www.holswap.com

It's never too early to be thinking about next year's holiday, and it's never too early to start saving up for it either. Let's face it, taking the whole family away for a change of scenery can be an expensive business - but not if you get yourself along to Holswap. Remember having exchange students in school when you were younger? This is the same principle, only the whole family swaps homes for a short vacation - an incredibly cheap way of organising a holiday!

First you have to find a place you'd like to stay. Use the dropdown menus along the top to select a country and province. At the next screen you can refine your search, or even use the link to look for a holiday swapper who has specified your area in their 'wants'. Each property is posted with detailed description about the accommodation and area, and in most cases there are pictures too.

You'll also find details of what the owner wants in return, and a way to get in touch with them at the bottom. The usual caveats about meeting strange people off the internet apply.