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TRADING PLACES

Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

John Milone of Sebring has participated in seven home exchanges in nine years, including one this summer, which took him to Copenhagen, Denmark.

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By MANDY SHEETS | Highlands Today

Published: October 13, 2007

SEBRING — While John Milone was on vacation in Denmark this summer, a family of four stayed in his Sebring home, sleeping in his bed and eating at his dining room table.

The family went on an airboat ride through Arbuckle Creek, laid on the beaches of Miami and enjoyed Disney theme parks, while John and Lyudmila Milone explored Copenhagen and stayed at the family's home there.

The Milones coordinated the swap through Home Exchange, a Web site that facilitates 100,000 successful home exchanges worldwide and features about 15,000 listings in more than 100 countries.

The concept gained popularity after the 2006 romantic comedy staring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, who trade a Los Angeles' mansion and cottage in England to escape men in their lives.

John Milone knew about the program long before the movie, though, and has been doing home exchanges for nine years.

His travels have taken him from bunkers in Berlin to a ski resort in Poland. Last summer, he stayed at a Dutch couple's summer retreat overlooking the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia.

"The movie is not quite correct. You usually don't get a huge mansion in exchange for a home like
this," Milone said from his Spring Lake home. "Most of the people trade with people with similar homes to their own. Most of the homes we've stayed in are as nice as or a little nicer than ours."

Milone, an exceptional student education teacher at Hardee Junior High School, enjoys having his summers free to travel and is planning even more excursions when he retires next year. He is hoping to find someone to swap with in Central Europe, and Australia and Africa are also possibilities.

Security is an obvious concern when it comes to inviting strangers into your home, but Home
Exchange's Web site says in 14 years of exchanges, they've "never had a report of a theft, malicious vandalism or a case of someone getting to their exchange home and finding a vacant lot." The Web site also says "most insurance covers exchange partners as invited guests in your home and offers coverage as such."

Before exchanging homes, members share e-mails, photos and phone calls and get to know the people they will exchange with. Milone said sometimes he meets the people beforehand at the airport or the trips overlap so they come to his house for a few days before he and his wife leave on their trip.

In his seven exchanges, he has never had a problem.

"You have to have a basic trust in people for this to work," Milone said. "I've never had a problem with
any of the people who've stayed here. Last time I got back, this place was immaculate."

Like the Milones, most of the members of Home Exchange are avid travelers.

"Generally I've found these people are well educated and have a little bit of discretionary money to spend on traveling," Milone said. "Most are world travelers and some are retired while others are working."

Milone said Sebring isn't a destination many people think of, but he sells it as the perfect base for day trips.

"I have to work extra hard to find someone willing to come to Sebring," Milone said. "But for a family who has never been to Florida, it's a great place to start. In a couple hours, we can reach everything from beaches to amusement parks."

Before he leaves, he makes a list for the family that includes all the idiosyncrasies of the house and car - things like unplugging the television to avoid power surges and when trash is picked up.

"We want them to feel at home here," he said.

While staying at homes, he said he feels more immersed in the culture.

"There is absolutely no comparison," Milone said when asked how a home exchange compares to a hotel. "I couldn't afford to take these trips and stay in hotels the whole time, so it expands your travel options. Plus you have all the conveniences of being at home."

Check out Home Exchange at www.homeexchange.com.

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