MICHAEL Tully, with his wife and two sons, started house swapping seven years ago. Their first holiday was in Loire Valley, followed by Montpellier, and then Switzerland. They have stayed in the Pyrenees, in the Netherlands and, last year, in Tuscany. This year he doesn't know yet where they'll go.
The most unusual exchange, he recalls was in Montpellier where they stayed in a splendid 11th century house, "but every house has been adequate, "he adds.
Tully admits house exchanges "might not be everybody's idea of a holiday". There is for instance, a lot of preparation before you go. He starts working on his own house in Co Meath around Easter, cleaning windows and doing small paint jobs, so that everything is ready by the time the family are due to leave.
"The more you do this, the fussier you get," says Tully, warning people not to jump at the first offer they get. You must use common sense - don't get carried away because you're so impressed that somebody rings you, he advises. Know where you want to go and how much it's going to cost you to get there - otherwise you could have a big bill to pay, he warns.
Des and Marie Moffat with their three children - aged six, four and nine months - first house-swapped last year with a family from Normandy. They have just completed arrangements to go to Brittany for three weeks in July where they will be staying in the exchange family's holiday home by the sea.
"I find the advantage of house exchanges is that you are staying in a luxurious house with modern kitchen and toys for the kids. You have the privacy to come and go and do as you please. The arrangement is based on trust - you have to trust the people, as they do you, Des says. But, if you have anything of value you should put it away, he advises.
Last year their house in Normandy was a five bedroom dormer style with marble floors, full length French doors, microwave oven, toys, CDs, computer and shelves full of French literature.
Did he, worry, that his own house in Rathfarnham, Dublin didn't match up? "We're proud of our house," Des says, adding that many Continentals who visit Ireland use the exchange home as a base, but spend a lot of time travelling around.
Dublin teacher Elma Collins got involved with Homelink last year, and house swapped last Easter and summer. This year she's off to Vancouver for six weeks in May.
She always holidays with a friend, and last Easter they had an apartment in Rome for 10 days. "We got some sense of the local community while we were there - we had someone to meet us, let us in and show us around, and they gave us advice on shops and shopping centres," she said.
It is a much cheaper form of holiday as you don't have to pay rent, so that cut down on basic overheads but, Collins feels, teachers or retired people are the ones who would benefit - most from house swaps as they often can spend longer than the usual two weeks.
