Homestay Vs Hotels : What the heck is a Homestay?
When I was travelling with Emma, we were researching accommodation in Sri Lanka and in one particular location there weren’t many options. We could choose between a travellers hostel or a homestay. The homestay worked out to be cheaper and was in a more convenient location so we decided to go for this option. For as little as £7.50 ($13) total per night you can stay in a homestay, and the local hostel was charging £15 ($26) each so a total of £30. Let’s be honest, that’s still a bargain for a bed in paradise, but when travelling on a budget every little helps! Read the Budget Travel vs Luxury Travel post for more on deciding how you want to spend your dollar.
We decided to write a short story and enter a writing competition as a way of trying to make a bit more money whilst we were away. I’ll be writing a post about ways to make money for free whilst you are travelling in the near future so keep an eye out! Unfortunately we didn’t win the competition, but we had a great time trying to write it whilst sat in a rooftop bar in Borneo drinking a mango slush cocktail and having some very rare downtime.
Here is the short story we submitted. It sounds a bit formal but it gives the general gist of our homestay time in Marissa.
The Short Story
With thousands of flights per day, jetting off to different destinations has never been so easy. Many choose to stay within the boundaries of their luxury complexes, however for us, travel is about immersing yourself in another country’s culture and what better way to do this than a homestay.
Homestays are becoming more and more popular around the world and are beneficial to both the inquisitive traveller and to the local community. It involves staying at a local family’s home with use of their facilities and often includes breakfast and snacks; all for a fraction of the price of a hotel or even a hostel. Rather than getting all the luxury amenities and everything fancy, you stay in someone’s home. You stay with them, share food with them, and take in all of the cultural differences whilst getting to know the family and the town from a local’s perspective. It couldn’t be easier as homestays now appear on popular accommodation-booking websites. So, with just a few clicks of the mouse, we had signed up.
After weaving our way around the Sri Lankan streets, we eventually located the small house that was our homestay accommodation. As the tuk-tuk driver apprehensively pulled up to the gate he turned around with panic in his eyes and questioned “are you sure you want to stay here?” Enthusiastically we picked up our bags ready to embrace what lay ahead.
Greeted with the biggest smiles, we were met by our Sri Lankan homestay family consisting of a mother, father, and their 13-year-old daughter. We unpacked to the whistling of the kettle and shortly after were presented with a tray of Dilmah tea and biscuits – they had clearly learnt a thing or two about Brits and their obsession over tea! Over our brew we exchanged stories and learnt more about each other and our different ways of life. Admiring the family portraits and trinkets that embellished the room, we relaxed and instantly felt at home.
Enriched with information including Sri Lankan phrases and advice on local activities, the hours passed by and it was dinner time. We were invited to share their meal of curry made with locally caught cuttle fish. It was delicious! With our bellies full of home cooked treats and our brains full of inside secrets, we rested our heads so we were ready to utilise what we had learnt.
We spent the next few days exploring the surrounding area until unfortunately it was time to say goodbye and continue our journey around Sri Lanka. After much research on the Internet and some pricey quotes from taxi drivers, we were left scratching our heads as to how was best to travel to our next destination. After consulting our local homestay family, we were able to plan our route using public transport for only £1.50 for 86km of travel!
We navigated our way on the jam-packed buses where people were hanging out of the door, clinging on with white knuckles. The bus sped around the winding clifftop roads with a sheer drop just an arm’s length away. Although not the most luxurious mode of transport, the experience itself gave us far more insight into the day to day local way of life and it was definitely value for money (Read the post Using Local Public Transport for more on this). This was just one of the many top tips the Sri Lankan family had given us during the wonderful homestay and we cannot recommend it enough. It’s so much more than just accommodation, it’s a fully immersive experience.
So in answer to the tuktuk driver’s question – yes, we definitely did want to stay here. What a hidden gem! The homestays provide families with a source of income and the opportunity to expand their language skills whilst we get to fully experience our destination’s culture. For us, this is the epitome of travelling.
How can you experience a Homestay?
As I mentioned before, in some locations it is possible to book them on the popular accommodation booking sites. You can also check out the homestayin or homestay.com websites as 2 examples of sites specifically for homestay accommodation around the world.
Have you stayed in a homestay before? If so did you find it an enjoyable experience or would you rather stay in a hotel? Let me know!