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Tom Feingold wanted to see all of Australia — from its kangaroos to its kosher restaurants. A family in Sydney helped provide Jewish flavor and Shabbat hospitality during his trip Down Under.

Strangers until they met, the Australian family of seven and the Orthodox paramedic from Santa Monica were introduced through the Jewish Travel Network.

Less than a year old, the Jewish Travel Network was established by Del and Sam Silverman, a pair of retired educators from San Carlos. The network's goal is to bring together Jews from around the world — for a meal, Shabbat, a brief home stay or even a phone conversation.

On a trip to Prague, "we visited the Jewish Quarter. But I wondered where the Jews were — how to connect with them somehow," Del Silverman recalled.

She tried to locate a service that would provide such a connection. Finding none, she created her own.

Advertising itself on the Internet and in local newspapers, the Jewish Travel Network offers travelers the chance to visit fellow Jews in Lisbon, in a kosher home in New York City and in a seaside house in Southport, England.

Members can join as hosts or guests or can sign up for a home exchange.

For a $15 fee, host-members open their homes to visitors and receive a list of others who have done the same. For $30, guest-members receive a list of homes where they can stay, but they are not obligated to be hosts themselves. Home-exchange members receive a list of other members wishing to trade their abodes for a set period of time.

New members fill out a registration form including name, address, phone number, fax, e-mail address, occupation, age range, marital status, number of adults and age of children at home or traveling and language spoken. They can specify whether keeping kosher is "very important," "preferred" or "not important."

In addition, prospective hosts specify whether they live in a house or apartment and whether the setting is urban, suburban or rural. They cite the nearest major city and the home's distance from it, the availability of public transport, of shared or private bathroom facilities, the number of guests they can accommodate and information about the local community.

Hosts can offer sleep-over accommodations or a meal, or they can offer their services as a local contact or guide.

Jewish Travel Network suggests that guests stay from one to three days and that they offer their hosts a gratuity of $25 per couple, $20 single and $10 for each extra person. Breakfast is included.

To date, the Jewish Travel Network counts about 100 members.

Feingold, a guest-only member, said his Orthodox connections usually result in places for him to stay while traveling. However, he didn't have a contact in Sydney, where the Jewish Travel Network connected Feingold with a Hungarian man, his Iranian wife and their five children for Shabbat. In addition, the family pointed him in the direction of area synagogues and kosher restaurants.

"The different cultural background made my stay so interesting. They were very, very hospitable and served wonderful food," Feingold said.

Feingold has corresponded with his new Australian friends several times and even passed along the family's phone number to some of his friends who are planning their travels.

"People want to make connections — especially around the holidays," Del Silverman said. "I've set up High Holidays in Lisbon and Passover in Cairo. It's really fun for me."

Silverman attributes the popularity of the Jewish Travel Network and other home-exchange businesses to two factors: affordability and a desire to "live like the natives.

"When I travel, I like to know how the people are living and who they are. I like to know what daily life is like. I like to be there doing the daily shopping," she said.

For now, most Jewish Travel Network members live in the United States. However, the Silvermans are noticing an increase in interest from potential members in Israel as well as a few in France, Peru, South Africa and Thailand.

Meanwhile, Del Silverman and her husband Sam are still waiting to host their first guests in San Carlos.

"We're ready," she said.