Bit of a long shot, but is anyone prepared to do a house swap over the Christmas period? We're in mid-Essex uk and want to go to Toronto (west) if poss . We are a family of 4, let me know if anyone is interested.

Can't help you with a house swap (wrong part of the country and want to spend Christmas in my own home here thanks) but just wanted to say I moved from Essex myself last year. (Finally sold my house in Maldon last month.)

maldon - well we are heading to NS from Tillingham -Do you know it? - near Burnham on Crouch


Spooky

Yes, know Tillingham - nice pub there if I recall. Used to go to Bradwell Marina lots boating. You'll find NS a little different than Essex.....in a good way!

yep there is a nice pub here - The cap and feathers - What a strange coincidence - our house sale is going through at the moment - for the second time -long story but hey-ho as long as we get out there soon. NS is going to be different from Essex......YIPPEE!!!!

Cheers for your thoughts, coincidently I went to Bradwell for the first time last Sunday as my son was playing them at footie. I'm afraid they trashed the Bradwell team, so good news for us! It did remind us of the Simpsons though, and do you think i need to worry that his shin pads are now glowing??

if they are glowing its probably from the fall out from Bradwell nuclear power station....

i think this is not a bad idea.....especially if people over in canada have family over here that they might want to spend xmas with...Good Luck

We thought it was worth a try, its a bit of risk i guess on both sides, but I'm sure it could work... thanks

I haven't done a house swap myself, but I don't imagine it's that much of a risk. While the other parties to the swap arrangement are using your house, you're using their house. They wouldn't want you to trash their house, so I'm sure they'd be motivated to avoid trashing yours.

There are Internet sites devoted specifically to house swapping. I don't know if you've tried any of them.

my childminder house swaps every year for her holidays and has even been to Toronto! It seems to be a great set up as you are each in eachothers homes and get to corespond with the opposite numbers plenty beforehand. She speaks very highly of the whole thing,

All I know is that do have to 'join' the club as it were, for a modest fee. This will enable you to network with other potentail swapees (?)

Not sure of the website addresses but googling it should get you there.

Snowqueen

Thank you for your posts re. house swap sites, i hadn't realised they existed, quite an eye opener!! I shall have to give it a go.

this was used by someone on the Brits2Vancouver yahoo group
http://homelink.org.uk/

Another person I know arranged an informal one this summer, had the flights booked and everything but the person they were going to swap with had to go to hospital which was very stressful. With the homelink group you won't have the nightmare of last minute upset to your plans....

Good luck

Hope you get your white Christmas in Ontario!!

Clare