Resent-Reply-To: hclack@euler.Berkeley.EDU (Herek Lerron Clack) (Parts reprinted from promotional brochure and cover letter) (Owned and operated by glb's) > MI CASA SU CASA < INTERNATIONAL HOME EXCHANGE NETWORK FOR GAY AND LESBIAN TRAVELLERS Imagine spending your next vacation in a home-away-from-home, living like a native, free from the burden of living out of a suitcase, free from spending money in expensive hotels, and free to be openly gay or lesbian...... * Home Exchange Lesbian, gay and gay-friendly members of the >mi casa su casa< worldwide vacation network, exchange houses/apartments for an agreed period of time, anywhere from a weekend to a few weeks to a few months. While you stay in a member's home in their city and country, they stay in your home. No money is exchanged. Each party continues to pay their own mortgage/rent as usual. Types of homes exchanged range from modest flats and country cabins to spacious houses. * The Advantages > Stay in a gay-positive home-away-from-home. No more pushing beds together in hotels! > Eliminate hotel costs completely. > Reduce restaurant costs via home-cooked meals. > Exchange autos and eliminate rental car costs. > Live like a native instead of a tourist by shopping at local markets, meeting friends of your exchange partner, and benefitting from your partner's knowledge of their community. > Vacation worry-free, knowing that a responsible person who respects your lifestyle is caring for your home, pets, and plants. > Instead of imposing on family & freinds when visiting their area, do an exchange with a member there. * Confidentiality NAMES, ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS ARE NOT PUBLISHED. Each member receives a membership number. If another member is interested in exchanging with you, they mail or fax an Exchange Request form to our Exchange Center. We then forward the form(s) to you, and you contact the member to discuss and exchange. * Hospitality Exchange Instead of actually exchanging homes, members agree to host one another for equal time periods free-of-charge. In other words, you stay with a member in their home on your vacation in London during April, and then during their holiday in September, they stay with you in Chicago. It's a great way to make new friends! And perfect for weekend exchanges between members in the same country. * Room Exchange If you share a house or flat with roommates, you are also eligible to join the network. Room exchange works like home exchange except you stay in the member's room in their house or apartment during the same period that they stay in your room. Ask your roommates if they're open to you doing such an exchange. * Network Options > Home Exchange > Hospitality Exchange > Room Exchange > B & B - room available for paying guests > Rental - house or apartment available for short or long-term periods > Navigator Option - Normally, members look through the catalogue and determine who they can possibly exchange with. For an additional charge, we will run a search on our member database, and at the time you receive the Member Journal, we provide you with a list of likely members to exchange with (i.e., compatible in terms of destination and/or travel dates). Here is a sample of some of the gay and lesbian homes available for a memorable journey: > Tralee, Ireland: 17th century renovated farmhouse > London: Spacious 2-bedroom modern flat on the east side of town > Paris: Typical 18th centruy Parisian flat near Le Louvre > Amsterdam: Newly renovated waterfront apartment in city centre historic building > Boston: Exquisite, spacious house in the oldest Victorian neighborhood in the U.S. > Miami: 3-bedroom Spanish villa, near hot South Beach > New Orleans: Courtyard condo in a typical French Quarter building > San Francisco: Quaint, funky 1-bedroom apartment 3 blocks from the Castro District > New York City: Large studio apartment one block off of Broadway in the theatre district * To Join the >mi casa su casa< Network > Complete the application form, detailing the dates and destination(s) for the exchange(s) you're interested in, as well as the particulars of your home and community. > The annual membership fee entitles you to list your house or apartment in the next >mi casa su casa< Member Journal. You'll also receive both the Spring and the Fall journals so you can review other listings. > The TIPS section of the Member Journal suggests ways to handle long-distance phone bills, car insurance, housecleaning, etc. > There are no other fees, and you can do as many exchanges as your time allows. * Safe-Sojourn Mainstream home exchange clubs have been active for almost 40 years and report no incidents of theft or vandalism. Though all are eligible to join, the majority of home exchangers are professionals -- doctors, teachers, executives, entrepreneurs, etc. In addition, most home and renter's insurance policies cover the use of a home by exchangers and welcome that the home is occupied by a "housesitter". The situation in general generates pride in caring for one another's homes, and the added bond of gay pride deepens mutual respect and trust between members. In the course of arranging an exchange, members automatically get to know each other on a personal basis through correspondence, telephone calls, and by sharing photos and/or videos of their home and community. Remember also that other members have the same concerns that you do in sharing their home with "strangers". P.S. -- Though our service is tailored to the lesbian and gay community, gay-friendly people (i.e., non-gay family and friends) are also welcome to join! ------------ mi casa su casa P.O. Box 10327 Oakland, CA 94610 USA tel: 510/268-8534 fax: 510/268-0299 -------------