Trading places cuts accommodation costs

YVONNE KALMAN finds home swapping is the ideal way to have a break for little more than the cost of the air ticket.

It was Sunday and we were nearing the end of a month's stay at a home swap holiday house in Tucson, Arizona.

While we breakfasted on the terrace, quail fossicked in the sandy wash beyond the wrought-iron fence. Mourning doves took turns with their splashy ablutions in the fountain and I wondered whether the jackrabbit would come today.

Phil heard the wing-murmur of a hummingbird paying a visit to the purple-flowered shrub near his chair, and hushed us for silence as it hovered close to him.

The tiny iridescent creature probed the blossoms in turn, then, with a backward sweep, launched high into the air and was gone. In November most hummingbirds have already flown south to Mexico, so having never seen them before we were grateful this one had lingered.

Later we drove into the old part of the city, virtually empty at the weekend, so no problem parking our exchange partners' car.

While we browsed through the Western section of the Tucson Art Museum, a team of wedding arrangers brought in the elaborate cake, a glossy miniature of the nearby Spanish mission church San Xavier del Bac - the "white dove of the desert".

Time now for a late lunch. El Charro, thought to be the oldest Mexican restaurant in the United States, was nearby. Over margaritas served in salt-rimmed glasses, we struck up a conversation by asking the couple at the next table for menu recommendations.

They urged us to share the house speciality, a carne seco platter - more than adequate for two. They pointed out half a dozen mesh cages hoisted high above an adjacent garden where racks of meat strips dried in the sun-warmed breeze.

The resulting beef jerky is marinated and stir-fried with onions and chillis, then served with side portions of refried beans, guacamole, tortillas and spicy tomato and tomatillo salsas. Our new friends asked us in detail what we thought of it.

Americans always want to know where you are from, how long you are staying and so on. They were fascinated to hear that while we were having a marvellous time exploring Arizona, the people from our holiday home were in New Zealand living at our place, driving our car, playing golf with my sister and going to the movies with our friends.

"We could go for that!" is the frequent response from people who hear how we holiday. The other reaction tends to be, "I don't know how you can be so trusting!" to which we could reply, "The trusting is mutual. It has to be." In fact, we have never heard of anybody having adverse experiences when home swapping.

Homelink is one of many internet-based organisations who help people to swap homes for holidays. It was started in 1953 by a group of American teachers wanting to exchange homes for holidays. It now has 14,000 members in 56 countries.

Home swapping started for us when my son and daughter-in-law lived in a one-bedroom flat in the centre of London and were expecting their first child. We wanted to stay somewhere close for a month so that I could help with the baby without us both getting in the way.

A safe but shabby hotel room was going to cost almost $6000 (at a modest-for-London £65 a night). We signed up to Homelink, explored its website and turned up several dozen homes that looked likely.

We settled on a terraced house furnished with antiques. It had central heating and a garden. The deal included use of our exchanger's car for out-of-town jaunts. We even drove to the airport and left the car parked handily for our exchangers to drive home again.

In Arizona we lived in a new, Spanish-style home and drove the choice of a Honda Accord or Lincoln Town Car - a large beast. During one week we ventured further afield and stayed in hotels at the Grand Canyon and in Las Vegas, but for the at-home part of the holiday we spent no more than we'd have done if we stayed in Auckland - and went out a lot.

Every day we went somewhere different, saw something new. Tombstone, national parks and forests, the Biosphere, space museums and even Mexico were only short drives away.

Certainly, home swapping is inexpensive when compared to motels and hotels, but cost is not the main attraction. For us it is the adventure of experiencing a taste of living in another country, something that on-the-move touring can never impart. It is like having a luxurious holiday home that never needs maintenance and can be shifted from one part of the world to another just by the magic of a few emails.

This year our home swap will take us for six weeks to the California coast near San Francisco, the Sequoias, Big Sur, Yosemite and the Napa Valley wine district. Plenty of time to browse.

Beyond that we're looking at visiting our friends and family in Britain. Somewhere in central London again, or the Cotswolds maybe?

No matter where we go, a few points should be taken care of to make the exchange as smooth as possible. We notify our insurance companies about the house and car.

To our exchangers we send details about the security system and location of the buried spare key. The car is serviced, the house given a spring clean, the wardrobe cleared, drawers emptied and anything we'd be heartbroken over tucked away with clothes and personal items into a locked cupboard.

Already updated is a folder explaining the rubbish collection procedure, panic phone numbers (doctor etc) and the whiteware booklets. Maps and tourist brochures display Auckland's - and New Zealand's - many attractions.

The fridge and freezer will have milk, bread, eggs, margarine and the fixings for a quick meal should the guests arrive too late to eat out.

With us goes a New Zealand gift - kauri interlocking trivet mats were the last choice - to leave as thanks at the other end.

It is great to meet these people after exchanging emails for months. We stayed on an extra day to meet our Arizona friends at the airport.

Even living there for a month didn't teach us everything about life in Tucson. Sometimes there is no substitute for a friendly local guide.

CASE NOTES

When to go

Plan ahead, make arrangements well in advance and remember to check the climate and season in the part of the world you wish to visit.

What to take

As little as possible. We arranged for our Arizona friends to leave out a hairdryer, toiletries, first aid supplies and warm outer clothes in case of an unseasonal cold spell. We left the same for them, plus umbrellas.

Insurance

Insurance companies should always be notified of any exchange arrangements. Our AA insurance increased the excess in case of an accident, but did not increase our premiums. Sun Direct stipulated that during this period we were covered for burglary (forced entry) but not for theft.

* Cost of HomeLink International membership is a yearly fee of $200 which includes your photo in the membership book and on the website. Your internet listing can be changed at will.

Email newzealand@homelink.org