photo by jek in the box / creative commons
Here’s a cool idea for your next vacation that’s not only easy on the planet but also a great way to get one step deeper into local culture – home exchanges.
The concept is beautiful in it’s simplicity: people from around the world offer up their homes as free guest lodging while they are away, and likewise get to stay in some one else’s home while traveling.
Eco-benefits abound: access to normal living amenities means you can pack far less for your stay. Doing your own laundry and cooking your own meals can also save you big bucks over a couple of weeks. In replacing the foot print of an existing resident, you keep the strain on local resources down.
Not only that, but this puts travelers in a great position to integrate more with the local community. You’ll be able to live in a neighborhood with more opportunity to mix and mingle with residents and support local businesses.
There are several sites connecting house-swappers; here are a few:
Home Exchange – perhaps the most dominant presence on the net is held by these guys, who proudly point out their appearance in the movie “The Holiday” starring Kate Winslet and Jack Black.
Home Link – over 13000 plus listings and local support from offices in 22 countries.
Sabbatical homes – focuses on the academic world for sabbatical-term swaps
Stay 4 Free – offers free membership to this world wide network