HOME SWAPPING
With no guarantee of being able to holiday abroad this summer, and with stretched household budgets, Ruth Taylor discusses an inexpensive and enjoyable alternative for taking a break in the UK when we’re able to.
“I
f your parent’s house isn’t wrecked, I’ll consider it!” My husband wasn’t keen on the idea of house swapping for holidays, but my parents came back, had a good time and their house was in perfect condition. That was nearly 30 years ago, and we have been exchanging homes with families ever since. Our first exchange was a long weekend in Bathampton, just outside Bath. When we arrived, our son ran into the garden and climbed into the tree house and said he wasn’t coming down! He was three years old and our daughter a baby. We had a great time. When we came home a woman from Shrewsbury phoned asking if we’d be interested in a two week exchange that summer – her holiday dates matched
ours and all was arranged. The Shrewsbury family were experienced exchangers and they helped initiate us into the world of home exchanging, with tips and ideas. Today, we are one of a huge, worldwide community of experienced exchangers and have completed over 50 swaps. We have been all over the UK, from Scotland to Cornwall. We have also swapped homes with owners in France, Netherlands, Eire, and New Zealand. I can honestly say we’ve never had a bad exchange – we’ve enjoyed them all. We have looked after an assortment of people’s pets – cats, rabbits, hamsters, stick insects and fish. Fortunately, we didn’t have to tend the beehives for a family who lived on the edge of Exmoor, but
Normanton Church, Rutland Water. Photo: Ruth Taylor
