Sabbatical Homes

Blog | Stories & Spotlights

Discover the people and stories behind SabbaticalHomes.com. Explore member spotlights, founder updates, academic journeys, travel experiences, and community connections that bring our global network to life.

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  • SabbaticalHomes.com Founder Nadege Conger visited San Michele Cemetery Island in Venice, Italy.

    Founder on the Move in Venice, Italy

    Venice has long inspired us, so much that San Michele Cemetery Island has anchored our homepage for years. Founder Nadege Conger returned this summer, and shares why the city keeps drawing her back.

    • Stories & Spotlights
  • Dr. Florian Lionnet Feature Image near Cafe in Paris

    Member Spotlight: Florian Lionnet

    Over coffee at the Cafeotheque in Paris, founder Nadege Conger met Dr. Florian Lionnet to hear about his work preserving an endangered language in Chad. They discussed the challenges of the research and why it matters.

    • Stories & Spotlights
  • Downtown Taipei, Taiwan and surrounding mountains

    Member Spotlight: Dr. Kirk Dolan

    Dr. Kirk Dolan and his family have lived in Taiwan since early 2020, riding out the pandemic in one of the few places to nearly contain it. The professor shares what that experience has been like.

    • Stories & Spotlights
  • The cliffs and waves breaking at Maku’u Point, Hawaii.

    Member Spotlight: Chris Warren, PhD & Nikki Rice

    What happens when two academics move their three school-age children from Logan, Utah to the Big Island of Hawaii for a semester? The Warren family shares how they made the leap, what daily life looked like, and what a few months in paradise taught them about work, family, and change of place.

    • Stories & Spotlights
  • Image of Croissants

    Founder (Not Exactly) on the Move: Spring 2020

    Meeting members while traveling is one of the joys of this work, but pandemic restrictions kept our team home like everyone else. Founder Nadege Conger shares how the SabbaticalHomes team spent lockdown, working from home and finding small comforts in family time.

    • Stories & Spotlights
  • Image of a turquoise 1950's car on a street in Havana, Cuba

    Member Spotlight: Laura Quincy Jones, Cuba Art Tours

    A recent video conversation with member Laura Quincy Jones was a highlight of the month. We caught up with this inspiring artist about her creative path and her Cuba art tours, and how she brings people closer to art and place.

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  • Lyndall Farley, Founder of Beyond a Break

    Beyond a Break with Lyndall Farley

    We spoke with Lyndall Farley, founder of Beyond a Break, who thrives on living what she calls a sabbatical life. Her rhythm of focused work and deliberate time to recharge gives her a distinctive perspective on rest, and she shares how others can build the same.

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  • Dr. Angelo Iovino with an Iovino Foundation Camper

    Founder on the Move: Dr. Angela Iovino in Washington, D.C.

    Founder Nadege Conger takes every chance to meet members and learn how they shape their communities. On a recent trip, she sat down with Dr. Angela Iovino in Washington, D.C., to hear about her home sharing experience and the work that drives her.

    • Stories & Spotlights

Member Spotlights

Brian Thompson

Notable Member: Earthen Vessels Founder Brian Thompson

Founded in 1980 by SabbaticalHomes member Brian Thompson and Marie-Claude Thompson, EVkids has grown into a thriving Boston nonprofit supporting young people through tutoring, mentoring, college guidance and summer camp.

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Morgan O’Hara in her New York City Studio.

Member Spotlight: Morgan O’Hara

We first profiled artist Morgan O’Hara in 2017, and she has kept expanding her work since. She catches us up on her activist and experiential art, including the ongoing Handwriting the Constitution project that continues to draw people in.

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Alex Carballo-Dieguez at the Teatro Colón Opera House in Buenos Aires Argentina.

Member Spotlight: Alex Carballo-Diéguez

Alex Carballo-Diéguez, PhD, spent an active academic career at Columbia and used SabbaticalHomes to find apartments while traveling for conferences and lectures. Now retired, he reflects on his research, his travels, and the stays that supported them.

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Katherine K. Merseth headshot.

Member Spotlight: Harvard Educator Katherine Merseth

Harvard educator Katherine Merseth has been called an academic entrepreneur for the inventive research and teaching that shaped her 40-plus-year career. A longtime SabbaticalHomes member and Harvard Professor of the Year, she shares what has kept her work fresh.

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Fulbright Scholars: Interviews & Advice

Each year scholars travel to new universities as visiting researchers, and Fulbright awards remain among the most sought-after honors. Fulbright alumni share their experiences and advice, offering a window into the work and the journeys behind the fellowship.

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NadegeConger_ToniDevreaux_HuntingtonLibrary_Pasadena

Founder on the Move: Helping Find Homes for Huntington Scholars

On a bright and beautiful spring day, I had the pleasure of meeting with one of our wonderful members, Toni Devreaux, at the Huntington Library, Art Collection, and Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, California. We were surrounded by lush plants and creatures that seamlessly existed among…

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