American Historical Association: For that Home Away from the Archives  By

American Historical Association: For that Home Away from the Archives

Traveling for research is a part of any historian’s job description, and arranging housing for an extended research stay can be a hassle. Since 2000, the web site SabbaticalHomes.com has been connecting academics around the world in all disciplines in an effort to make arranging housing for extended research trips much easier.

The web site allows academics to make their apartments or houses available as a rental, for house-sitting, or as a housing exchange with other academics. Listed properties include a lengthy description, the location, the price rate, the dates of availability, and, frequently, photographs of the property in question. The site currently has over 1,400 apartments and houses available for rent, over 400 available to exchange, and 42 house-sitting opportunities in 50 countries.

Those seeking housing can also advertise on SabbaticalHomes.com. Interested parties describe themselves, where they would like to stay, the length of their trip, the rate they would be willing to pay, and whether they would like to be a tenant or a house-sitter. There are over 2,300 individuals on the site currently looking to for a place to stay.

There is no charge to browse the listings at SabbaticalHomes.com, but users need to register with the site in order to post a home or tenant listing. There is a nominal fee for posting a home or tenant listing as well, and a Made-a-Match fee for each successful home or tenant match. Registered users also gain the ability to save their searches, keep a “favorites” list, track e-mail queries regarding their posting, and see how many times their listing is viewed.

by David Darlington for the American Historical Association