LA Times Travel Section On Home Swaps

Looking at trading spaces over the web as a way to save money.

Home swapping, once conducted largely through snail mail and with catalogs, has gained momentum, thanks to e-mail and the ease of posting photos and descriptions online, but it’s still a minuscule part of the market, said Michael Oshins, professor of hospitality administration at Boston University. “Will [home exchange] be a big driving force? Probably not. It will always be a niche player. For the hotels, that’s not their major competitor. It’s still each other.”

But its devotees swear by it.

Stephanie Anderson of Ventura has swapped living quarters through Homeexchange.com for vacations in the Netherlands, Denmark, Scotland, Canada, Colorado, Washington state and California.

She estimates that she and her family have saved thousands of dollars on accommodations. And, she noted, exchanging with a family with kids also has some built-in bonuses.

“It’s great to arrive and have books, toys, bicycles, snow gear, etc., to borrow,” she said.

And the condition of her home upon return? “We have always returned to a sparkling-clean house.”

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