The Happy Wanderers

Adventures in Home Exchanges with Ken and Judi Hamberg

Judi & Ken "wandering" in Punnett’s Town, East Sussex, U.K.

When I first met with Ken and Judi Hamberg, I confess that I was envious of all the kids who were lucky to have been taught and nurtured by them over the years. Two of the nicest, very gifted and most kind teachers you’ll ever meet, Judi was then working as an elementary school library assistant. And what I didn’t realize until writing this blog is that she actually traveled between the elementary schools within the entire Mt. Diablo School District in that role. Ken, meanwhile, was in the Orinda School District at that time, teaching Physical Education to intermediate school children. But I came to terms with my envy, because I knew that at least my kids would eventually move on to the school where Ken was teaching, benefiting from his great teaching style. I try, therefore, not to take personally, that he decided to retire the year before this would happen! Ken swears it has nothing to do with the Ballou kids, but then he winks at Judi, so I’ve got to wonder….

Since retirement, Ken and Judi have hit upon some great ideas for matching their love of travel with the realities of a somewhat fixed retirement income, especially as educators. But the most intriguing thing they have done is to have leveraged their family vacation cabin in the Tahoe Donner area into an international home exchange opportunity. This has afforded them the ability to travel to some amazing places, live like the locals, and enjoy a vacation that others can only dream of. So, here’s their story of how they made this happen and how you might want to embark upon this journey, too.

Judi and Ken at their cabin in Tahoe Donner

Tell us a little bit about yourselves and your family. When did you retire and what did you accomplish in your professional lives before retirement?

We are both retired educators, having been "out of work" for almost 10 years now. We have been married for over 40 years, have two wonderful daughters and four grandchildren. Both daughters have followed in our footsteps and are in the education field.

When did you realize you had a passion for travel and where have some of your more remarkable trips taken you?

Being in education, our travels were limited due to the school calendar. We longed for the time when we could journey off whenever we wanted! Since our retirement we have traveled to Italy, the U.K., Canada, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and Baja.

What is the dream trip you either have taken or would still like to take?

We just returned from one of our dream trips: visiting New Zealand and Australia. Another dream trip was the small ship we sailed on in Baja, where we were able to interact with the whales.

Where are we headed on our next dream trip? Make us an offer!

One of the impressive ways you have made some of these trips happen has been through home exchanges. Tell us what made you think of it and which agency do you use?

In 1995 some friends invited us to visit them in England where they were staying in a home in the village of Thirsk. They had exchanged their home in Concord for four weeks living in the Yorkshire town where James Harriott’s animal clinic is located. Perfect! They were also educators and used this economical way of travel. We were hooked and joined the organization called Homelink International.

We have enjoyed exchanges to Salt Spring Island, B.C., East Sussex, U.K., Lymne, N.H. and San Francisco. Twice we have spent a wonderful week in the Richmond district, walking to the de Young Museum and eating at local restaurants.

Judi and friends on Salt Spring Island, B.C.

How do home exchanges actually work?

Our home is listed on the secure Homelink website. Yearly membership is currently $115. With this fee we get access to exchanges literally anywhere one could want to travel, as well as a listing for our house as a destination. In our situation we list our second home in Truckee. This gives us a lot of flexibility as to whether we want to do a simultaneous or non-simultaneous exchange. We have done both types of exchanges and the experiences have been very successful. We have had inquiries for exchanges from Italy, U.K., Germany, France and Canada as well as places coast to coast throughout the United States.

Here’s what you do: In your listing you indicate where you would like to travel, how long you would like to exchange and when you would like to travel. Once you have decided where you want to go, you do an internet search through your exchange program. You will receive listings for your regions of interest including the details of the participants in those areas. When you find common ground (i.e. you want to go to their region and they have indicated they would like to visit your area, and the dates are agreeable), then you can make contact with the other party and establish a possible exchange with them. Being retired and the fact that we exchange our second home, our listing says "open." That means we can go anywhere at any time.

What are some of the riskier or logistically more challenging aspects of a house exchange?

This process does take planning and preparation. Everything about managing your house must be communicated, from how the thermostat works to when the garbage is collected, from who to call for repairs to the nuances of each appliance. So you write a lot of notes and send many e-mails! Then there is the process of transferring keys. For example, do you send them or do you leave them under the mat? As part of being involved in home exchanges, we have assembled a binder of home related instructions that also includes information about the area that might interest visitors. One thing to note: if you are exchanging cars, you need to check your auto insurance for reciprocal coverage.

What has been your most memorable house swap?

Our most memorable exchange was going to East Sussex to the little village of Punnett’s Town in the U.K. for a two week exchange. Here we not only exchanged houses simultaneously, but we also exchanged autos. Imagine driving a shift on the wrong side of the road and getting through the round-abouts! The wonderful part was staying in the countryside of England, mingling with the locals. The neighbors shared the bounty of their gardens and invited us to dinners and parties. What a wonderful experience!

Long Man of Wilmington, South Downs, Sussex U.K.

Any other thoughts about clever ways to travel inexpensively?

We use air miles wherever possible. We pay everything from the dentist bills to cellular phone bills with an air miles card. Those miles can add up fast! The airfare for our dream trip to New Zealand and Australia was paid for with those miles, and we were able to luxuriate in the comforts of first class for a very long and what would otherwise have been a very tiring flight. Ken’s long legs appreciated that!

Anything else you would like to share with readers?

Our final thoughts are that home exchanges allow you to live like the locals. Having a home with a kitchen reduces the food bill. But most enjoyable is that when you travel this way, you live in a community and not with fellow tourists!

Thank you so much for enlightening us about this great approach to travel, Ken and Judi! I hope that by sharing your story with all of our readers early on in the summer months, you might be inspiring others to follow in your footsteps.

If you are interested in learning more about Homelink, their website is: www.homelink.org

Also, if you would like to simply contact Ken and Judi directly about a possible home exchange or with questions, they have agreed to share their direct contact information. You can reach them at: k.hamberg@comcast.net

Bon Voyage!