How to Make the Most of Your Homestay Experience: Tips and Tricks

Booked your homestay but are nervous about what it will be like? Maximise your homestay experience with these tips and tricks. Right from cultural immersion to packing, we will provide you with all the helpful tips. Learn how to create long-lasting memories in your next stay at a homestay.

Have you considered choosing a cosy and homely homestay instead of a hotel room or a resort suite during your travel? If not, you’re really missing out on a great experience filled with an enriching, authentic, and personal travel journey. This could be possible only because homestays offer you a chance to connect with local people, explore their culture in an in-depth manner, and make wholesome memories that you won’t find in any guidebook. But making the most out of your stay in a homestay requires more than just booking a room. As per my knowledge and experience, it is more about engaging with your hosts. You also need to be open-minded and try to embrace the local culture so that you can get the most out of your stay. In short, you need to be a thoughtful guest; only then can you have a great experience during your stay. Otherwise, you would neither be satisfied nor be a good customer to your hosts. Whether you’re an experienced traveller or a first-timer, you can make use of these tips for a great homestay experience.

Engagement: Build Meaningful Connections

Have you ever wondered why people are opting for homestays rather than comfortable and traditional hotel rooms? The reason for such a surge is the opportunity this kind of accommodation provides to interact as well as make a good connection with the host and their families. You might miss the professionalism you see when you book a hotel or suite room, but you will never get homely and cosy vibes from them. Hotel staff rarely share their feelings and cultures to make you feel like you are a part of their family; however, homestay hosts are always eager to interact and introduce their culture to you. This is not all, hosts also share their local knowledge and traditions so that your trip turns into something really special and personal. But there are some things that you need to keep in mind so that you can make the most of a homestay stay. First of all, you should be open towards the host and take the initiative to get to know them. You should show inquisitiveness towards their culture and ask questions as you like, so that the hosts have a perception that you are eager to learn more.Some of the questions you can ask are “what is your ethnicty”, “what kind of food is popular in your culture”, “do you have unique street foods”, “tell me about your culture”, “how many members are there in your family”, and “how did you come up with the idea of starting a homestay”. This way, you can learn about special local dishes like Aloo Thukpa (a noodle dish with red and spicy potato curry popular in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Sikkim areas), Shyaphaley (a Tibetan fried bread), Phambi (a kind of jelly cake made out of mung beans that is popular in Kalimpong), Dalle (a special type of chili found in the hills), and many more. You can also learn about popular spots like Deolo Hill in Kalimpong, Tiger Hill, Peace Pagoda, and Batasia Loop in Darjeeling, and MG Marg and Nathula Pass in Sikkim, among others. If you are lucky, they can even tell you about offbeat locations like Sittong and Lamahatta in Darjeeling, Dzongu and Zuluk in Sikkim, and Relli and Rikisum in Kalimpong for a unique and unforgettable experience. Speaking about unique experiences, some homestays even invite you to participate in community or local events and to attend monastery ceremonies, particularly during festivals like Losar. These things will make deeper-level connections with hosts and enrich your stays, though you must respect their boundaries because they would also like to keep some privacy. The tip I can give you here is to be careful about personal boundaries.

Indulge Yourself in Their Culture

Another piece of advice I would like to give to you, especially if you are staying at a homestay for the first time, is to immerse yourself entirely in the local culture. If you become rigid and not open to cultural immersion, then you might miss many things and might negatively affect your overall experience. Take this as an opportunity and make the most of it. You can do so by getting to know about the local culture as much as possible and participating in their traditional ceremonies, dances, and cooking classes. You can even wear their traditional dresses, like Bakhu or Gunyo Cholo and Dhaka Saree, so that you can be more relatable and feel more connected to them and their culture. As far as food is concerned, I can tell you that there is a wide variety of dishes that you can try, as different cultures have different special dishes. However, it is upon you to try new flavours and be open to unique tastes. In short, you should just eat like a native and try every local dish the homestay hosts provide. 

Oftentimes, homestays are likely to provide you with food prepared with home-grown organic vegetables (e.g., cauliflower, chayote squash, mushrooms, and nakima). So with great experience, you can also detox yourself with delicious food. Another way you can immerse yourself in their culture is by learning some of the commonly used phrases in their language. The local people always appreciate it when we try to learn about their culture. This way, you can communicate with them more naturally. Another key tip that you should keep in mind is not to fall into tourist scams and traps, but rather ask the hosts and visit those places recommended by them.

Make Utmost Use of the Accommodation

To make the most out of a homestay, you need to think beyond a traditional hotel room, as it is not just a place to relax and rest, but it is in itself an experience. Unlike a hotel room, you can personalise your room and make it feel like your own home. This means that for a few days, a homestay becomes your home away from home with family-like hosts and an aesthetic view. What more do you need to fully reset and get ready for your regular hustles back in your hometown? Some of the homestays even provide you with shared spaces so you can make use of those for interacting with hosts as well as other guests to build good relationships along the way.

Take Responsibility

One of the most important pieces of advice I would like to give you is to be thoughtful and mindful. This is because you might have to follow certain rules within the homestay. In case there are no such rules mentioned by your hosts, you should be responsible for your damages and actions. It would also be helpful if you would respect their family time as well as their privacy, do not bring any visitors, and do not smoke or drink inside the rooms. You should also be mindful that in hilly areas, people go to bed early, so this means that after you have your dinner, you should try not to make loud noises and respect their quiet resting time. It is also a good idea to keep your space clean, even though some homestays provide cleaning services. Especially when you leave your rooms at the end of your vacation, I would advise you to keep things as they were when you entered the homestay.

Explore as Much as You Can

Even though homestays might tempt you to stay in your rooms and enjoy a slow-paced life with such friendly hosts for a few days, I advise you to step outside and visit local areas. Make the most of your trip by exploring both popular and offbeat locations for a wholesome experience. In doing so, you might as well come across local street vendors from whom you can get food that you have never tried. You could also shop in the local markets to bring home some souvenirs. These days, several accommodations and localities are trying to reduce their carbon footprint, so help them and try not to increase plastic waste. You can also make use of local transportation and travel on a budget so that you can help the local people achieve sustainability. You might as well save some money. Oh, and most importantly, do not forget to document your experience in some way. If you are taking pictures, then please do so with permission.

Pack Smartly

One of the problems that I used to face while travelling to such beautiful locations was not packing enough. Another packing issue you can face is packing in excess. A right balance is the key. I faced this issue because I used to pack my bags similarly to those when I used to opt for a hotel. This is one of the things you need to keep in mind while packing for a homestay stay. So here is a trick that you can follow. Check the local climate forecast during your stay and pack accordingly. If your homestay is in rural areas, I advise you to pack casual clothes and outdoor-based attire. You also need to note that if your homestay is located in conservative areas, it is best that you bring modest or culturally appropriate clothes. If you want, you can even pack some gifts for your host to have a nice first impression. 

Make Way for Return

Whenever I have stayed in a homestay, I have made close connections with hosts and their families. So whenever I plan to visit those places again, I tend to return to those homestays. This shows how close you become after staying with them for a few days. I guess they have somehow become a part of my family. Similar experiences and feelings you can also develop, so don’t be amazed if you return for your next vacation. It’s their love and affection that attracts you to come back every time. A key trick in this case would be to keep in touch and maintain a good relationship with the hosts. You never know, you may get some discounts on your next trip. You can also leave thoughtful feedback after your stay online or verbally, so that your host can get more visitors. This way, you not only help boost the business of your host but also local businesses and assist future travellers seeking a good homestay and quality experience.

If you really want to have a blast while staying at a homestay, you need to step up and go beyond the formal demeanour of traditional accommodations. If you have never stayed in a homestay, I bet you will have the best time of your life. You just need to interact and make deeper connections with the host, immerse yourself in their culture, and be respectful. Keep these few things in mind, and you are good to go. This is the sign that a cosy homestay in the mountains is calling you. Book a homestay now and make unforgettable memories.