A. Firstly, there are the profiles. B. They

A. Firstly, there are the profiles.
B. They cost a fortune!
C. Luckily, she seemed to like what we'd written, too.
D. By the time my boyfriend came home from his Saturday job, it was spotless.
E. Well, yes and no. It isn't for everyone.
F. A flat above an all-night bar didn't make the list, either.
G. What if they make a mess?
H. Thanks to them, we discovered a wonderful jazz caf - and a roller disco!

It was the night before my holiday and I was already exhausted. Id just spent the whole day frantically cleaning the flat. (1)________________Id even dusted the lights!
My easier-going other half found my efforts very amusing. Arent holidays meant to be relaxing? he asked.
Wed joined HouseExchange.com a few weeks ago, when wed been searching for cheap holidays online. Package holidays were out of the question. (2)_____________Im a student nurse and Max is a musician, so money is tight. But HouseExchange.com allows you to stay in someone's home in a beautiful tourist destination - for free!
So whats the catch? Well, while youre away, strangers will be staying in your home. (3) _______________Or laugh at your bad taste in furniture? The worries dont end there. What if you dont like their home? Its important to choose your house swap with care! HouseExchange.com is a bit like a dating service in two respects. (4)________________Everyone has to write one of these in order to sell their home and neighbourhood. Secondly, site users are often quite fussy! After all, few of us want to swap with just anyone. For this reason, Im afraid I rejected the home of a charming middle-aged couple, who had a rules list that was thirty pages long! (5)_______________I even dismissed an exquisite house in the heart of Paris which you can share with my pet snakes' - for obvious reasons. However, Rika's Berlin flat looked stylish and clean in the photos - and Rika herself sounded refreshingly normal!
(6) _______________At least, she sounded very positive!
I think the house-swap worked out well for all of us. We admired Rikas amazing collection of art and she said she loved our stylish retro' furniture (I think she was being kind - we bought it second-hand because it was cheap!). As well as all the benefits of staying in a home-from- home, house swapping is a great way to feel like a local on holiday. Many of Rikas neighbours said hello, and recommended places to visit. (7)_______________Neither were mentioned in the guidebook, so we felt like real explorers'.
Would I recommend it? (8) ______________Being open-minded is a must and yes, you do have to be prepared to do quite a bit of housework before you travel! But as a way to travel for virtually nothing, you cant beat it!