Bed and breakfast with a difference

Freestay takes the bed-and-breakfast concept a step further. Founder Lionel Friend says, "Put simply, international members make a room available to you, and you make a room available to them. This is not an exchange - you stay in your home when members visit you, and they stay in their homes when you visit them. This gives both guests and hosts the opportunity to share and learn local knowledge, customs and lifestyle - for free."

In addition to saving money, Free-Stay often gives visitors the opportunity to stay "off the tourist track," thereby contributing to a more enjoyable holiday experience.

Even the best travel guidebooks are sometimes no substitute for local knowledge, says Free-Stay member Jonathan Reid, formerly of South Africa.

"I was offered a job in Melbourne, and I did not know anyone there," says Reid. "Through Free-Stay, I stayed with two different hosts. Each intro-duced me to some friends, and I now have a group of contacts to start with."

The Free-Stay website allows travellers to register in the database, which matches prospective hosts and guests according to age, interests, and language, among other criteria.

Free-Stay