pleasure. New members, Anthony and Julia Randall, are others with plans to do so too. Anthony is particularly keen to exchange their beautiful 1830s home in Richmond Upon Thames near London with 'a couple in Europe whose home also has free internet connection so that I can carry on with my retirement career of developing a website to help non- anglophones improve their English'. Members: log on to access Anthony's listing, HE13836, plus URL link to his own website for further information. Visitors: use the Detailed Search option on the site to view by Member ID, HE13836. With new technology making it viable for many people to work remotely (Home Base Holidays will be operated from Croatia for a week in June), we'd love to hear from other members who have found home exchange a good way to combine work with an inexpensive break and change of scenery.

View the Larcades' exchange offer in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, HE12638

	Exchange Offer: Brisbane, Australia for Bath, England
Recent Australian member, Margaret Marchant, is looking for a two or three week swap any time between August and November 2003 to Bath or close by. In return for a base in Bath, Margaret offers her bright and airy home only 10 - 15 minutes from Brisbane. Her home is located 45 minutes from the Gold Coast and an hour from the beautiful sandy beaches of the Sunshine Coast. If you are a current Home Base Holidays member, and live in or near Bath, log on to your member area to check out Margaret's full listing by User ID HE13833. Non-members: use the link below to view the listing - and join Home Base Holidays soon to contact Margaret with your offer! View Margaret's exchange offer in Queensland, HE13833 »

	New Home Base Holidays Rep: Jennifer in Australia
I am very pleased to introduce our newest Home Base Holidays country rep, Jennifer Tuxford (left), from New South Wales, Australia. Although the internet has made it much easier than in the past to provide information on home exchange way beyond our base in North London, we know that many enquirers new to the idea of home exchange often have questions and appreciate having a local contact. Jennifer writes: 'I welcome this opportunity to be a part of a long established agency and to help Australians (and others) take part in home exchange holidays. I am happy to assist in any way I can. If I don't know the answer to any of your questions immediately (I'm new to this too!) I will find out and get back to you asap. The home exchange concept fits in well with my own love of travel and meeting new people. Along with my husband Charles, I also operate Kalamunda Homestay, B & B with a difference (photo below) and private self- catering accommodation in our beautiful rural location in the peaceful Orara Valley. Having browsed through the many attractive home exchange offers on the website (I'd love to visit so many!), I was struck by how much a good photo or two can add to the description. Most members send digital images of their home photos directly to the London office but, for any current Australian members not able to do this, I would be glad to receive your photos by mail, scan them for you and arrange to have them added to your listing. You will find my contact details on my website, link directly below. If sending photos please remember to write your name and User ID on the back so I can easily match them to your listing.' - Jennifer Tuxford. Note: Jennifer's own home exchange listing, HE13735. Visit Jennifer's Australia Home Base Holidays Website »

	Two Year Home Exchange Listings: Update Information
It is now a year since Home Base Holidays introduced a two year home exchange membership option in addition to the one year option. As listings that aren't renewed on or before their expiry date are automatically hidden on expiry to ensure that only up-to-date listings are in circulation, this means that, from now on, there will gradually be some exchange offers (the two year listings) on the website for longer than a year. The two year option (good value at £39 - only £10 more than the one year rate) is becoming increasingly popular, especially with members who are open to home swaps at a number of different times and locations. It is, however, important to keep the information in your listing up-to-date. Those members able to be quite flexible on dates indicate 'open to offers' in the exchange dates box which means their offers never appear out-of-date. Not everyone can be so flexible though. Exchange dates include years as well as months and, even though only current members' offers are in circulation, it doesn't look too good when listings show dates that are already over! Members: Log on to your member area to make any changes needed to update your listing. Not quite ready to consider further exchange offers? Tick the Exchange Request Fulfilled box near the top of the form; this produces a suitcase symbol beside your brief listing and will deter members from contacting you until you remove it. Remember to click Continue at the bottom of your form to save any changes you make. Member Login »

	Home Insurance: Tips for Home Swappers
Gail Lyon recently contacted us with a problem she had encountered: 'We changed our house insurance company because the policy had tripled in cost in a year. In shopping around for another company, my first question was to ask if their policies covered house exchanges and it was always a very positive "no". We ended up going with Saga (who said they might look at this next year), thinking we wouldn't be exchanging this year anyway. However, we were approached with an attractive exchange offer we couldn't refuse and so had to look again at how to obtain house insurance cover for the exchange period.' The good news is that, after correspondence with Gail on the problem, she contacted Saga again to find that her policy will be valid during the period of the exchange - and at no extra cost. We hadn't received reports from members before on problems with house insurance cover during exchanges but, as this could crop up again for other members, it seems worth looking at potential problems. It was probably the coincidence of changing insurance companies for cost reasons at the same time she had home exchange in mind that caused the negative responses Gail received from the companies she contacted. Most insurance company telephone contacts are unlikely to know much, if anything, about home exchange, and generally, home insurance policies will cover non-paying guests (friends, relatives) but without a specific category for home exchange partners. We all think home exchange is a brilliant idea that everybody knows about but the truth is that the concept is often misunderstood. An enquiry on whether a policy covers home exchanges is likely to lead to a response like: 'What - you're letting "strangers" stay in your home?!' For this reason, when contacting insurance companies, make it clear that you will be having friends stay to take care of your home and ensure it is more secure while you are away. This isn't untruthful as, by the time you go on your exchange, you should indeed feel you know and trust your exchange partners through the correspondence and phone calls you will have had while arranging the exchange. As well as taking part in home swaps, Gail runs Winton House (see photo above), bed & breakfast and self catering accommodation in a historic Victorian farmhouse in England near Stratford-upon-Avon and the Cotswolds. Members can access her listing, HE13562, and also view many photos and detailed information on her website (URL link in listing). View Gail's Exchange Offer: HE13562 »

	Regular Medications During Long Exchanges: Another Idea
In the last issue of Home Swappers (April/May 2003) we re-printed a report from 'The Flying Doctor' column in the 'Guardian' newspaper on organising regular medications before a long term home exchange abroad. Sheila Singer, from Melbourne, Australia, sent additional information that should be helpful for other members planning lengthy exchanges: 'With regard to regular medication I suggest that anyone in this position find out which countries have a reciprocal health agreement with their home country. I lecture at the University of the Third Age in Australia, taking a short course called "The Independent Traveller in Europe and the UK" and I have obtained details of reciprocal agreements with Australia. Most regular treatments are available and it can be established beforehand how much this will cost. We found this information through the government Medicare department. In the UK I think Social Security would be able to give a list with the relative conditions (not all the countries have the same agreement). Also, you can normally take medication for six months with you - we are living proof of this as we seem to have blood pressure, diabetes and ulcer pills strewn throughout our luggage as we are away from Australia for six months!' - Sheila Singer At the time Sheila wrote, in early April, she was renting accommodation in Spain before proceeding to exchanges in Ireland and Scotland. She wrote: 'We are currently in El Puerto de Santa Maria ner Cadiz and would love to be able to get a swap to here for a month next year in April but, as we don´t drive on the "wrong side of the road", we would need to be right in the centre of things!' Check out Sheila's listing for her sixth floor beachside apartment with its sensational bay and city views, HE10163. View Sheila's Exchange Offer in Melbourne, HE10163 »

	Summer Exchanges Arranged: Travel Companion Wanted
Herb Lippman, from Culver City, Southern California (HE13811), joined Home Base Holidays only two weeks ago and has already agreed two home swaps! Herb now has a special request: 'You have a wonderful site and I have arranged for two exchanges this summer. However, my travel companion just cancelled and I would like a non-smoking adult to join me for all or part of the time in England and France. Dates are flexible and cars are included as part of the exchanges. I am a non-smoking, semi-retired architect. On or about 21 July 2003 I will be in England, staying at a 200 year old farmhouse in Gloucestershire, HE13747 (see photo below) until 9 August. After that I will be staying in a loft apartment, HE13728, in the center of Lille, France for about three weeks.' - Herb Lippman Members: log on to view Herb's listing, HE13811, and contact him if you may be interested in joining him on his trip and want to know more or if you know of any specialist travel companion matching organisations that could be useful for Herb (let us know too!). Non- members: use the link below to view Herb's listing. Contact Home Base Holidays (email link at bottom of newsletter) if you want a message forwarded to him. View Herb's Listing in California, HE13811 »

	Save Money: Book UK Airport Parking & Hotels in Advance
Need to catch an early flight and stay overnight near a UK airport before or after your trip? Need parking at or near the airport while away? Pre-book and save pounds with ABC Holiday Extras: airport parking, airport hotels with parking, coach or rail travel and airport lounges at most UK airports. ABC Holiday Extras »

	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. Please feel free to forward Home Swappers to friends and colleagues who may be interested in home exchange (see Forward Email link below newsletter). All Home Swappers content is copyright and cannot be used in any form without written permission from Home Base Holidays. Home Base Holidays, London, UK 1985-2003: 18th year providing a home exchange service worldwide Lois Sealey, Editor, Home Swappers Newsletter »

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