Looking for an alternative holiday? Had enough of package tours that herd you into tower-block hotels with rooms the size of your wardrobe at home? If you are looking for a more comfortable base for your holiday which allows you to see a country and its culture in a more natural setting, then a home exchange could be the right holiday for you. Imagine what it would be like to have a five-star holiday anywhere in the world, with all home comforts, and nothing to pay except travelling expenses? Around 50,000 people do just that by swapping their homes for a holiday.

Home exchange holidays started more than 40 years ago, and there are now a number of companies which help make it all possible. The oldest and largest, HomeLink International, has over 12,500 members in 50 countries. Others include Intervac, Home Base and Green Theme with between 2,000 and 9,000 members each. The procedure is relatively simple. Each member is listed in a directory with a detailed description and a photograph of the home, and contact details. Members give preferred holiday destinations and dates, although many are fairly flexible about both. It is then up to individuals to contact other members with whom they wish to exchange. Membership fees range from around £60 for the smaller companies to £95 for the largest.

The appeal of the home exchange concept is based on the mutual trust and bond of friendship that is built up between members as they correspond and get to know each other in the weeks before their exchange holiday. Ideally a swap should be with a like-minded family or group of a similar size, so both will feel at home, and will look after the property well. Devotees claim that once you have experienced a holiday in the luxury of someone else's home, it is very hard going back to those cut-price hotels and self-catering apartments with their minimalist furnishing and mini fridge.

Others have had more sobering experiences, finding themselves in unsuitable accommodation or returning to find their home looking decidedly scruffy. It depends on how you organise your exchange. Anyone wishing to exchange properties can advertise in a suitable publication, and there are numerous companies around. Whichever method is used, make sure that every eventuality has been covered and agreed in writing. If using a company, it does pay to pick carefully. Those that 'vet' clients thoroughly are obviously safer to exchange through. If you are unsure about anything, check and check again with the company. Bona fide organisations will take time to answer all your queries. In general you're safer with a long- established company that has built up a reputation.

The internet has had a big impact on the way home exchange companies operate, and made swapping disasters less likely as some companies, including HomeLink, will give you access to their on-line listings database (minus members' personal details), so that you can see what's on offer before you join. This will help you to determine whether the type and number of homes available and the range of destinations appeals to you. HomeLink also provides a facility for members to amend their on- line listing whenever they want, and they provide hot lists of last minute exchange offers.

The key point when looking for a suitable organisation is the number of members you can contact or who can contact you, as this factor will largely dictate how successful you will be in finding an exchange for the dates you want and in your choice of country. When HomeLink member Elsie Butler listed her average three- bedroom house, she was surprised by the response. The directories are published in December and by March she had received over 60 offers - letters, faxes, emails from all over the world. Elsie and her family took the offer of spending Christmas in Sydney followed by two weeks in France during the summer.

Once you have taken the plunge and got your listing into a directory, you will be provided with comprehensive advice on how to set up an exchange.

Seven easy steps to a successful exchange

1. Describe your home honestly in your listing and in all correspondence.

2. Leave your home clean. Standards of cleanliness vary, so make sure that floors are cleaned and rooms dusted, refrigerator emptied, oven grease-free, and with special attention to bathrooms and kitchen. No need to repaint the house! Leave space on shelves and in wardrobes and drawers so that your guests can empty their suitcases.

3. Compile a 'Guide to Your Home and Surroundings' which should include local tourist information and household notices about the use of electrical appliances, pet and plant care, etc. Phone numbers of a recommended doctor, dentist, babysitter, good restaurants, and helpful friends are always welcome too.

4. Use your Exchange Agreement form to avoid misunderstandings. If necessary, clarify who pays what in terms of telephone, gas and/or electric bills, and staple foods such as flour, sugar, oil, etc.

5. If arrangements are such that you cannot meet, arrange for a family member, neighbour or friend to call in and welcome your exchange partners when they arrive.

6. It has become a tradition amongst exchangers to leave a small gift of welcome: a bottle of wine or champagne, a local speciality. Always a pleasant surprise.

7. Close the door, turn the key, and go off on your holiday knowing that your home is in the good hands of another member just like you.

So is home exchanging the right type of holiday for you?

Yes:

·If you find hotels or self-catering too impersonal or restricting.

·If you're outgoing and enjoy experiencing other lifestyles.

·If you're a good organiser.

No:

·If you can't be flexible about dates and destination.

·If if you haven't got neighbours willing to be friendly to your guests.

·If if you would be too embarrassed even to let a cleaner into your home.