ARE YOU OVER-PAYING FOR TRAVEL?

Most vacationers seriously over-pay for travel. This summer's vacation is pointing out that fact to me in stark relief.

Thanks to the ultra-efficient New York City public schools not assigning our kids to a school, we were forced to pick a last-minute travel option. For us that ruled out home exchange.

We often get requests for swaps with just a few weeks', or even days', notice. I find this a very flaky habit of some exchangers. It sends up a red flag for me. I won't do it.

So it was a last-minute cruise for us. On each cruise, passangers get the dubious privilege of booking future cruises far in advance, at the highest possible price.

Even when booking traditional travel I am a home exchanger. So I chose my journey from a long list of last-minute cruise deals and paid about half the retail price to a top cruise line that wanted its ship to sail at full capacity. Home exchangers are flexible and maximize our resources.

Of course we have home exchangers staying at our place. We owe non-simultaneous swaps to several families. Whenever our home is vacant we offer it to those to whom we owe a debt or hospitality.

Nothing exposes the divide between home exchange and traditional travel like taking a cruise.

* On board the ship you lodge in a cabin the size of most swap homes' closets.

* Separate bedrooms for each child? Try a bunkbed two feet above your nose and a sofabed you can't get past to use the bathroom.

* A full kitchen to store beverages and prepare healthy food? No, it's four heavy meals a day and a midnight chocolate buffet.

* Most swap homes we stay at have wireless internet access or a computer we are allowed to use. Cruise ships charge about a dollar for two minutes of web access.

So why, you may ask, are we on a cruise instead of a home swap? Two words: Kids' Club. Except for imposing on relatives, a cruise is one of the only ways to travel while enjoying built-in quality child-care.

And the way most cruisers travel make it clear to me that they are not prime candidates to become the next wave of home exchangers.

The "shore excursion" is the clearest example of how most travelers are suckered. Learn how I saved thousands of dollars on package tours next time.