Anyone wanna swap?

Subject: Anyone wanna swap? Tue Jan 05, 2010 1:44 pm

This is just a kernel of an idea that came out of a recent conversation with my wife. It will probably amount to nothing... but it's worth a post. We were wondering if anyone wants to try a house swap this summer for a couple of weeks?

We live 45 mins out of London (by train) in the beautiful Kent countryside... the tourist sign posts say it is the 'Garden of England' and it probably deserves that title. Our property is small by US standards but it is a typical UK semi detached house, ie 3 bedrooms in a quiet/good neighbourhood. It could be an ideal base for anyone wanting to tour the South East of England, especially since we are quite close to two major motorways. However to be fair the UK is so small that most tourist places are within a 3-6 hour drive, unless you want to go to Scotland... and who wants to go there?;-)

Perhaps the swap could go even further and be a bike (and) or car swap, with appropriate insurance taken out so that both parties would have transport at either end. I would expect you all to know how to ride a Silverwing, how about a stick shift car.... good exercise for half your legs and arms!

I realise there is a whole lot of obstacles to this becoming a reality, the biggest being trust. But I thought I'd throw the idea out there in case anyone is interested and was thinking of a budget UK trip.

My son has always wanted to visit the US, so I would lean more towards a house swap in that direction.

At this stage I am not looking for any firm commitments, just to bounce the idea around and see if it's worth taking a stage further.

Subject: Re: Anyone wanna swap? Tue Jan 05, 2010 3:39 pm

Wing:
What an interesting idea. My wife and I have used a web site called vacation rentals by owner (VRBO) to stay in some very nice places around the US. This idea is sort of an extension of that concept. We have visited the London area in the past and would love to visit again, although I'm not sure when we will be ready to go.

For discussion purposes, we have 2 places here in Colorado, one is in the Denver suburb of Littleton, (it is a large 2 story, 5 bedroom, with a large park-like yard), plus we also have a condo is in the mountain community of Silverthorne. We would consider swapping either (or both) if this idea were to come to fruition. We could discuss all the other related details (cars, motorcycles) if it seems like something that makes sense. I will approach the idea with my wife and see what she thinks about it.

I should warn you though that we have pets at the Littleton residence (2 dogs and 3 cats) and they would be there, along with our 17 year old son who would house sit/pet sit for us while we were away. The condo has no pets and you would have it all to yourselves. It is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath fully equipped unit with about 1,000 square feet of interior space that overlooks some beaver ponds that sometimes have moose, elk, foxes, and/or bear.

We can toss the idea around and see if the idea makes sense. Talk with you soon.
David Cloutier

Subject: Re: Anyone wanna swap? Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:00 pm

Thanks David, I'll discuss this with my wife. Incidentally I know the Littleton area quite well, I stayed there for work purposes twice in 08. There are some great locations for filming around Rocky foothills/Red Rocks.

Subject: Re: Anyone wanna swap? Tue Jan 05, 2010 6:47 pm

I think this is a great idea for anyone who is suited to it. Of course it happens all the time as it is already. Why not extend the idea to include compatible people with similar riding interests? Good luck to you.

Also, I got a great belly laugh from the meme you posted as your avatar, wingnprayer. Thanks for the keen sense of the sublimely absurd.

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