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Home away from
home
Home Away from Home!
International tourism already in a parlous state, is about to
become even more restricted as the global melt down linked to a
shrinking currency, severely restricts our travel resources. Having
hocked the family silver and taken a second bond on the house, our
rands overseas will then do battle with shops, hotels, restaurants,
and rude taxi drivers. As things stand now, the most modest
arrangements take on the financial implications of a reckless
spending spree, and going to a restaurant in London risks a lifetime
of remorse.
A breaking wave sees Rand-sieged South Africans swapping homes
and cars with counterparts abroad looking to cash in on our bargain
currency and great tourist attractions. It’s the HomeLink
International Home Exchange with thousands of people world -wide
keen to switch identities by living the South African experience, in
exchange for their environment overseas. Ironically air travel from
South Africa is still amongst the cheapest in the world, so getting
to sophisticated or exotic destinations is not the problem. It’s
life beyond Immigration and Customs that challenges our ingenuity.
And this is where HomeLink International rides to the rescue.
Affiliated to Homelink International, which was established in 1953,
members have access to 13,500 active members in over 65 countries
world wide, all seeking the variety and adventure inherent in a
lifestyle swap.
Their website is a massive directory featuring an impressive
array of homes in an astonishing range of countries - opening a
whole new arena for international travel and exploration. Exchanges
usually include both a home and a car, so before you step off the
plane you’re ahead by the cost of accommodation and transport. You
also get reliable house-sitters as part of the bargain. This
enormous saving, which restores the possibility of travel abroad for
many South Africans, is still not the main reason for embarking on a
lifestyle exchange. The major appeal stems from living the life of
the locals. There’s an ethos behind the concept that has
participants seeking varied experiences rather than tightly matched
accommodation. So you could find yourself in a stately English home
under the watchful eye of a succession of framed ancestors, whilst
your exchangees settle in to your holiday shack on the Breede River.
Nor is the concept confined to house swapping as hospitality
exchanges are also very popular, along with offers of time-share at
various resorts. The latter offers a convenient option for those
reluctant to involve their homes.
On a sweltering day, I was
slaving over a hot Weber. This wasn’t a traditional South African
braai, but an afternoon on the Emerald Isle. Watching me my hosts a
charming Irish couple, sat cool as cucumbers, under a giant Sherman
tree in the magnificent 6-acre garden of their baronial estate
called Fassaroe, in County Wicklow. Being a South African comes with
a built-in, if undeserved reputation for barbecuing skills, and
under a veil of sweat I resolved to have them dancing Irish Jigs
when they claimed their end of the deal at my home in Cape Town. In
exchange for the use of my garden cottage in Newlands, I stayed in
an entire wing of their magnificent home, revelling in the
hospitality for which the Irish are famous. Rather sadly, I never
got to see the resident ghost, a restless tenant from a previous
century who probably had a beef about the lease. This was such a
good experience, that I returned for a second stay a few years
later, and my hosts loved Cape Town so much, they bought a house in
Constantia, and are probably looking for a Dublin exchange right
now!
Cut to Vail, Colorado one of the great ski resorts of the world
with prices to match the altitude, unless of course you’re lucky
e nough
to arrange a home exchange as I did on three separate occasions.
Lying in a hot tub with water jets massaging my ski-weary limbs, I
calculated that by dividing the cost of my Homelink internet
membership by 21 days, this sumptuous accommodation for six was
costing $7 a day! Rounding off my home exchanging adventures were
great swaps in a comfortable bungalow in Chalfont St Giles, a
beautiful home in the Gerrard’s Cross stockbroker belt, an Anne
Hathaway cottage near Cambridge, and a convenient bachelor flat in
Shepherds Bush-London. All of these came with the use of a car.
There is a definite philosophy behind the culture of home
exchanging that needs to be explained. Most of the participants are
wealthy or comfortable middle aged citizens, many of whom are
retired. To them this is a wonderful opportunity for adventure and
exploration, and sure beats sitting around on the stoep all day.
Quite a few have second homes, which immediately eliminates one of
the limiting factors of this concept, the need for a simultaneous
exchange. Pivotal to all of this is a mutual respect for each
other’s property, and I have always had my home returned in pristine
condition. Handovers are difficult to guarantee, and I suppose, as
in most things, there is an element of risk. But the calibre of the
participants, plus the collateral of being in each other’s homes,
tends to ensure against the abuse of trust. There’s also a HomeLink
registry in each country, underpinning standards and maintaining the
integrity of the system. Quite apart from acting as a safeguard,
they smooth out minor irritations and are often excellent
matchmakers. They also provide references when qualified to do so.
To make the most of your holiday, and ensure a compatible match,
a lot of thought should go into the compilation of your entry in the
directory and matching www insert. For starters, you should be quite
explicit about where, when and for how long you want to go.
Furthermore these inserts give you plenty of scope for eliminating
taboos from your home. Collectors of fine Chinaware might not be too
keen on the concept of kids playing tag amongst the Ming
collectibles, and non-smokers might not welcome cigarette addicts.
On the question of destinations, I encourage offers from everywhere,
and as a result am always spoilt for choice. South Africa occupies
one of the smaller segments of the directory, which is dominated by
the USA, Britain, Europe and Australia. This serves to ensure a
steady flow of propositions, particularly in the Cape where I get an
average of 25 offers a year.
Finally, there is a two letter coding system that signifies
available amenities, and facilities such as pools, patios,
appliances and local attractions. All of this assists in the making
of an initial assessment, leaving the finer detail to further
interaction. There’s no doubt that the whole process has been
simplified and enhanced by the advancement of electronic
communications.
So, before hitching up the family caravan in
despair, give a thought to expanding your horizons with a home
exchange. Who knows, you may be lucky enough to be installed as the
temporary Lord of an English Manor, or luckier still, wind up
sharing a bough with an Amazon headhunter. Chances are though;
you’ll find yourselves surrounded by new best-friends in a
comfortable home with reliable wheels in a far-off country that
latterly, you couldn’t otherwise afford to visit.
 Annual
Membership fee:
The subscription fee is R1,050 which allows
members up to 20 colour photographs on their page on the site.
All the entries are also included in a printed directory which
is available for an extra R325
NB. These are the only costs
involved in the transaction. There are no deposits specified, unless
this is negotiated between the exchanging parties.
Web Site: - www.homelinksouthafrica.com
Enquiries: - HomeLink
International Home Exchange
P.O.Box 23188
Claremont
7735
Tel/fax 021 7622274
E-mail: - avril@homelinksouthafrica.com
Clothing and Personal effects: Cupboard space sufficient for the
incoming exchanger’s projected stay should be provided. In doing so,
belongings and valuables believed to be at risk should be
transferred to a designated room and locked.
Utilities: (Lights
and water etc) should be pre-paid by both
parties.
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