Traveling untangles all the knots in your brain and makes you feel rejuvenated. According to the latest research, you should go on vacations to keep you feeling upbeat and refreshed at work. Traveling makes you feel happy and enhance your mental health as you relax and spend some quality time with your near and dear ones. But, everything comes with a cost. Literally!
Traveling abroad can be expensive, and if you don’t plan the journey, it can really create a ruckus. Lodging is one of the most important things on vacation. You try to find an affordable and clean spot for your stay so that you can spend your time in peace. Lodging makes up a large part of any travel budget. But, what if we tell you there is an excellent way of trimming down these expenses. While traveling abroad, if you choose to stay at your friend’s/relative’s place, then you can significantly cut down your travel budget.
While VisaMate participants travel the world they stay not in hotels, dorm rooms, or hostels but with local host families. This can be one of the most rewarding benefits of the travel experience because it instantly gets the traveler that much closer to the local culture. Living with a host family is an adventure within an adventure and an experience that many never forget.
Here are some advantages of staying with friend’s/relative’s place while traveling abroad-
Free Accommodation
You will save a good amount of money while staying at your friend’s place. Lodging even at a hostel can cost you around twenty to twenty-five dollars per night.
Free and Healthy Meals
One of the biggest concerns we have while visiting a foreign country is what kind of food we will get. A lot of people fall sick by eating outside, and you can avoid this situation by staying at your relative’s place. Apart from getting a healthy meal, you will save a lot of money as well. However, you should remember that polite house guest’s chip in for groceries. So, go ahead and make a list!
Insider Travel Tips
Hiring a guide to visit the local tourist’s spots can be expensive. Whereas, if you have a host in the country, you will get the best insight of the shops, restaurants and tourist attractions in the town, without spending a single penny. Also, no travel guidebook can give you the insider tips your hosts can provide.
Transportation Assistance
There’s a fair chance that your host will come to pick you up from the airport, train station or bus terminal whenever you arrive. You can even use their car to go around the city for sightseeing, thereby saving transportation expenses.
Emergency Help
Traveling to a foreign country is fun! But, what if you lose something valuable or get lost in the middle of a crowded market. Undoubtedly, having a host on the foreign land is comforting. You can call your hosts if things go wrong.
However, you should keep a few things in mind while staying at your host’s place. Firstly, it’s necessary to be thoughtful. You should offer to help your hosts with groceries, gas money and chores. Take them for dinner or ask them to tag along when you go shopping or sightseeing, provided they are free. Also, choose to stay with the people you genuinely enjoy being with and ensure they feel the same way about you. Lastly, don’t overstay. Agree on arrival and departure dates and maintain the same. Unless an emergency arises, stick to your planned travel schedule. Ask your hosts to visit you, and welcome them warmly with open arms when they arrive.
You Get To Live Like A Local
Learn what locals like to do, where they like to go and what it’s really like inside their families. While living with host families you will have the opportunity to learn how to cook local dishes, try out new games, or discover things to do in the area not mentioned in guide books. At VISAMATE we have something called “host family days” where participants get to spend an entire day with their host family each week seeing the local sights and doing what locals do.
Enjoy Local Traditional Home Cooked Meals
During each Up with People show we like to take the time on stage to thank our host families for opening up their homes and their refrigerators. Getting to eat a home cooked meal and try new dishes, share new recipes and partake in family meals is an incredible experience hotels simply can’t offer. Breaking bread with those across borders is an incredible way to get to know people and share stories.
Language Learning And Practice
The key to learning a new language is to get over your fear of making mistakes – and your host family is a great place to practice your conversation skills. They talk like ”real people,” so you’ll hear a lot of idioms, phrases, and expression that you might not learn in a textbook. You also must force yourself to practice all day, every day which will accelerate learning.
Real Life Cultural Lessons
Living with a host family gives you the ability to ask a local about traditions you’re curious about. Not only do host families have experience in answering the questions of international travelers, if they have hosted guests previously, they also provide a warm, loving environment for asking important questions you may not feel comfortable asking anyone else.
You Gain A Second Family
In hospitality exchange you stay with a new host family every week while on the road. During this time you may gain a second, third, fourth or who knows how many new families spread out all over the world! Many of these families remain in contact with you for the rest of your life and lead to future trips. Host families can become one of the biggest reasons to visit again and again. Many first time travelers also experience homesickness and having a new family abroad can help combat those symptoms.
Spread the Kindness
