For those who are absorbed in discovering and experiencing new feelings, a homestay trip is the most optimum choice for you. Experiencing this, you can have meal, use the home facilities and understand the living conditions of the local people, moreover, you can join their daily activities. Therefore, you can have a clear idea of their behavior, of their culture and of the living habits of the local people.
However, shortage of the careful prepare, you will certainly face some difficulties when experiencing this form of accomodation for example the food does not suit you, lack of sleep, difficulties in adapting with the living habits of the local, …. Thus, in order for your homestay trip to be an extraordinary stimulating experience, you need to care about some issues as follows:
1. Before the trip
For a perfect homestay trip, preparation is conclusively a significant step that requires a great care of what to bring with and what experience and skills to learn before departure.
- Preparation on knowlegde and skills
+ In order to quickly adapt with the life in the destination of your trip, you need to study abou the weather condition, traditions and customs, how to behave and about the taste of the local. These basic information is available on social networks or websites or you can learn that in the tourism manuals.
+ If you decide on a homestay trip without assistance of the travel agents, you need to be careful in deciding which house. Thanks to the popularity of the information technology, many homestay owners have provide information about their room condition on forums and social networking sites. Therefore, you can easily find the information and consider which one is most suited with you. Besides, the feedbacks from those who have experienced the services or behaviors of the owners are published on these websites.
Preparation is an essential step for you to avoid the unexpected incidents
- Preparation of the essential items:
+ Clothings: you need to plan what to wear each day so you can bring with the suitable cloths and plan for the number of days staying there to bring enough clothings, moreover, you should prepare some additional sets in cases of getting wet or dirty, …
+ Personal utensils: For a trip to stay in a hotel, you will be offerred every necessary items such as tower, razor, shampoo or shower creams, …, therefore, bringing these or not depends on you, however, if your overnight stay is in a house of the local people, you are offerred some but not every thing, so you need to prepare all these carefully. In addition, the houses for you to stay are normally in the small villages far from the center city, and lacking of any thing will lead you to some trouble for buying the new ones.
+ Medicines: Homestay trip is the chance for you to live and join with the living condition and daily activities of the local people, so you may face some unexpected issues such as being stung by mosquitoes, snakes, or other harmful insects. Moreover, you are not readdy to adapt with the local temparature, food, or other issues, so you will really need medicines in these cases.
+ Reserving food (in case needed): If worrying about the taste of food that not suited with you, you can prepare some reserving foods such as nuts, bread, or packed food, …
2. During the trip
This is the opportunity for you to learn and experience the daily activities of the local people
In order to avoid every issue during the trip, you should remember the following rules:
- Attitudes
+ Respect the home owners: the home owner is the one who instructs you during your trip, so you should be respectful and polite to them.
+ No occupying the sharing facilities: deciding on a homestay trip means that you will share with other people the living room, bathroom and the kitchen, … so you need to remember that many other people need these rooms and facilities like you, therefore, you should not occupy for the room too long. Moreover, you need to clean the room or tidy it after using so that every one can be pleased with that.
+ Know the way to accept and moderate the differences. It is a certainty that you and the local people have definite differences in behaviours and thoughts, however, you should moderate them so that no contradiction can happen.
+ Always show your friendly adtitude towards the local residents: the option of homestay accomodation is a great chance for you to communicate with the natives. Showing your friendliness and smile will help you to get the affection of the local people shortly.
- During the time you reside in a house, you should follow the instruction of the local residents, in case of having any trouble or questions, you should ask them clearly. Moreover, when going out, you should ask for a local guide so that you are not being stuck in any trouble.
3. After the trip
The room should be untidied before you say goodbey to your host
- When finish the journey, you should tidy and clean the room you have stayed so that it is like when you first enter. This is not a must for you to do, however, this can tell the owners about your characteristics, atitude and awareness.
- Before leaving, it is a certainty that you should send the owners the most sincere thanks for hosting.
- You can also write a review for other to refer.
The notes above are some suggestions for you to have a perfect homestay trip. Save this as a note for you in case you are planning for a homestay trip. It is a certainty that, this form of accomodation is developed widely in the future because of the low prices while visitors can experience thoroughly the local culture.