Frequently asked questions
What is Teachers Travel Web all about?
We are a community of teachers and other
educational staff - active, former and retired.
Our objective is to offer you a unique
travel experience. As a member, you can stay at other members' homes - for
free. In return, you may get requests from other members who'd like to visit
your part of the world and stay with you.
Other members provide you with a "home away
from home". You economise on accommodation while meeting new and interesting
people on your trips.
A low membership fee will
give you access to the complete members' listings for a whole year.
Now at special promotion: 15 � / 20 $ for one year, 20 � / 29 $ for two years! (Normal fee 45 � / 60 $ for 1 year).
There are three kinds of "home stay" that
you can enjoy: Home hosting, Home exchange and House sitting.
Find out how you, too, can enjoy free
accommodation and lots more, offered by other educators worldwide.
Who can join?
Teachers Travel Web is a worldwide members-only
network for teachers and other educational staff. If you teach any subject,
train any skill or have any other pedagogical occupation, you are welcome to
join, whether you are still active, a former or retired educator.
As an educator
, you can apply for membership, with your partner and children.
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Is there any cost?
There's a special promotion now! Only 15 � / 20 $ for a one year membership. For two years you now only pay: 20 � / 29 $. (Normally a one year membership costs 45 � / 60 $.)
It will give you access to the complete members' listings for a
full year. Until your 12 month membership expires, you will be able to stay for
free with other members.
The other members will not charge you anything for your stay.
Teachers Travel Web charges no costs other
than the yearly membership fee.
Your local bank or financial institution may
charge administration or currency conversion costs. If in doubt: ask them about
it.
Read more about this free accommodation.
How much is 45 Euro in my currency?
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Why the membership fee?
A membership fee, even a symbolic one,
discourages people who don't really intend to participate.
This "entry fee", even if it's only 15 � / 20 $, ensures that our members actively take part and are really willing to
host you or to arrange a house swap or house sit.
What do I get for my membership fee?
For a whole year, you and your partner will be able to:
- access three hospitality programmes: Home hosting, Home exchange, House sitting
- economise on accommodation costs through free stays with other members
- discover a wonderful way to meet new people
- get a chance to share travel and teaching experiences with colleagues
- enjoy lots of local colour
The membership fee gives you access
to the members' listings for Home hosting, Home exchange and House sitting.
This allows you to search for members in the places you want to visit, to
contact them directly to check availability, and to stay in touch during and
after your trip.
There are many more benefits and possibilities.
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How many people are included in my membership?
Yourself, your partner and your children
when you are exchanging homes or house sitting.
For Home hosting your partner is always included. You may be accompanied by
children or other family members only if the host agrees. Your membership does
not extend to two or more couples travelling together.
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What is Home hosting?
Staying as a guest with another member for a maximum of three nights, while the hosts are at home, too. They will provide a bed, a bathroom and a simple breakfast. During the day, you leave before them and return after they're home. Anything else is "on top", by mutual arrangement only.
Staying with another member does not automatically imply that you will host them later in your home. In that sense, Home hosting is not an exchange.
Read more about the ultimate B & B experience offered through Home hosting.
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Isn't Home hosting just like a Bed and Breakfast?
Not at all. A Bed and Breakfast is a
business, even if the hosts make an effort to make your stay special. You are a paying customer rather than a guest.
Home
hosting with Teachers Travel Web gives you the opportunity to accept and offer hospitality based on the willingness to meet people, share experiences and take part in the daily life of another culture.
And what's more: for the price of just one night in a Bed and Breakfast, Teachers Travel Web offers you free accommodation around the world for a whole year.
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What is Home exchange or home swap?
You live in another
member's home while they live in yours.
Read more about the great experience of a Home
exchange.
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What is House sitting?
Living in another member's home for an
agreed period, while they are away. Or having your home looked after while
you're not there.
Read more about all the comforts of House
sitting.
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What is the difference between Home exchange and House sitting?
With Home exchange, you swap homes at the
same time.
With House sitting, you don't stay in each
other's home during the same period. One member lives in another member's home
while he or she is away.
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How long can I stay with another member?
For Home hosting, the maximum is three
nights. As a host, you decide what is feasible for you. Host and guest are of
course free to make any other arrangement between them.
Home exchanges and House sitting can be for
as long as both parties decide.
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What payment methods are available?
- World wide: you can use your credit card
through PayPal or use your PayPal account, if you have one.
- European countries: you can make a direct
money transfer from your bank account to Teachers Travel Web's bank account.
Use the IBAN and BIC codes to eliminate bank costs.
Read more about our payment options.
Visit the PayPal website.
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Is it safe to use my credit card on your web site?
Yes - as safe as PayPal is able to make it.
We are unable to see or store your
credit card or other payment information. The payment transaction takes place
outside our website, on PayPal's secure website.
Learn more about PayPal.
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Where are members located?
Have a look at the Members' directory, with the list
of countries where we currently have members.
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How can I contact other members?
Very easily: through email. We want our
members to be able to contact each other directly.
How it works.
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How can I stay in touch with other members when I'm travelling without my own PC?
Web mail is the answer.
This can be Hotmail, Windows Live Hotmail,
Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or another web-based mail system.
Also, your internet service provider probably offers
you the possibility to log in to his website and access your "normal" email
from there.
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How do I know if an email comes from a member?
We don't show email
addresses on the website.
The first time another member wants to contact you, they can only use the contact form in the Members' area. That means they have to log in first, and only members can do that.
Their first message to you is easily recognisable: it will be preceded by a short introduction from Teachers Travel Web, and will contain a link to their profile.
Also Teachers Travel Web will send you an email to inform you that an email from another member has been sent.
More about our Privacy and security policy.
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How do you protect my privacy?
We have implemented a number of measures to
ensure that your personal information is protected.
- We use a secure server for data storage.
- The Members' area is password protected.
- We do not show your family name, street
address, phone number or email address.
- We do not give, rent or sell your personal data to third parties.
- On line payment is secure, through
PayPal. We cannot see or store your data.
More
about our Privacy and security policy.
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Who runs Teachers Travel Web?
Chris, an English teacher near Antwerp in Belgium, and her husband Peter. We've taken over Teachers Travel Web from founders and friends Tricia and Mike from New Zealand, who launched it a number of years ago.
Teachers Travel Web vzw is a non-profit organisation and the legal entity under which the Teachers Travel Web-service is offered to its members, through the website teacherstravelweb.com.
Whenever �Teachers Travel Web� is mentioned, it encompasses the website teacherstravelweb.com and its registrants as well as Teachers Travel Web vzw. Teachers Travel Web is not a travel agency.
More about us.
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Are there any conditions to become a member?
If you are, or have been, involved in
teaching, training, education, counselling or coaching, you can join. All members have to
accept our "Terms and conditions" and "Privacy and security" policy to become a member
or to renew their membership.
The Terms and conditions ensure that
everyone knows what to expect. Our Privacy and security policy shows you how we protect
your data.
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Do you have a contract for Home exchange or House sitting?
No, we don't. We offer our members a
platform to contact each other, but we are not party to the actual stays or exchanges
that take place between members. We are not an intermediary between members or
a travel organisation. We do not impose standards on our members.
We do have a number of practical tips,
though, around Home hosting, Home exchange and House sitting.
Our "Terms and conditions"
lay down the basic rules about responsibility and liability.
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Do I have to take out special insurance?
As a host or as a guest, you should make sure
that your insurance is sufficient to cover any events that may have financial
or other consequences and for which you may have to bear responsibility.
Our "Terms and conditions"
lay down the basic rules about responsibility and liability.
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