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 The Art of Slow Travel
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 Poll: Would You Consider a Home Exchange?
 For many travelers, a home exchange -- or house swap -- is an economical, comfortable and fascinating way to vacation far from home. You arrange to occupy someone's home at your destination while he or she occupies yours. The possibilities for home exchanges are just about endless.
There are several types of home exchanges. In a traditional exchange, you and your exchange partner travel at the same time and stay in each other's primary residences. However, another type of exchange has emerged for people who own more than one home. In "non-simultaneous exchanges," home swapping partners don't need to worry about coordinating dates and traveling at the same time. Instead, exchange partners come to stay in a vacation home or secondary residence while the owner continues to live in his or her own primary home. Then the owner can travel to another home exchange property whenever it's convenient. (The International Vacation Home Exchange is a good resource for travelers looking for non-simultaneous exchanges.) A third type of exchange, known as a hospitality exchange, involves you and your trading partner taking turns staying as guests in each other's primary homes.
Traditionally, the most popular house swapping services for Americans are two widespread networks, Intervac and HomeLink International (formerly the Vacation Exchange Club). However, a number of other home exchange companies have sprung up around the Web, including HomeExchange.com and Digsville.
If you're set on a specific destination, you might find more success with a smaller agency that's located where you'd like to stay. You'll often find better availability and more options than with a global network. For example, try Home Base Holidays for exchanges to the U.K., Aussie House Swap for exchanges to Australia and New Zealand, or Only in America Home Exchange for swaps within the U.S., Canada, Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean.
 Is Home Exchanging for You?
Home exchanging isn't for everyone. Some folks love to swap and do it several times a year because it allows them to experience new places without paying for hotels, restaurants or, in many cases, transportation (the use of the family car is included in many home exchanges). Home exchanges are also a great way to get integrated into the life of a local community, since the exchange partner will often leave insider information about the area and introduce the newcomers to neighbors or friends.
However, some travelers are turned off by having to cook and clean on their vacation, while others feel uneasy about having strangers living in their own homes. (In the latter case, a vacation rental might be a better choice.) And keep in mind that home exchanges may be easy or difficult to arrange based on where your own home is located. Someone with a popular apartment near the Arc de Triomphe isn't likely to want to swap for a home on the outskirts of Columbia, Missouri, unless by odd chance the Parisian is teaching at the University of Missouri for the summer. On the other hand, if you live in a popular destination like Orlando or Manhattan, you'll have a much wider variety of offers. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try a home exchange if you live in an out-of-the-way area, but be prepared to work a little harder to find a successful exchange.
Obviously, home exchanging isn't for the itinerant this-is-Tuesday-so-it-must-be-Belgium traveler, but rather for so-called slow travelers who will stay put for a while. (Most exchanges are for one to four weeks.) Home exchanges make an ideal base for one-day or weekend excursions. Perhaps best of all, house swapping immediately makes you part of a new community. Chances are, you and your swap partner will leave each other introductions to friends and neighbors, which not only provides security but also puts you quickly at home in unfamiliar surroundings and can help you get the most out of an intercultural experience.
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