A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Dreaming of spending a few weeks in a vacation chalet someplace exotic? Are you a teacher with a sabbatical or long summer vacation? Planning a temporary business relocation?
Here's one way to avoid a huge hotel bill. Trade homes with someone who lives where you're going.
Rental vacation property and time-share condos are concepts with which many travelers are familiar, but relatively few Americans consider trading their abodes for a few weeks.
Home exchanges offer some real advantages. In addition to eliminating hotel costs, having a house at your disposal provides more room than a hotel, along with all the comforts of, well, home.
At very least, that means having a kitchen. In some cases, those comforts may include a car, country club privileges, even baby sitters. Trading with another family who has children means having a vacation home stocked with toys, books and games to keep your own children occupied. If traveling with small children, con sider the convenience of not having to bring along cribs, strollers, playpens and car seats.
Trading homes also means you can travel anywhere in the world and get to know it as though you live there. Rather than being a tourist, you can shop at local shops, make new friends and come home with more unique experiences and memories than a typical hotel-bound vacation.
Although exchanging homes is a common practice in Europe, Americans are also arranging successful swaps. If the idea has appeal for you, here are some thoughts on starting the process:
If you don't have a likely trade candidate in mind, contact one of the organizations that specialize in bringing home owners together. At least half a dozen commercial home-exchange clearing houses have sprung up in the last decade. In addition, a number of universities and professional organizations provide home exchange listing services for their members.
All of these services publish directories with listings of people around the world who have homes they'd like to exchange or rent. A number of these services maintain Web sites with listings of homes and electronic links to homeowners. For an annual membership fee of $30 to $100, members receive a copy of the printed directory and the right to list their home. Listings generally include a description and photo of the property, the amenities it offers, the dates it's available, and any preferences owners may have about places they want to visit.
Except for providing some general guidelines, the details are usually left up to the individuals. Members are free to contact as many listings as they want. Most often, that entails e-mail, phone calls or letters to desirable prospects in places you want to visit and then waiting to see who responds. At that point, it becomes a matter of agreeing on the dates and details of the exchange. Since exchanging homes can be something of a hit-or-miss process, it's important to start early, be patient and flexible, and keep trying.
Finding exchange partners is easier for those who live in or near major tourist cities and resort areas, but don't automatically assume no one would be interested in visiting this area and staying in your home. Apart from the area's many hidden charms, your "regular" might be very special to someone from another country. A family with a large home in England doesn't necessarily require a 5,000-square-foot house in Pittsburgh, especially if their other option is to spend $120/night for hotel rooms.
Swapping homes may be off-beat and complicated, but persistence may pay some wonderful travel rewards.
For more information contact:
Trading Homes International, 800-877-8723 or www.trading-homes.com
International Home Exchange Network , 407-862-7211 or www.ihen.com
Homelink, 800-638-3841
Intervac USA, 800-756-4663
Teacher Swap, 516-244-2845
If you see a listing that appeals to you, write to them! You don't know what will happen until you try. Your home may be just what the other member is looking for.


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