We’ve done a dozen or so home exchanges from our base in southern California. One of the most memorable was our three weeks in Roden, Netherlands in 2002. From the beginning, we were impressed by the Schouten’s organization and helpfulness. Frank and Berna went so far as to rent special bicycle equipment for our youngest son.

The exchange with family Schouten was our fifth house exchange and, we are delighted to say, it was the most easy-going one of the five. Family Schouten love swapping houses and they really know what it’s all about. It was a great pleasure to deal with all of them. Discussions before the exchange were very friendly and to the point; their house is very well organized – we always found what we needed very fast.

We had a house exchange with Frank, Berna and their two children during the first two weeks in august 2004. Their family came to our home in Cornwall, England. Before going to Holland, we had contact with Berna and Frank who were very friendly and helpful. They gave us advice about their home, places to visit in the area that they lived. They also arranged cycle hire for our children during our stay in Holland. When we arrived at their home in Holland their home was clean and organised.

No nos dio tiempo de preparar mucha documentación para nuestra visita, pero Berna y Frank nos habían dejado una carpeta llena de actividades que llevar a cabo en la zona. Ni qué decir cabe que no tuvimos tiempo para ver todo. Desgraciadamente nuestros hijos no nos pudieron acompañar en este viaje, el norte de Holanda es un paraíso para los niños (especialemente si son amantes de los animales, como los nuestros). Nos habría encantado hacer unas cuantas rutas en bicicleta con ellos.

We had a great exchange with the Schouten family in August 2006. Frank and Berna are experienced exchangers, and very thoughtful in the way they organise things – so we found their home very welcoming, with clear instructions on how to use things, and plenty of local information. This is a good part of the Netherlands to visit. Roden is a pleasant town, and Groningen nearby is a lovely city. We can recommend an exchange with Frank and Berna and family, for the house and location.

Without question, we would give very high marks to the Schoutens and would recomment them (or their entire family) for possible home exchangers. We were fortunate to have met them and to have spent considerable time together. They are bright, engaging, responsible, fun people!

We had the pleasure in staying in Berna and Frank's very comfortable home in Roden in June 2009. We had a lovely stay and really enjoyed the area around Roden and exploring it by bicycle. Berna and Frank's house had all modern facilities including an excellent kitchen and spacious living area. We also enjoyed evening meals in their very lovely garden. We thoroughly enjoyed our too brief stay and would recommend an exchange with them to anyone. We would be most happy to exchange again.

Nous avons fait un échange de maisons du 18 au 30 juillet 2009 avec la famille Schouten. Leur maison avait été parfaitement préparée pour nous recevoir: lits faits, place dans les placards. De retour chez nous, nous avons trouvé notre maison dans l’état où nous l’avions laissée. Nous avons été en tous points satisfaits de cet échange. Cette famille est digne de confiance.

Wij genoten van onze Pasen in het gezellige huis van Berna en Frank Schouten. De ontvangst was subliem, met kleine attenties, eitjes, brunch-pakket, kleurrijke bloemetjes en lekker wijntje. Uit de info-map konden wij vele tips vernemen. Wij hebben veel genoten van het prachtige landschap en leuke dorpjes en de Wadden-eilanden. Kortom leuk hier in Noord-Drenthe en Groningen. Een nieuwe ontdekking bij onze Noorderburen.

Frank and Berna are ideal exchange partners. They were very professional about clarifying the details of the exchange, and they did everything possible to make us feel welcome in their home. We enjoyed riding their bikes along the beautiful bike trails that criss cross the countryside and take you to nearby villages. It was easy to find lots of fun things to do, just by paging through the enthusiastic comments in their guestbook.

We would like to thank Frank and Berna Schouten for the use of their beautiful home. We usually stay in Amsterdam during our home exchanges. This time we decided to try somewhere different. It was a wonderful experience. Having the use of their well maintained bikes, we were able to ride through the countryside without any fear of the bikes breaking down. We also found the residents of Roden very, very friendly.

We were very happy to exchange with Frank and Berna Schouten,for two weeks,during summer 2011. Their home,located in a quiet area,was well preparated for our arrival,clean and tidy. We enjoyed the modern décoration and the spacious kitchen and living room. During sunny days, we had lunch in their pretty garden. We discovered an interesting and green area. We enjoyed the city of Groningen and the “Dutch s spirit”. And at the end of our vacations we found our home clean and orderly.

We had a lovely 2 weeks holiday at the Schouten's well equipped house in Roden. The house is situated in a quiet part of a small town and we found it very modern and well equipped. Roden is a pleasant town, with good facilities and is well served by public transport. We particularly enjoyed the cycling around the extensive cycle path network. Highlights of the holiday for us were; trips to see the picturesque city of Groningen, water sports at Leekstermeer, a drive along the northern coastline.

Anyone able to have an exchange with you will be very fortunate. Your home is spectacular and the peaceful friendly environment is a treasure. We would certainly recommend anyone do an exchange with you in Roden, it held many enjoyable surprises for us and was a perfect way to spend a holiday and to see the more peaceful and pastoral side of The Netherlands."

"Patsy and I would like to thank you both for making our first overseas house swap so welcoming. You home and beautiful garden lent themselves perfectly for making our holiday so relaxing. We found the local bus service brilliant, enjoying a bus trip to Groningen to explore the city. We also took full of advantage of using your bicycles to see the nearby towns and villages, including Norg, Peize, Leek/Leekstermer plus frequent visits to Roden centre for supermarkets, shops and coffee shops!

Wij vonden jullie huis schoon, netjes en opgeruimd. Alles wat wij nodig hadden zat er op en eraan, en alles werkt. Jullie huis is als een "Tardis", van binnen groter dan van buiten. Vooral de tuinkamer was een extra bonus. Jullie huis is op een heerlijk rustige plek, zonder doorgaand verkeer, wat wij zeker 's nachts op prijs hebben gesteld.

You have the pretiest,quetest garden we 've ever seen. We have enjoyed it daily. Your modern house with it's 'state of the art' appliances and fittings has been both a challenge and delight. It has been lovely to get to know you both!

Beautiful yard, comfortable home, and great location. Our arrival was most pleasant as their daughter, Meta & Wim picked us up at the train station. We also appreciated driving their automatic car. The house was very clean, comfortable, spacious & quiet. It is in a central location for seeing Groningen, Friesland & Drenthe - and there is so much to see and so much variety in what there is to see. When we returned home, our house was spotlessly clean, with food in the fridge, very thoughtful.

Our holiday here come to an end. We had a great time. We visited wonderful places, Groningen, Leeuwarden, Franeker etc etc. The little guide about the Dutch amused us and was interesting at the same time. But what ever we did, it was also nice to return to the 'peaceful haven' in Roden.