ESCORTED TOURS HOMESTAYS DESTINATIONS
T
hough a destination’s monuments might intrigue and its landscapes enchant, it is the people who live there that provide the inimitable splashes of colour. For the ever-increasing number of clients looking to ‘live’ a destination rather than merely visit, nothing can beat getting to know the locals and experiencing how they go about their day-to-day lives. While homestays were once only the choice of year-abroad students or backpackers on gap years, they are becoming more popular with clients seeking an experiential style of travel, and who are keen to discover a destination in all its authenticity.
On a homestay, clients will eat
what the locals eat, sleep where they sleep, and feel the warmth afforded by forging friendships and sharing stories with local people, allowing for a personal, memory-filled experience that no hotel could ever provide.
w SELLING THE STAY This ‘real’ style of travel might not be for everyone: air conditioning or heating may be lacking, and there’ll be no en- suite facilities or room service. However, those who are happy
to stay in basic accommodation and forgo little luxuries will be rewarded with family-like hospitality, home-cooked food, and an immersive trip that they’re
likely to remember forever. “We feature homestays
on many of our trips and our travellers often tell us they were one of the highlights of their holiday,” says Daniel Pawlyn, head of business development at Intrepid Travel. For those who might be
nervous about spending weeks living in someone else’s home but who are still keen to give local living a go, an escorted tour is a fail-safe option. More and more operators are including homestays as part of wider tours, allowing clients to take stock for a few days, meet some new and interesting people, and see an entirely unique side of a destination in the process.
w HOME FIRES “A homestay is a very authentic, cosy experience. It doesn’t have that corporate feeling of a hotel reception desk and instead clients get a warm welcome from the family,” says JoJo Fung from Collette, who recently returned from a farm stay in Matamata in New Zealand as part of a Collette tour. That’s part of the reason
homestays are becoming increasingly popular for solo travellers, who enjoy the ‘home from home’ feeling of being part of a family, eating together, socialising and sharing stories. Staying in someone else’s home is also far cheaper than staying in a hotel or even a
10 November 2016
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