For my young daughters, the pigsty abutting our backyard was sort of like Boo Radley's house, a destination of thrill and dread where they braved a mean stink as well as the furtive aggression of the occupants.
Fortunately, even in Marrakech, 100 miles from our house-swap destination, we were helped by our exchange, who had given us the number of a contact in Essaouira, Hamsa.
Follow Moe TkAtik on thetter.
Soon, the house became a destination.
One game we often played involved inventing a character, then drawing their family, then their house, car, holiday destination, etc.
And the timing of the house hunters in Destination America's new real-estate show, "Buying the Bayou," couldn't be worse.
I offered to drive them home if they would walk to my house, as their destination was not really within walking distance.
Another key piece finally fell into place as we arrived at a gorgeous ranch house and our destination was revealed: there we stood at the personal ranch of John Paul DeJoria, founder of Patrón and Paul Mitchell products, billionaire and Austin resident, who warmly greeted each guest at the door.
If it is not feasible to get a renter into your home, think about whether you could offer it as part of a home exchange — and land free housing at your destination.
"Houses are the destination for someone who grew up in tenements, like I did; I want a place that's my turf" he said.
