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BANG FOR THE BITE
You might have to search to find your perfect match, but the $0 price tag, the ability to pack light and the eco-savings make it worth the effort.
COCKTAIL FACT
According to Forbes, the world's most expensive hotel room is the penthouse suite at Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France, which goes for $37,200/night.
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home › tip library › House Exchanges
Wanna invite a perfect stranger for a sleepover?
The Bite
With a house swap, if you show them yours, they'll show you theirs. Skip the hotel and stay in the comfort of someone else's own home, and save cash and natural resources while you're at it.The Benefits
- Better amenities than the average hotel, with fully loaded kitchens, backyards and general coziness.
- Cash savings. The average rate for a deluxe hotel room worldwide is $182/night. Exchanging homes is free.
- Resource savings. Those half-used shampoo containers and daily bedding changes in hotels add up quickly to a lot of waste.
- Local living. Hang with the locals instead of other tourists.
- Lighter luggage. Homes have the necessities, so you can bring less and save releasing a pound of CO2 for every pound you don't pack.
Personally Speaking
Since seeing last winter's chick flick The Holiday, Heather's got her sights set on an English home-exchange getaway, ideally starring her and Jude Law.Wanna Try?
- HomeExchange.com - the site used by Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet in The Holiday.
- craigslist - the Housing Swap section of your local craigslist is another good place to start.
- Home Base Holidays - site for Euro Biters.
- Be Smart - talk with your fellow swapper before exchanging homes, ask for referrals and create an agreement that you both sign.
May 24,2007
Sponsor
None of us here at The Bite has ever done a true house swap (mainly because until recently, we didn't have houses where the landlord wouldn't go off his rocker over strangers in the place). Having rented other houses while traveling, however, I can attest to the fact that a vacation - particularly an international one - is just so much better in a home.
My personal favorite? Villa Marisa on the Amalfi Coast. It was on the western side of the Sorrento peninsula, with views of the Bay of Naples, Ischia, Capri and Vesuvius. We watched the sunset nightly on the rooftop, sipping wines from Campania. Sure, Pompeii was rockin'. Sure, Positano was filled with people too beautiful to describe. Sure, driving in Naples was like playing a video game, dodging dodgy pedestrians and mangy dogs... but the best part of that whole trip were the times at the house, living like a local, cooking and chatting and laughing.
-Heather... off to see how much vacation I have accrued...
Biter Comments...
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Lois | May 24, 2007 at 07:58 AM