It's not an option for us--too many critters, but I have family who do it all the time. My cousin live in Austrailia. Her parents go over every 18 months or so for several months at a time. They live in Vancouver. They just swap houses with someone over there--different house everytime. They belong to a group that organizes it and screens the members. They get to see their daughter and their grandkids and they don't drive each other nuts by having to live in cramped quarters for months!