JP spent two weeks in our home in Berkeley, CA, and we enjoyed every minute of his visit. He is a sweet, optimistic, and warm person who is genuinely interested in learning as much as he can about all kinds of humans. He is welcome to return to our home anytime.

JP Your philosophy, “with an open mind, open heart, open home, everything becomes possible”, was a great introduction to who you are as a person. In the two days we spent with you in July, 2007, we came to know a sensitive, inquisitive, and courageous young man who was truly living his goal of intercultural and intergenerational discovery, sharing and learning. This trip became a framework among people for developing understanding, leading to friendship between cultures and peace between nations. You sought to understand others and their differences, which in your theory “…allows us to adapt ourselves better to society, its different cultures and increases our tolerance.” Our visit with you helped Carol and me dismiss stereotypes about the French and young people in general and more effectively learn that “every person is an individual.” The response to your trip has been overwhelming. You provided a great deal of insight to the radio personality and other home exchange couple you met in Charlotte as well as the founder of Home Exchange.com who joined you in this radio interview by telephone. When you met our friends for dinner Wednesday night, each was taken with your charm, energy, insight, and balance of youthful exuberance and mature reflection. One of your goals was an intercultural and intergenerational human relationship with the hundreds of people you would meet, particularly the 37 American families who welcomed to me into their home in more than 33 different states, and, if our experience was anything like the others, you met that goal well. Another goal was to research life experiences and gain maturity and wisdom that traveling brings naturally, and your “near death” experiences with your Brazilian friend appeared to help you grow a great deal. The professional aspect gave you a unique opportunity to analyze the excellence of American business culture towards the country, and this knowledge will help you to generates ideas and create significant professional opportunities. Your final goal of the three “L” leverage keys that bring you daily happiness, “Laugh, Love and Live”, will carry you through life. We truly cherish the time we spent with you in Charlotte and at Lake Tahoma, and we are looking forward to seeing you again and meeting your parents and sisters in France next summer. Au revoir!!!!!

Hi JP, We've been thinking about you lately and see from the website that you finished the journey this month. Much agreement with your belief that grassroots, person-to-person interactions are what decrease hate around the world. The 'real people' in every country truly want peace, productivity and respect. Why is that so hard? Best always, Lee and John

We are back from our visit to Nice and are thrilled to report what a wonderful time we had in France. JP's apartment is great and had all of the basic essentials covered. The location was central with easy access to Old Nice and the freeways. There is a small grocery store at the base of the apartment complex and we were even able to walk to some private tennis courts that we could play for a small fee. The apartment was clean and quiet. There was a large bedroom and a smaller bedroom with two beds. The living rooms had a futon couch/bed, a table, TV and balcony with a fantastic view. During our week stay in Nice, we visited Old Nice, Monte Carlo, Antibes, Juan Les Pin and Cannes. Our favorite activity was lounging on the sandy beach at Juan Les Pin (about 1/2 hour away). Usually, we would go to a beach club in Juan Les Pin during the day and then go out to dinner in Old Nice. After Nice, we drove to the wine country around Avignon for a few days and then on to Paris for the last three nights. We have been to France before but this trip was better than expected. I'm not certain, but I think the French are becoming more tolerant of English speakers. Store owners, hotel staff, restaurant workers and even strangers who we met out and about were friendly and tried their best to help us out when needed. The only attitude was from a few cabbies in Paris, but nothing that I wouldn't expect from a cab driver in New York, Miami or any other major city. We are happy to provide recommendations to make your experience more enjoyable. Some of the basics include..... Get a rental car with a Navigation system. This really made driving easy. The beach in Nice is rocky. Go to Antibes, Cannes or Juan Les Pin for sandy beaches. We prefered the private beaches where you pay for a lounge chair, but there was plenty of room at the free beaches. First stop after you arrive should be Carrefour. This is like a combintation super walmart and whole foods. They have good prices on drinks and food to stock the fridge for your stay. It is about 10 kilometers from the apartment. The best phrase that you can learn is...Pardon moi. Parlez-vous anglais? Most French will respond "a little" which will most likely be better than your French. Take a menu translation book. The waiters at the best restaurants did not speak English and the menus were hand written in French. All tourist/large restaurants had English menus. If you have specific questions please let us know and we will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Jim and Suzanne Cowan (a couple in San Francisco that we met through the Affordable Travel Club) asked if we would like to host JP during his trip around the USA, and we're glad he could work in a visit to our little town of Floyd, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge mountains. It was delightful having this polite, interesting young man visit in our home...just wish he could have stayed longer. (Come again anytime, JP, and your parents would be welcome also.) An article regarding this Frenchman's trip to Floyd and his 80 day journey across the US made the front page of our little local weekly newspaper, The Floyd Press. Something like this is big news in our one-traffic-light county. Seriously, we appreciated JP's comments about Americans on his blog and were glad to offer him a taste of our uncrowded rural area, a contrast to the big cities he has been primarily visiting. If anyone has questions they would like to ask us, our e-mail is jlowrance1@yahoo.com.

It was a delight to host JP! His easy manner puts everyone at ease immediately. I was surprised to find his enthusiasm to experience everything he can during his short visit was not diminished, even though he is over 50 days into the trip. A few minutes after he walked in our door he asked if he could accompany me on an errand, so he could see our big town of Saint Jacob, population 800. His goals and ambition and easy going manner make him a mother's dream! You will be very happy you had the opportunity to meet this fine young man. P.S. You can tell if he really liked his latest experience if you see a huge grin on his face and two thumbs up....like when he returned from horseback and motorcycle riding :-) Merci beau coup JP, it was fun!

JP, Thanks for visiting us in St. Louis. Wes and I were very pleased to meet you! In just 2 very short days you have inspired us to do more with our lives, to travel and meet more wonderful people and most of all to live well! We wish you the best of luck in your travels and ambitions. Hopefully we will cross paths again someday. Your friends, Beth & Wes Browne

We'd like to formally nominate JP for the Nobel Peace Prize. Well, that might be a bit premature but very possible in this young gentleman's future. JP is a delight and a credit not only to his parents but also his country. He is a true renaissance man and those are few and far between these days. All of these qualities with a great sense of humor and love for children and pets too. Single ladies get in line because JP is a CATCH! For anyone with children... after a long, hot day at the zoo he spontaneously lifted my son out of the stroller and began strapping him into the car seat while I was packing the trunk. All of this with a smile and "is there anything else I can do to help you" attitude. JP is a JEM. JP and his family are welcome in our home anytime. I'd be glad to answer any questions regarding our home exchange experience. elivingston1@sc.rr.com

JP and Tiago stayed with me for a few days, which was just too short a time. It was bittersweet to see them leave but I knew they had a new venture waiting for them just around the corner but so much here yet that I would have loved for them to have had a chance to experience. Both of them seemed right at home from the time they came through my front door. They became like family very quickly. Both are delightful people to know and have had as guests. The late eve talks with Tiago, and then with JP, were very special. JP and Tiago are both wonderful individuals and so different, but yet very considerate of each other. Tiago's more laid back ways and JP's more Type A personality.... were both so nice to see and experience. Both of them were wonderful representatives of their countries with their integrity, love of life, friendly nature and respect for mankind. The myths about the French are simply not true with Jean-Philippe. Both are welcome back in my home at any time. I look forward to seeing both of them again in the future, the sooner the better. :o) I loved talking with JP about his soul and the things that he holds dear in his life. He has so much maturity for a person his age. It was a joy to discuss these things and I think we could have continued these discussions for days, weeks.....months...for a very long time indeed. Come back soon both of you. The beds are made, the chairs are at the table, all we need is you. Sherri Wehrer

We feel very fortunate to have hosted JP in our home in Philadelphia; he is the perfect stranger to have show up at your door. He is gracious, sophisticated & very engaging.. His journey is inspirational and we are glad to have been a part of it and we look forward to following the rest of it. We were only sorry he had to leave so soon! Elysabeth, Alina and JD

What a joy and privilege to be able to meet and host JP in our home! His passion to discover life and all that our world has to offer is truly an inspiration to our family as well as everyone privilege to cross paths with this young man! His desire to learn from others and their life experiences is truly the mark of his exceptional maturity and search for wisdom. We look forward to seeing how God continues to guide JP's life and use his strong leadership abilities and inspiring outlook on life to encourage others in the years to come!

Lee and I had a great time hosting JP and Tiago. Their visit was too short for us to really get to know them, but we managed to cram most of Salt Lake's must-sees into 36 hours. I especially enjoyed the midnight run through the park. In just a short stopover, JP re-ignited our sense of adventure and possibility. We wish you all the best luck on the rest of your travels and hope to see you again, somewhere, very soon.

I, my brother, and Martha Moravek had the privilege of hosting JP and Tiago in Houston. Martha and I both extended an open invitation to them to stay in our homes any time. JP and Tiago are so special I actually cried after they left. Their parents must be very proud to have them as sons. JP and Tiago together are really amusing and entertaining. They quickly put you at ease and you'll never be bored. I wish they would choose to live in Houston, but they have decided to explore the rest of the US and the world. If you have any questions, please contact me at eende@houston.rr.com OR 713-666-3679.

JP and Diego planned to stay with us for 2 nights during their stopover in Oklahoma City. My husband was very nervous about having 2 strangers stay in our home with our 3 small children present and giving someone full access to our personal lives. They were both such wonderful guests that we asked them to stay another night and day to enjoy more sightseeing in our city. I cannot say enough what a joyous experience it was for us to have them in our home. We have 3 small children, and both JP and Diego never missed an opportunity to play with the children or to hold them. We feel we have made friends for life, and want you both to return to Oklahoma very soon. We hope that you both took away with you what we received from your visit- an insight into the world around us, an appreciation for our city by seeing it through JP and Diego's eyes, and the comfort of knowing we were sharing our home with people who were interested in being our lifelong friends instead of just having a place to stay. We love you both and miss you already! Ginger, Dave, Connor and the twins Grace and Riley We would certainly recommend that anyone who has concerns about allowing JP or Diego to stay in your home to please contact us- we would be happy to speak with you at length. dkennell@cox.net

This is to testify to anyone concerned that the place of Mr. Devillers in Nice is a wonderful and very comfortable place, exeptionally clean with an exellent view, quiet and with much more equipments that anyone needs to have a unforgetable stay in Code D' Azur. !!!!!!!! P.S . The receiving on our arrival there was very promt by the people next door under the auspicies of Mr. and Mrs. Devillers from Paris. Demosthenes and Maria Bogdis From Athens , Greece

We met Jean-Philippe in January and proposed a trade in which he would stay with us for three weeks and we would visit his parents in France in May. Everything has gone according to plans and we are now in France with Madam and Monsieur Devillers. We have enjoyed our friendship with JP and are thoroughly enjoying the hospitality of his family. We are staying in their lovely home north of Paris and traveling around the area. We have been to Giverny, Rouen, Les Andelys, Chartres, Chatou and today we are going to Versailles. By responding to JP's note on craigslist we are having a wonderful trip and have new friends!

JP stayed at our house for a few weeks this summer. It was great, it seemed like he had not been there at all. Cheers, Carole

We just completed a two-week exchange with Jean-Phillipe with him staying at our home in San Francisco and us staying at his family's apartment in Nice. First, let us say what a wonderfully warm and gracious family JP has. His parents and sister greeted us in Nice and hosted a delicious 4-course French meal. Maybe I shouldn't mention this because then maybe everyone will be expecting the same. Anyway, we had a marvelous time in Nice and the apartment is well-equipped for a long term stay and public transportation is easily accessible. We also had the pleasure of meeting with JP several times before our trip to France and found him to be delightful, kind and intelligent. While staying at our place, JP treated our home like his own and left it in excellent condition. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Thanks!

Jean-Philippe lived with us for about two months soon after his arrival in the Bay Area. We became friends, and have kept in touch with him since he moved on to other home exchange locations. Jean-Philippe is the quintessential adventurer-entrepreneur: always active, engaged, and inventive. He has launched several ambitious Internet-based projects just in the short time he has been in the U.S., and manages to pursue them while keeping up his university course work, extending his knowledge of American culture and society, and making new friends. We admire Jean-Philippe and are certain that he will achieve success in all his plans.

My wife Francoise and I exchanged our Mill Valley home and car for Jean-Philippe's apartment in Nice. We stayed 2 months and had a great time. We met his family and they are wonderfully nice people. When we returned home our home and car were in impeccable codition. Our neighbors told us they really enjoyed having him in the neighborhood. Since returning home we have continued to stay in contact with Jean-Philippe. I'm sure that everyone who meets him will confirm that this young frenchman is extremely polite, very gregarious and, happy, inquistive, industrious and a credit to his Mom and Dad. He is a wonderful example and representative of France and French culture and is a very good example of a typical young Frenchman. Meeting and knowing Jean-Philippe will give you a real insight into who the French are all about and dispel any bad PR you may have read or heard about the French. Best regards, Charles