If you want to understand local culture and can live without Western luxuries, staying at a homestay is the ultimate travel experience.
While I only had two hot showers in four months in South East Asia, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ve always loved trying to experience the local way of life when I travel: eating at local haunts, playing with kids, and just hanging out with people, rather than going to restaurants, bars and attractions geared towards tourists.
Staying in homestays is an enriching experience. I’ve learnt local cooking methods and kids’ card games, taught English and learnt their languages and even taught a boy how to play drums!
It’s also a great budget accommodation option for those travelling on a budget.
A lot of people have asked me how I went about finding homestays so here it is!
Staying in homestays in developing countries
In a lot of developing areas that haven’t yet been overrun by big hotels, but are attracting a small stream of travellers, families have begun opening their doors to supplement their income.
Some had profiles on the likes of booking.com and Airbnb, but my favourite homestays were found by meeting people when I was there.
The accommodation varies from a bedroom inside the family home to a group of self-contained, freestanding bungalows on their property.
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Homestay rooms are basic: just a bed and bathroom and usually a table and chairs outside. Most offer towels, toilet paper and bed sheet, but sometimes you need to ask.
My first ever homestay experience was on a solo trip to Gili Air, Indonesia. I was determined to improve my knowledge of the Indonesian language so thought living with locals would help.
I jumped off the boat into the sand, backpack on, and wandered towards the centre of the island, past the hotels and backpacker lodges, into the village.
I saw some local kids riding their bicycles and I asked them in Indonesian if they knew of any homestays. With excitement, they led me to their house where their mum had a cluster of bungalows out the back.
They gave me coffee and banana pancakes for breakfast and I managed to negotiate a sweet price after some serious bargaining. You’ll find bargaining tips for even better deals at the bottom of this article.
Most homestays don’t have hot water
On my last four-month trip travelling SE Asia, I can only remember having two hot showers.
Running hot water is a relatively recent Western luxury so homestays are unlikely to have it.
The water is usually lukewarm though from being in the tank outside and the weather is warm enough that it’s not uncomfortable.
Some homestays have air-con but most have fans
A lot of homestays don’t have air conditioner (AC), but all have a fan. Some places that have been operating a while have invested in AC and can charge a little more for the luxury.
I personally hate AC: I wear winter coats to work year-round to cope with office air-con and dread going to cold supermarkets. The hot and humid climate of SE Asia is my happy place so I’m always on the hunt for fan-only rooms to save a few bucks.
Don’t expect Wi-Fi at a homestay
Internet is becoming more accessible in the developing world so you can find homestays with Wi-Fi, but it’s not the norm and even when they do have it, it’s usually really unreliable.
Internet is often necessary on long-term travels so I bought SIM cards at each country, negating the need for Wi-Fi. Data is that cheap, I was Hotspotting from my iPhone to upload videos.
How to find a homestay? Be prepared to walk
When Asha and I arrived in Ella, Sri Lanka, we followed our senses from the train station, walking through the main street and up a steep hill with our backpacks.
The first few places closer to the foothill were fully booked, so we kept on walking up. We’d only packed about 12kg each but it felt a lot heavier on this hike, I tell you!
We declined a room that was fancier and more expensive that our agreed budget and persevered up the hill before finally finding a place we were happy with near the top. The amazing view of the valley was a bonus reward.
The further you walk, the better deal you’ll find. It’s better to have a coffee or lunch when you arrive in a new place to regroup rather than opting for the first, pricier hotel in the main street, out of desperation for a rest.
Memorable experiences in homestays
Asha and I stayed with a family of wife, husband, housekeeper, young son and his pet rescue bird at our first Sri Lankan homestay in Kandy.
Our driver, Jay, helped us find a place, taking us to a family home – again up a hill – and negotiated the price of 1000LKR each ($9AUD).
We had our own en-suite bathroom in our room, lock on the door but were able to spend time with the family.
I saw the boy had a drum kit stored in a half-built garage and discovered he didn’t know how to play it.
Before long, we set it up, I sat down with him to teach him the basic concepts of playing drums. By the end of it, he was able to play a few beats quite well. His mum was proudly taking videos and I was thrilled. What a memorable experience for all involved.
Another one of my favourite places was at Gili Trawangan, Indonesia. I initially stayed at a homestay of a middle-aged couple I’d met on my last travels.
After about a week, I’d made friends with some local musicians and moved to one of their homestays for a more social setting and an even better mate’s rate.
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If you’ve been to Indonesia, you’d have noticed many locals spend a lot of time sitting around together. My new local friends would all hang out at the front of this place so I’d just sit with them and there’d be impromptu music jams, makeshift carpentry projects, and shared food feasts.
These memories are absolutely priceless to me and I would not have had such a wonderful experience if I’d stayed in a tourist hotel.
Bargaining tips for the best homestay deal
Homestays will tailor exactly what you need and let you pay accordingly.
You can bargain to have no breakfast because pancakes day in and out is not the best. I usually ask to have just a black coffee included so I can then venture out for some fresh fruit or local breakfast.
You can get better deals if you plan to stay a couple of weeks, or if you don’t need a towel, etc. I usually use a sarong as a towel and another as a blanket so it’s no worries.
In one homestay that had air-con installed, I insisted I only needed a fan, so the lady took away the AC remote and gave me a fan for a cheaper rate.
You may say I’m a tight-arse, but it all adds up when you’re travelling for months and there’s no point having something you don’t need.
The greatest thing about homestays for solo travellers, is they tailor the price for the number of people staying. So you’re able to bargain to get a cheaper rate for one person, unlike a normal hotel that charges a standard room rate.
Home is where the heart is. I would 100% recommend staying in a homestay if you’d like to be immersed in the local culture and travel on a budget.
If you’ve stayed in a great homestay, please let me know your recommendations as I’m always planning my next trip! Thanks 🙂
