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Home Exchange is the Newest Travel Option
Live Like a Local… No Hotel Bills, No Hotel Blues
(ARA) - How would you like to have free accommodations the next
time you travel -- not in a hotel but in a comfortable home away
from home. The Broggers of Los Angeles, Calif., are among the
growing number of worldwide travelers who have discovered the
secret of home exchange and the "ticket" to incredible vacation
opportunities.
They recently swapped their three-bedroom suburban Los Angeles
home with families in Spain and Mallorca for a one-month
vacation. "The benefits of having a home away from home are
fantastic," says Suzanne Brogger. "We got to experience Europe
in a way most tourists can't do and saved thousands of dollars.
Plus we knew someone would be looking after our house. Without
doing a home exchange, we would never been able to make this
trip with a 1-year-old who gets up at 6 a.m. and wants to start
playing with toys and have breakfast."
The home exchange concept is simple; you stay in someone's home
while they stay in yours. For your next vacation, you can visit
Disneyland, San Francisco or New York City in the United States,
stay in a quaint cottage in the French countryside, a London
apartment, or an Australian beach house. Take off for a long
weekend or a month long trip; wherever you want to go, home
exchange can make your travel dreams come true. Thousands of
homes are available worldwide.
The Brogger family used HomeExchange.com to arrange their
vacation. "It was so fast and so easy we couldn't believe it. I
found myself glued to the computer, amazed at all of the
opportunities," says Brogger of the experience. "The Web site
makes it simple to find and contact potential exchange partners.
Our biggest problem was trying to decide among all the great
listings posted on the site and the many inquiries we received.
The descriptions of the homes, neighborhood and families make
you feel comfortable even before your first contact, and by the
time you confirm a swap, you feel your home exchange partner is
a friend, not a stranger."
Except for airfare and a few incidentals, the Brogger's
four-week vacation didn't cost them much more than staying at
home. Their exchange partner's friends and neighbors gave them
first-hand information about the area's tourist attractions,
they shopped in the local markets, and lived like locals, not
tourists.
"The bottom line is that we're now able to vacation more often
and longer than we would with conventional vacations," adds
Brogger. "And you don't have to travel far away or overseas. I
have some friends who do weekend exchanges from Southern
California to Santa Barbara, San Francisco or the local
mountains. Those trips, which might otherwise cost $500 to
$1,000, are suddenly affordable when you trade homes."
Tens of thousands of couples, retired people, even singles swap
their homes or apartments every year. "A family with a large
home in England doesn't necessarily need a 5,000-square-foot
house in New York City," explains Ed Kushins, president of
HomeExchange.com.
"Considering their alternative may be a small $250 per night
hotel room, your one-bedroom loft may be perfect for them. If
you're thinking that your small home or cozy apartment might not
measure up, think again. What you consider modest might be very
special to someone from another country," he adds.
Listing your own home on
HomeExchange.com costs only $49.95 for an unlimited one year
membership, meaning you can make as many exchanges for as long
as you want with no hidden fees and no per-trade or per-day
fees. And their no-questions-asked guarantee gives you a second
year free if for any reason you don't have a successful exchange
in your first year. Membership features 24 hour access to
Listings, unlimited photos, e-mail notification when new
listings come in from areas you are interested in, your own
member control panel where you can edit your listing or add
photos at any time, helpful hints, FAQ, and complete privacy
protection.
Visit
www.HomeExchange.com and discover a whole new
world of vacations. From their Web site you can easily contact
any of their more than 7,000 worldwide listings, and by posting
your own home, you will also receive vacation offers from around
the world. For live customer service, call (800) 877-8723.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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