My list of 2008 home exchange trips I have confirmed looks pretty long. I have seven different swaps arranged. Sadly, all but two of those trips are just long weekends. I don't have enough vacation time to do as many swaps as I want.
Home exchange is going to be a be a big part of my retirement lifestyle. When my time is my own I plan to spend a lot of it exploring other people's home towns. If you have a similar goal it pays to consider where to buy your next home.
We looked at big international cities when we first explored this topic. But there are other towns in every country that attract lots of visitors but have a slower pace and lower cost of living.
Here, from our friends at Frommer's, are the smaller communities which attract the most visitors traveling to or in the USA: Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Anaheim, Miami, Boston, San Antonio, St Louis, Minneapolis, Seattle, Indianapolis, Detroit, Austin, Denver, Charlotte, Nashville, Kansas City, Fort Lauderdale, Baltimore and Orlando.
Most of these towns are in the southeast or midwest. Real estate in those regions is much less expensive than in the northeast or coastal western states. Many of these cities, like Florida's Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, are in areas prized by retirees for their great weather and lack of income tax.
Buying a second home or future retirement property in any of these areas should allow you to pick and choose from as many home exchange offers as you can use. While it's true that many swappers list Italy as a home exchange destination, the sheer numbers of travelers to these more specific destinations works in your favor. If only one traveler in a hundred thousand is a home exchanger that still means that lots of the people flocking to these popular areas would like to do a home exchange.
If you take a close look at that list of towns, a theme emerges. Next time let's look at what that might mean for your home exchange real estate plans.
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