Why A Homestay Is A Great Option For Your Next Trip
15 years ago, Nicole Melancon went on a life-changing trek through Nepal with her dad. The trip inspired her passion for sustainable tourism and to start her blog “Third Eye Mom”. During her trip, she stayed in tea houses, which are more like a B&B than a homestay, but it gave Melancon a similar feeling of being immersed with the people and places around her.
“We’d walk for hours and then stop and eat dinner at these tea houses and stay overnight, you really connect with people and for me, it personally changed my life as a traveler and a person. It opened my eyes to a culture so different from my own and also the challenges of daily rural life in the Himalayas.” (Nicole Melancon)
A homestay is a type of accommodation that allows travelers to stay in the home of a local family, but it’s more than just a place to sleep. A homestay allows a guest to experience a destination in a unique way by seeing it through the eyes of the people who call it home.
Although no two homestay experiences are alike, they can share a few things in common. In most homestays, guests will have their own room and bathroom or share a room or bathroom with other travelers or the host family. They might even stay in a separate building. Guests also have the opportunity to be immersed in the daily life of their host family and learn about and experience their history and culture. Host families usually provide their guests with meals and activities that showcase their heritage and customs.
Last May, Melancon went back to Nepal as part of the “Community Connect” initiative started by the Community Homestay Network. They operate 36 homestays around Nepal. The initiative was created to bring awareness to their approach to community based tourism through hands-on experiences. They invited 30 journalists and other travel professionals to stay with different host families. Melancon stayed in the villages of Nargarkot and Panauti.
At the Indreswor Mahadev Temple Square in Panauti, she was welcomed by the host women who were dressed in their traditional red and black Haku Patasi sarees. They placed a red tika on her forehead, which is known as the “third eye,” and a marigold garland was wrapped around her neck.
In Panauti, Melancon had her own room and private bathroom and participated in a wide variety of activities. She learned how to cook a traditional meal of vegetable momos, which she ate with the family. She was also invited to a traditional purse making class using techniques that had been passed down through the generations. During another adventure, she went on a 10km bike ride down the side of the Himalayas and, as she was descending downhill, she was given an amazing view of the daily life of the Panauti residents. “What I like about it is they are not just doing stuff that tourists want to experience. They try to offer examples of things that are their tradition and culture,” said Melancon.
At the end of her stay, the community put on an amazing event that was partly made possible by money that came from a fund created by the homestays where they reinvest 20% of their money back into the community. Melancon writes on her website,
“We ended our visit with a large Newari feast featuring over 15 traditional Newari foods accompanied by dancing performed by two young girls in the community. ‘By doing these programs, we ensure our culture and traditions are not lost,’ Shila, the President of Panauti Community Homestay told us. The two young girls dancing during the feast learned this style of dance thanks to our scholarship funds from the CHN program. Of the 80% of the income received through our homestay program (20% goes to CHN to cover training and other administrative fees), 20% of that pool goes into a fund that is reinvested back into community initiatives.” (Nicole Melancon)
Some homestays can provide benefits beyond helping communities make more money. Most of the Community Homestay Network’s homestays are run by women, which has been life changing for them. They can now contribute to helping with their family’s financial obligations including paying for their kids’ education, and it has also given them more independence and influence in their communities.
There are a few things travelers who are new to the homestay experience should take into consideration. “It’s going to be at a standard that exists in that country and specifically the norm of the community you are visiting,” notes Melancon. For example, air conditioning is not typical and hot showers may not always be available. But your accommodations will be clean, comfortable and welcoming. Communication could also be a challenge if you don’t share a common language with your host. Yet that is half the fun with traveling and even more so with homestays.
With all international travel, it is important to take steps to protect yourself. Travel insurance can offer financial protection, help with lost luggage, emergency medical and dental expenses and trip cancellations and delays. You should also read reviews for the places you’re thinking of visiting and avoid staying with a family that has not been vetted or recommended by a reputable organization.
Types of Homestays
The Community Homestay Network is just one example of a homestay. There are a wide variety of homestays based on where you want to go and the adventure you’re looking to experience.
Homestay.com says it offers over 63,000 rooms in over 176 countries. Some of the more unique experiences are a traditional randoval dwelling in South Africa and a Buddhist Monastery in Sri Lanka.
Couchsurfing.com is a global community of 14 million people in more than 200,000 cities. Many of these cities host regular events for the couchsurfing communities to meetup and get to know each other and, yes, you may literally be sleeping on someone’s couch.
Volunteer Homestays
At Worldpackers.com, when you become a member, you have access to hundreds of volunteer opportunities like working in a hostel in South Korea or teaching surfing in Nicaragua. The average hours per week requested by a host is around 25 and most want you to stay for at least a week.
Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is a homestay for those looking to learn about organic and regenerative farming and experience rural life and what it’s like to live on a real working farm. Their mission is to help “further the organic and sustainability movement.”
StayAltered is a worldwide hospitality community and a trusted partner of RISE Travel Institute. Their goal is to, ”build the world’s first community-powered hospitality platform for hosts, guests, and neighbors to stay together and support each other.” They offer stays at independent hotels, farmstays, bed & breakfasts, hostels, and homestays.
It’s important as travelers that we recognize our impact on the destinations to which we travel and find ways to support and uplift these communities in meaningful and humane ways. Homestays are an integral part of sustainable community based tourism. They not only provide an economic benefit for the local community; they help preserve cultural heritage, empower women, Indigenous and other marginalized groups, and mitigate problems like overtourism and lessen the negative impact tourism can have on the environment.
Melancon said of the value the Community Homestay Network offers to its communities, “Each community has a way to bring tourism to places that are underserved and not benefiting from tourism and showcase their culture in a way that’s going to promote it, preserve it and also provide economic opportunities.”
About RISE Travel Institute:
RISE Travel Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a more just and equitable world through travel education. Our award-winning online curriculum consists of a 10-week cohort-based Flagship Certificate Program, thematic short courses on sustainability and anti-oppression in travel, and place-based conscious travel short courses. These programs are designed to encourage travelers and travel professionals to think deeply and critically about sustainability and justice issues related to travel and tourism using a systems approach and decolonial principles. Additional programming includes Experiential Journeys for our alumni, a professional development program for educators, a study abroad pre-departure program (coming soon), and the production of educational resources on sustainable travel and tourism. We envision a world where travelers practice and promote responsible, impactful, sustainable, and ethical travel that uplifts global communities and protects natural ecosystems.
About the Author:
Yvonne Montoya is a writer and independent filmmaker. She is an ovarian cancer survivor and she’s producing a documentary about the disease for PBS. She hopes to improve the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer while advancing women’s reproductive healthcare overall.
