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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  • Member Spotlight: Julie Peakman

    We are proud to highlight author and historian Julie Peakman. In her book Hitler’s Island War, she brings overdue attention to the men who fought on the Greek islands in World War II, a chapter of the war that rarely gets its due.

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  • Artist’s Havens

    Keeping the creative spark alive on the road is a challenge, but any artist will tell you it is worth it. We spotlight artists-in-residence in the SabbaticalHomes community, including a member in Spain whose beautiful Casa Del Piano invites you to make music.

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  • Live and Learn: My Airbnb Experience

    My Airbnb Experience, Thanksgiving 2017 For the first time ever, my family and I decided to celebrate Thanksgiving in New York. Given that we would be there for just a few days, I gave Airbnb a try. I booked a fine-looking place on Airbnb in…

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  • Founder on the Move: Harlem, New York

    If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Founder Nadege Conger always wanted to try New York City, so she gave it a three-week run. With so many NYC microcosms to choose from, she landed in Harlem, and shares what she found.

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  • Founder on the Move: Your success is meaningful to us

    As founder, Nadege Conger stays close to the academic traveling community she helped build, always glad to hear what members are up to. She shares one heartfelt email that captured exactly why this work matters.

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  • meetingmembersinAmsterdamSabbaticalHomes

    Founder on the Move: Meeting Members in Amsterdam

    Founder Nadege Conger met up with member Arda in Amsterdam over the summer and heard what she thought of the service. Meeting members is always a treat, and this conversation was no exception. Help us spread the word.

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  • Member Spotlight: Gayleen Mackereth

    Member Gayleen Mackereth shares her experience renting her Waiheke Island, New Zealand home to professors on sabbatical. A retired teacher, writer, and lecturer who now teaches English online, she and her husband Don open their home to visiting academics.

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  • Meeting Daniel Andler in France

    Founder on the Move: Meeting Daniel Andler in France

    In Paris, founder Nadege Conger had the pleasure of meeting member Daniel Andler. A philosopher of science and cognitive scientist, and professor emeritus at Université Paris-Sorbonne, he remains active at the Ecole normale supérieure. She shares their conversation.

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  • Learn Piano online with PianoCub.com, Founder - David Brown

    Scholar Spotlight: Learning Piano Online

    You may have met David Brown at one of our Sabbatical Homes tables at the ACTFL and MLA conferences while he was finishing his degree. Since then he has ventured into something new, and we caught up with him about learning piano online.

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  • Jay in London

    Sabbatical Team On the Move: The Musician’s Journey to London

    Our team shares its own adventures too. We asked Jay, a SabbaticalHomes team member, what he was up to over the summer, and his excitement spilled over. He tells us about a musician’s journey to London and the pull of chasing the next adventure.

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  • Sabbatical Homes at AWP in Los Angeles

    Founder on the Move: Meeting Writers & Publishers at AWP

    Founder Nadege Conger had a wonderful time at the AWP Bookfair in Los Angeles, meeting writers and publishers from around the world. Since starting SabbaticalHomes in 2000, she has worked to make it a strong resource for the scholarly community, and this trip fit right in.

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  • Member Spotlight: Kristin Duncombe

    American writer and psychotherapist Kristin Duncombe has lived in Europe since 2001. The child of a US diplomat, she grew up overseas and has spent most of her adult life abroad. Drawing on her work with international families, she has written two memoirs, and she shares her story.

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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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