Swap homes in London and enjoy the 2012 Olympic Games in comfort from your rent-free home away from home.

(TRAVPR.COM) ENGLAND - July 29th, 2011 - Athletes from all over the world were formally invited to take part in the 2012 Olympics at the 'one year to go' celebrations in London this week. It's time to start planning your visit to the Games.

With the high cost of hotel rooms and short-term rentals, arranging a home swap in London is the ideal alternative for visitors at any time but especially during the Games next summer when accommodation will be at a premium. Swapping homes enables visitors to not only enjoy the comfort and space of a real home (rent-free), but to also experience a local neighbourhood in depth - cafes, markets, unique small shops and often sites of historic interest. 

Home Base Holidays is based in London and has been operating a home exchange service since 1985, providing the largest choice of up-to-date exchange offers in London and throughout Britain. Company spokesperson, Mark Sealey, notes: 

'Many members who live within easy reach of the Olympic Park in East London are already offering their homes for exchange during all or part of the period of the Olympics and Paralympics next summer. We are anticipating growing interest in exchanges to London in the run-up to the Games and encourage visitors to join Home Base Holidays early for the best choice of homes.'

Sample exchange offers to tempt you:

Central London: Our comfortable apartment is in a quiet, child friendly, residential area of central London. The apartment is situated close to Farringdon Cross rail which will enable easy access to all Olympic venues. View  home exchange offer. 

London Suburbs: We offer our lovely three bedroom house in London on the quietest of roads. The house is less than 50 metres from a wonderful park with tennis courts and good play facilities for young children. It's an easy 10 minute walk to the rail station with regular trains into London (18 minutes to London Bridge and the Underground); direct rail link to the Olympic Park. View home exchange offer.

Eye, Suffolk: We've had several fantastic swaps and we've decided that we'd like to offer someone the opportunity to swap with us for the duration of the Olympics in 2012. We are on the mainline rail service direct to the Olympic stadium in Stratford, London (it takes 1 hour 15 minutes to get there). Our home is a Grade 2 listed 17th Century town house in the heart of Eye, an historic market town on the Suffolk/Norfolk border. View home exchange offer.

Dorking, Surrey: Located in a quintessential English village set in the heart of the Surrey Hills, our home is in a converted Victorian Mansion in a gated community set in natural grounds of nine acres. Our village will form part of the London 2012 Olympic cycle race for both the men and ladies competition. Good transport, local shops, pretty villages and towns all around (London by train in under one hour). View home exchange offer.

Discount Membership Offer: As well as hundreds of homes for exchange in London and throughout the UK, Home Base Holidays provides home swap opportunities worldwide. To celebrate one year to go to the start of the 2012 Olympics, join Home Base Holidays by 1 October 2011 at a 20% discount (that's a full year's membership for less than $50 US). To claim your discount, enter the code, HOMESWAP20, on the membership form when joining.

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