Leticia is a teacher living in Minneapolis with her husband and teenage daughter. After looking for cheaper and more immersive travel accommodations to explore the world during school breaks, Leticia discovered HomeExchange for teachers from a travel blog and has been hooked ever since.
Discover HomeExchangeWhy do you think HomeExchange is a good way to travel for teachers?
“One thing all teachers have in common is that we have fairly generous time off, for summer vacations especially” In fact, Leticia has a HomeExchange planned for her school’s spring break next week. “We also don’t make a lot of money to pay for more expensive accommodations.” Having a daughter in school and a self-employed husband allows everyone’s schedules to align for maximum travel days.
Educators around the world are drawn to HomeExchange. Leticia noticed this during a “funny coincidence” on a trip to Argentina where they stayed with a woman who was a retired school principal. “Interacting with people in different countries is great because I am a people person and I think most teachers are too. I see 125 kids a day in high school”
“Some teachers might be afraid, but once you do it once and it goes well you keep doing it.”Vacation With HomeExchange
What drew you to HomeExchange rather than using more traditional travel accommodations?
“I’m all for alternative accommodations. If it's possible to not stay in a hotel I really enjoy staying in a home. In some places like the US and Europe, it can get really expensive. I have been a host for Airbnb since 2010 so I was comfortable with people staying in our home.”
One thing Leticia felt differentiated HomeExchange from Airbnb for was the opportunity to stay somewhere where the hosts stay at the house with you. She likes this better because she “gets to interact with people” during vacations and has made meaningful connections with many of the hosts. Leticia recalled one time when they were hosting and the guests enjoyed a homemade dinner with her neighbors!
“Airbnb feels like a business. It’s artificial with cheap IKEA furniture, but HomeExchange is a house that feels homey. People’s goal with HomeExchange is not to make money, it is to explore cultures. I like the reciprocity ‘I’m going to treat your house well because that's how I want to be treated'."
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Would you mind sharing a favorite memory from a HomeExchange trip?
Leticia reflected on a trip her family had taken to Long Beach, CA from Dec 26-31.
“The houses were really nice, which I don’t care about too much. I’m fine with simple accommodation, but everywhere we’ve stayed happened to be great places. We arrived in Long Beach on December 26 and stayed until the 31st so the house still had the Christmas tree up. The weather wasn’t very nice, we had many rainy days, and after a rainy day trying to enjoy the city, arriving at a house that felt like a home with a Christmas tree & the coziness of sitting on the couch and watching Netflix at night was really nice. We all have very good memories of the trip.”
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