Aug 29, 2008 5:47 pm US/Eastern
Swap Houses & Save Thousands On Your Next Vacation
PARIS (CBS) ―
Meet Leah, an American in Paris… and Vincent, a Parisian in New York.
Leah sleeps in Vincent's bed, while he sleeps in hers - and they've never met. "Everybody thinks it's so cool! Everyone's like 'Wow, you know, great idea!'" said Leah.
A really great idea: She swapped her Manhattan apartment for his Paris pad for a couple weeks. And it didn't cost a penny.
Travel writer Leah found Vincent on the Web. Thousands of
swaps are out there for places all over the globe. There are places in big cities and small towns. You can find a place for yourself, or for your entire family.
Not only is the house swap a chance for Leah to save some money, she also gets a free pass to explore a whole new culture.
Vincent hooked up Leah with his pals too, which means instant local knowledge when her New York friends came to visit.
Vincent's family stayed with him in Leah's cozy little studio apartment. "The place is not very big but it's big enough," he said.
Leah admits she was a little hesitant giving up her personal space. "That's been my only concern, 'Oh, would they read my journals?' But I'm like 'Nobody cares about your journals, just give it up!'"
Some swappers even throw their cars into the deal.
You can search "home swap" on the Internet to trade one-on-one, or to find a home exchange company to help you. It's a travel trade that could save you thousands.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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