Home exchange and teachers: a lasting story

HomeExchange is the largest home exchanging community in the world – and teachers have always been the pioneers of this alternative (yet amazing) way of traveling. Which is hardly surprising when you consider teachers place the values of sharing and trust at the center of their life philosophies. We examine why teachers and home exchange are such perfect partners.

How the home exchange concept was created by teachers

The concept of home exchanging began shortly before the 1960s in the United States. It was a couple of professors from New York, David and Mary Ostroff, who had the idea of drawing up a list of all the colleagues they could exchange their home with during the summer holidays. Little by little, the lists grew and become printed catalogues which were distributed by numerous networks. The concept was known as ‘home exchange’ or ‘home barter’. By word of mouth, the concept then spread to other teaching environments in the rest of the United States and the United Kingdom – and the love affair between teachers and home exchange was firmly established!

“There are so many wonderful memories created during a house exchange. But a key memory was the pleasure felt at discovering and immersing myself in the fresh, translucent waters of a waterfall that I’d found at the bend of a path, during a long walk through the cirques of Reunion Island…”

Virginie, school principal and HomeExchange enthusiast.

The development of home exchange

The growth of the Internet in the 1990s made it possible to roll out this new form of tourism, and make home exchanging an internationally-available concept. The first online house exchange platform, HomeExchange, also known as TrocMaison among French speakers, was founded in 1992. Since then, numerous websites have offered to connect members from all over the world. GuesttoGuest, created in 2011, was the first site that offered the possibility of non-reciprocal exchanges, with the innovative principle of GuestPoints. In 2017, GuesttoGuest acquired HomeExchange, and the two collectively became known as HomeExchange.

The number of people registered with home exchange sites continues to grow every year. With a community of more than 160,000 members worldwide, HomeExchange is the biggest of these communities. And that number is growing rapidly!

Why teachers like HomeExchange

It is easy to understand why professors and teachers pioneered the concept, and make up such a large part of the home exchange community today. Great teachers have an inquisitive nature, a desire to share, and a thirst for culture, so it’s understandable that many of them are attracted to exchanging their homes so that they can travel more.

So why not go on vacation while saving money? HomeExchange is the ideal solution.

What teachers think about house swapping

"We are a small tribe made up of our five children and ourselves. As we are teachers, we are lucky to have vacations that allow us to travel together."

Hervé from Isère, teacher with 11 home exchanges

"Exchanging houses means going out to meet others and the places that are dear to them; it’s about discovering the world differently."

Dominique from Côtes d’Armor, teacher with 18 home exchanges

"My husband and I are both teachers, so we benefit from long holidays, but sadly the salary doesn't quite stretch to exotic holidays.  Well, not any more!  Over the past 8 years we have had the opportunity to tick off so many places on our bucket list and experience living like a local in some totally unique properties."

Susan from Scotland, teacher with more than 25 home exchanges

"HomeExchange has become a philosophy of life for me: to feel at home wherever I go, and above all to offer my guests an experience where they feel welcome – not only in my apartment, but also by sharing all my favourite things to see and do."

Camille from Normandy, teacher with 30 home exchanges

Interested in home exchange?

Consider an alternative travel approach by opting to exchange homes with HomeExchange. By exchanging your residence with a local, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture while benefiting from your host's recommendations. Additionally, this method of travel will allow you to make significant savings on accommodation, giving you additional resources to fully enjoy your vacation.