Travel Abroad, Stay at Home

Home exchange, the opportunity to swap homes with a family in another city, state or country for a vacation, has become the preferred way to stay for many people for one simple reason: A home exchange allows travelers to experience day-to-day life like local residents rather than tourists, in the comfort of an apartment or villa rather than in a hotel.

Lee Raskin and his family just became part of this growing trend when their home became the 10,000th listing on www.HomeExchange.com. The Raskins are typical of home exchange travelers. Lee, a high school history teacher from San Diego, had a dream of taking his wife Kelli and teenaged son Will on a tour of Europe, specifically Paris and London.

But Raskin knew he didn't want to take the typical tourist route of rushing from one European landmark to the next. He wanted to spend quality time in his cities of choice, free to stroll the streets and experience the Old World's charm as a local would. Raskin figured he'd need at least three weeks for his dream trip. But he knew that accommodations in Paris or London for that length of time would seriously eat into the family's travel budget.

Surfing the Internet, Raskin discovered www.HomeExchagne.com. The concept of trading his home for a place to stay in Europe intrigued him. It combined everything he was looking for in his ideal vacation - living in someone's home would not only cut down on costs, but also allow his family to truly experience Europe as if they lived there.

"It was so amazing, very quickly we had a contact with a Parisian family with an apartment right behind the Eiffel Tower," says Raskin. "With a fireplace, wood floor and high ceilings in a smart old building, it's already infinitely more appealing than staying in a hotel. We also received a proposal from a family in London, but for the summer of 2007. So, we'll travel to Paris this year and to London next year!"

Although they've never exchanged their home before, Raskin and his wife have no qualms about leaving their house in the hands of strangers. "After we exchange some photos and phone calls, they won't be strangers anymore," he points out. "Home Exchange is a wonderful system."

"We are in a hurry to dive into Parisian life, and with home exchange, we can dive into the deep end," says Raskin.

HomeExchange.com, created in 1992, makes it easy to connect with people who want to exchange homes in the places you want to visit. Almost half of the Web site's listings are in the United States, with the rest distributed in Europe, Australia and popular destinations in 85 other countries. The company has launched French-, Italian- and Spanish-language sites as well, with plans for sites in German, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Hungarian and Czech in 2006 and sites in Russian and Chinese for 2007.

Find out more at www.HomeExchange.com.

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