paulh makes a good point about transporting a snake. I remember a thread some time ago where someone was having a lot of trouble getting her pet from the USA to Canada. I think in the end she was advised to ship it to herself, as there was no simple way to travel with it.
Otherwise I agree it's not a bad idea - I would have chosen to keep snakes anyway, but they are by far the best pet for me as I constantly travel away from home for 1 - 2 weeks at a time, and they don't even know I'm gone.
You can't ask for a much more low-maintenance animal (sadly, it won't miss you
). But be very sure of the people you leave them with and/or ensure you have a good local reptile vet - most people won't know how to deal with a problem if something does crop up.
Also one further note of caution about leaving it with other people. If you cruise some of the BOI dramas, you'll find a fair amount of disputes over ownership of animals left in the care of others. Make sure the arrangement is clear, and possibly record it as a paper contract, covering some things like length of stay, who covers food or other expenses, exactly when you expect to collect your animal etc.