6 Reasons to Swap a Hotel Room for a Home

When you stay in a home on your next family trip, you'll:

1. Save money. Hotel rooms, especially when food and service charges are added, can be very pricey. Choosing a home exchange/rental can save you more than $80 a room per day.
2. Eat well. Instead of eating every meal out, you can cook fresh goods from local markets and grocery stores in your vacation home's kitchen.
3. Rest easy. No more hotel rooms with fewer chairs than people. In a home, you can spread out, and many even have a backyard, patio, or pool.
4. Make friends. Chat up a neighbor — it's a good way to make a pal in another city.
5. Pack light. Exchange/rental homes have washing machines and driers so you don't have to pack enough (a ton, in a kid's case) to keep clean all week.
6. Spare the environment. By staying in a home, you're using the same space and resources another family would already be using. Living like a local also helps preserve local culture.