My HomeExchange Story: Southern England
Discover first time home exchange experiences with HomeExchange Members
Allie and Cliff are very active members of the HomeExchange community with over 8 exchanges. Allie and Cliff’s home in Palm Springs, California sits right in the heart of a world renowned desert resort and is just minutes away from the trendy, hip and historical downtown Palm Springs with it’s mid-century architecture.
Why did you decide to do a home exchange?
We wanted to do an extensive trip and we realized that it we could not only save a lot of money but meet some cool people in the process. More importantly, we wanted a real adventure, and home swapping really adds to that!
How did you choose your first home exchange?
We wanted to explore the South of England as well as visit four other counties in England.
What was the conversation like with your host?
We had some great conversations over the months leading to our trip as this was to be a reciprocal exchange. We had lots of emails back and forth and a few phone calls. By the second or third call, we ended up getting to know each other quite well.
"The whole experience was so much more enriching than a typical vacation. We felt a part of the community and a part of their community of friends."
Tell us about your arrival at the home…
The home was clean and welcoming. Our host left us local magazines and brochures along with some notes about the house. We did not meet them as they were on route to our home. They left us some traditional local cookies and some wine.
What did you see on your trip?
We toured London, saw a few plays and did the typical city tour. Then we stayed in Wareham, which is a medieval village near Poole. We did day trips to Bath England to see the Roman ruins, Studland Beach, Corfe Castle and of course no trip to England would be complete without taking a tour of Highclere Castle, (Downton Abbey)!
What was the best memory from your trip?
We were eating at The Quay Inn on the banks of the Frome River eating a great Filet served raw on a hot lava stone with only butter, salt and pepper for condiments. Incredible. In the middle of our dinner a couple sitting near us asked us our name. They said that they were friends of the Hosts of the home we were staying and that they had been instructed to find us and check in on us. We hit it off right away and then proceeded to have dinner with them the next night. They even surprised us at the Train station to say goodbye. We have since returned to England and they were our first phone call once we got into town. We still keep in contact and it would have never happened had we opted to stay at a hotel!