The charm of travelling deals with change: leaving the routines and discovering new places, where people can find new friends, new food, new customs. But sometimes, hotels seem to be old and known: as airports, hotels are almost similar in every part of the world. Generally –because there are exceptions– hotels are cold and impersonal. Some time ago, many people started to look for a more personal experience in lodgings which would allow them to become more acquainted with the customs of the place they visit. When such people came across those who were searching for cheaper lodgings, a new way of travelling arose: the house exchange.

A glamorous version of this new trend can be seen in the movie “The holiday”, in which Cameron Diaz gives an amazing house in California to Kate Winslet in order to visit her house in London. This swap does not take place only on the big screen, but also in real life, even in Buenos Aires. People who want to exchange their house can register on websites such as Intervacaciones Club or Intervac. After all, reaching an agreement in a kind way is the most important thing. The simultaneous exchange is not necessary: one person can receive another, and then visit her months or years later. And, of course, there is no money involved.

For the time being, there are only thirteen houses for swapping, but soon there will be more.

Would you offer your house for an exchange? Would you enjoy your holidays at somebody else’s home?

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Four home swapping websites (in English and Spanish): 1, 2 , 3 and 4.

Esta entrada fue escrita el Miércoles, Agosto 29, 2007 a las 17:10 y esta en la categoría General, Alternative tourism. Puede seguir los comentarios de esta entrada mediante RSS 2.0. Puede escribir un comentario, o trackback desde su sitio.