SkyService, the Canadian charter outfit, had several years of basing A320s in the UK to operate Airtours summer flights. Leeds Bradford and Teesside were two such bases. The cabin crew were recruited and based locally but the pilots came over from Canada on, I think, three month stints. I believe they were put up in rented houses and apartments rather than spending months in hotels. I don't know how they fared for transport - they could well have been supplied with hire cars for the duration of their stay - but I know of one SkyService pilot who won a Rover 75 in a newspaper competition whilst he was here. I don't know if he took it back to Canada with him!