Exchange Zones

Tim owns a stylishly decorated one-bedroom, two-bath garden flat in a charming, modern brick condominium building in the historic waterfront community of Annapolis -- Maryland's capital city.

Tim is very neat and house-proud and keeps his place beautifully (nicer than mine!). The condo has hardwood floors throughout and a lovely garden patio for enjoying your coffee. Inside are all the amenities you could wish for: in-suite laundry, air conditioning, full kitchen with dishwasher, microwave, even a Keurig coffeemaker.

There is cable TV, a DVD player, and computer with high-speed Internet. If you are musical, you'll enjoy the beautiful full-size digital piano (with headphones for times when it might disturb neighbours), and Tim's guitar. In the living room is a huge sectional sofa for luxurious lounging. His condo complex also has its own swimming pool!

Situated right on Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis is about 45 minutes from Washington, D.C., and 30 minutes from Baltimore, MD. With a population under 40,000, it has the perfect balance of small town charm and big city sophistication -- including many good restaurants.

Sometimes called "America's Sailing Capital," Annapolis is known best for its tasty Chesapeake Bay crabs and unrivalled "lump crab" crab cakes, and for the U.S. Naval Academy, which graduates some 1,000 mid-shipmen annually. Founded in 1650, the seaport town of Annapolis has abundant Colonial-era architecture -- more 18th-century buildings than any other city in the country, apparently!

If you love paddling, boating and sailing, the Chesapeake Bay has 500 miles of shoreline to explore. There is plenty of boutique shopping in the historic downtown district, as well as theatre, music, great dining and other culture in Annapolis.

For more travel info: http://www.visitannapolis.org/

TripAdvisor has oodles of Annapolis photos: http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g29494-w5-Annapolis_Maryland.html

Big-city entertainments are easy to access with a short drive to either Washington, D.C. (home to the incredible Smithsonian Museum), or to Baltimore (which has an excellent symphony). By the way: if you're puzzling over how to get from the BWI airport to Annapolis, for under $30 you can take the Amtrak train (www.amtrak.com), which partners with Annapolis shuttle services to get you to your destination.

Finally, Tim has two sweet cats, sisters Frances and Emily, who would remain in his home. The ideal house swap would be with fellow cat lovers, so we could also trade cat care and cuddles. But a cat sitter could be arranged to come in to look after the girls if you would rather not tend to their feeding and litterbox.