10 Benefits of Staying in a Homestay

Homestays offer all types of travellers an alternative and affordable place to stay. We have homestays all around the world. If you’re looking for a reason to try a homestay yourself, we don’t have one for you… we have ten.

1Meet local people

When you stay in a homestay you experience something that you won’t in other forms of accommodation, not only do you meet the local people…you get to live with them too. It’s a way to live a destination, not just visit it.

Cooking class with Kathy in Osaka

2Value for money

Homestays are great value for money. We have hosts in Dublin offering double rooms for less than €30 per night. Others in the heart of Manhattan that offer accommodation from €55 per night. And to those travelling to Australia’s sunny Gold Coast, you can book a double room from only €34 per night. For those looking for longer term accommodation many of our hosts offer great weekly and monthly discounts.

3Moving to a new city

Moving to a new destination is both daunting and exciting. On arrival, you’re in unfamiliar surroundings, and it takes time to get used to the place. Stay in a homestay and straight away you’ll have met some local people, in their home, who will quickly help you to feel more comfortable, secure and generally at ease in your new destination.

4Share a meal

We suggest to all our hosts to include a complimentary light breakfast in the per room price (some homestays can provide other meals too by prior arrangement). The best thing about this is that you’ll share a meal with your hosts and learn more about the destination and local culture first-hand from them. And if you time is right, you could even share a Christmas dinner together, like Laura did with her Irish host family!

5Perfect for solo travellers

Travelling on your own can be an extremely liberating experience, and some would argue it’s the best way to travel. While there’s no doubt it’s a great way to see the world, there’s always something comforting about staying with somebody who knows a destination well when you arrive. In a homestay, you’ll meet interesting people, share stories and experiences and get to know the destination through the eyes of the locals.

6Improve your language skills

If you’re on the road and you’re trying to pick up the language along the way, you need to be speaking it everywhere you go. What better way to do this than staying in a local’s house when you travel? Or if you’re a student attending a language school in another country, stay in a homestay, and you’ll get to speak the language every day with your host family.

7See beyond the tourist trail

You can’t go to Barcelona without visiting La Sagrada Familia or visit Sydney and not get your picture taken at the Opera House. They’re part of the experience. But wouldn’t it be great to see parts of a destination that only the locals know about? Stay in a homestay, and our hosts will be able to tell you about those hidden secrets like Howth Castle in Dublin.

Deerpark in Howth View from Rhododendron gardens of Howth Castle

8Learn local cultures and customs

You can read a lot about a destination’s cultures and customs before arriving, but the only way to really get to know them is by experiencing them first-hand. Stay in a homestay, and your host will share with you an insight into local life that other forms of accommodation simply can’t offer.

Our hosts in Iran sharing a meal with their family

9A real ‘home away from home’

The phrase ‘home away from home’ is one that is used all too loosely by different accommodations around the world. While they may offer a homely atmosphere, they’re not really homes. Homestays, on the other hand, are just that. Stay in a homestay, and you really will be staying in a home away from home.

10Memories you'll never forget

Most people have stayed in plenty of hostel or hotel rooms and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't remember one room or receptionist from another on your trips. Not so a homestay. Your hosts a real, genuine people and by getting to know them and their world, you'll make memories you couldn't get from any other kind of accommodation.

Still not Convinced?

Read our Guest Experiences

Older 

 Newer

This website uses cookies