Spring 2006 | Home Sweet Swap | Outtraveler by Lauren Ragland

Spring 2006 | Home Sweet Swap | OUTTraveler.com | The Stan...

BEST OF TRAVEL

D E S T I N AT I O N G U I D E

COLORADO SPRINGS

LOS ANGELES

My City: Colorado Springs

PHOTOS: West Hollywood's Pickup Trolley Line

CRUISES

EXCLUSIVES

LAS VEGAS

A Definitive Gay Guide to Las Vegas

http://www.outtraveler.com/features/2006/02/08/spring-2006-h...

HOTELS & RESORTS

ANTWERP

PHOTOS: Check Out the Action at the Outgames in Antwerp

FEATURES Tweet

TRAVEL TIPS

E-NEWSLETTER

FEATURES

An American Gay in Uganda: Visiting Earth's Most Homophobic Place

NEW ORLEANS

CITY GUIDE: New Orleans

Search 0

MOST POPULAR

Spring 2006 | Home Sweet Swap

1. VIDEO: SAN ANTONIO OFFICIALS HATE GAYS, LGBT TRAVEL ALERT ISSUED 2. LATEST NEWS 3. A DEFINITIVE GAY GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS 4. PROVINCETOWN

2.8.2006 BY LAUREN RAGLAND | EXCERPTED FROM THE SPRING 2006 ISSUE

networks.

Who needs a hotel when you can trade your own abode for a fab flat? Welcome to the world of gay home exchange

The first time I spoke with Philippe, I listened closely to everything he said for any sign of a criminal past—or even just a very messy one. I could detect neither. Philippe assured me that not only was he an upstanding French citizen, he took his cleanliness seriously. I had entered the world of home swapping, where a clean record, good hygiene, and solid housekeeping habits go a very long way.

Swapping my Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment for Philippe's Parisian flat was the springboard to my fabulous French vacation, the icing on my éclair! It makes sense: Home swapping draws you closer to the people and places

you're visiting, producing a far more culturally enriching experience than staying in a hotel, where the line between tourist and resident is drawn at the porter's door. Now, with a proliferation of online home exchange services, it's easier than ever to indulge your travel fantasies: Spend your well-earned vacation days in an Aussie's beach house off the Great Barrier Reef, a Vermonter's 1850s clapboard house within view of the Green Mountains, or a Parisian's flat on Ile Saint-Louis. Type in your email address

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

A handful of online services are targeted towards gays and lesbians who want the security of knowing their sexual orientation won't be an issue or who simply feel more comfortable staying within the gay community:

Got an iPad? Download The Advocate Discovery app. Yes, it's free!

GFN Home Exchange Club Listings: 2,000 (2/3 American; 1/3 Everywhere else)

1 of 3

8/21/13 3:27 AM

Spring 2006 | Home Sweet Swap | OUTTraveler.com | The Stan...

http://www.outtraveler.com/features/2006/02/08/spring-2006-h...

The Scoop: Guarantees you'll find a home exchange partner in one year, or the next year is free. Lets you rate the houses you visit. Membership fee: 1 year for $44.95

Mi Casa Su Casa Listings: 258 (2/3 American; 1/3 European) The Scoop: Has a great track record (established in 1992), but you can't view full listings unless you're a member.

FACEBOOK ACTIVITY

Membership fee: 3 years for $60

Recent Activity VIDEO: San Antonio Officials Hate Gays, LGBT Travel Alert Issued 900 people recommend this.

Home Around the World

Body Found Under Deck of Provincetown's Boatslip Resort 118 people recommend this.

Listings: 350 (mostly European) The Scoop: Has good search parameters. Offers travel insurance, flight and hotel discounts, bulletin boards, and 50% discount on renewal memberships. Membership fee: 2 years for 39 pounds (about 71 USD) or 5 years for 65 pounds (about 115 USD)

One World One Family

http://www.outtraveler.com/ohio/2013/08/20 /amusement-park-cancels-wedding-contestrather-include-gay-couple 15 people recommend this. Andy Cohen Drops Out of Hosting Miss Universe â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Because of Russia 1,801 people recommend this. http://www.outtraveler.com/2013/08/20/shotday-soarin-over-key-west 13 people recommend this.

Listings: 120 (2/3 American, 1/3 European) The Scoop: Though free, it takes 48 hours to set up an account. Includes a link that translates pages (very roughly) into eight languages. Big photos!

Facebook social plugin

Membership fee: Free

Gay Home Exchange Listings: 551 (2/3 Europe, 1/6 N. America, 1/6 Everywhere else) The Scoop: Yes, it's free, but this poorly designed portal has a few kinks. Membership fee: Free

Our full report on Home Swapping appears in the Spring issue of The Out Traveler.