For those of you who have seen the movie The Holiday, you will know what I am talking about: home exchange.

The upside: Moving into someone's house, and allowing another person or family to move into yours, provides for a vacation free of a hotel room. Often hotel rooms can be cramped and impersonal, but home exchange gives you all the amenities you could ask for, unless of course, you are looking for a gym and swedish message on premises. In which case, you are looking for a resort, not a hotel.

The exchange puts you in contact with a local, who can fill you in on the best ways to get around town, the best shopping, and probably the best restaurants as well as the must-sees in the area, which will put you at ease in your new surroundings.

The downside: As much as you want your swap partners to take care of your home, you must take care of theirs. If house cleaning is part of what you are vacationing from, you would be more satisfied with a hotel room. It also may take longer to arrange a house swap that is desirable to both parties than a simple weekend jaunt to the river, but if you are already used to making arrangements in advance, the planning would be little different this time around.

To remember: If this sounds great, be sure that before you embark, everyone is aware of the liberties they are allowed to take in each home, and that all insurance is up to snuff, just in case.

There are several sites on the internet that can help you arrange a house swap as well as personal ads on craigslist for those looking to exchange.

Just an idea!

-H

P.S. Has anyone done this? Know someone who has? Have a story?

I think this a great alternative to hotel hopping. If the things you want to visit are all within a day's drive, this could work. No packing and unpacking during the week and a place to call 'home' _base_. Any idea of what the cost of staying at someone else's house might be?

I think it is a great concept. I would be worried though that something would happen to things in my home while I were gone.

I really do like this idea but I to would be afraid that someone would ruin my home. That being said you would have to have a home near some kinds of tourist attractions I would think.