Checking in to a hotel or hostel is one way to find a bed during your travels, but a more interesting way can be to find a homestay arrangement instead (writes Amanda Kendle). Travel agents or specific homestay websites offer services to connect you up with locals who have a spare bed or room where travellers can spend a night or a week, often at a much cheaper rate than the local hotels.

I’ve had a few fantastic homestay experiences and wouldn’t swap them for a hotel room – but be warned it doesn’t always work out so perfectly...

What you get at a homestay

Exactly what’s included in a homestay arrangement varies from place to place, but obviously the most basic inclusion is a bed. In the past, I’ve stayed in converted living rooms, and main bedrooms given up to me by the hosts, and on couches, too.

On top of that, you can often get home cooked meals included in your homestay cost. Breakfast is nearly always part of the deal and I’ve often opted for homestays where they provide dinner, too. In many cases, if you organise your homestay in advance, some kind of transport from an airport or train station direct to your homestay address is included. One agent I used in Moscow and St Petersburg also threw in half day walking tours of the cities, an informal kind of stroll with the hosts, which were a great way to orient yourself in a new city.

The advantages: what there is to love

Personally, I’ve had only fantastic homestay experiences, and I might have been lucky, or it might be that the vast majority of homestay arrangements in Europe work out really well.

The main plus for me is the interaction with local people. From lonely widows through to families with young children, it seems that there are many kinds of people keen to rent out a spare room for a few nights to both make some extra cash and to get to know foreigners who are passing through their country. Homestay hosts are able to provide advice on getting around the city by bus, train or foot, to make suggestions of must-see sightseeing destinations, and to answer your questions about the typical habits and customs of the local people.

The food has also been a highlight for me. In nearly every case, my homestay hosts have made a substantial effort to introduce me to the local foods, even providing a different meal for breakfast every day of a week-long stay. Getting tips on where to grab lunch or where to eat an evening meal in a fancy restaurant is another big bonus when you stay at a homestay, because this advice is nearly always completely independent and absolutely worthwhile.

The disadvantages: what to be wary of

Things can go wrong, of course. Different definitions of a “spare room” can cause problems and you could end up on a couch in the hallway. Having a comfortable bed is not always guaranteed, either, and I did spend a few unpleasant nights on a particularly bumpy sofa bed. In many cases you’ll find yourself sharing a bathroom with your host and that’s not always a desirable situation. And you may simple find that the standard of accommodation doesn’t quite meet your expectations.

Not every host will turn out to be your best friend, and that’s understandable both because you can’t expect to have something in common with every homestay host, and because there are some hosts who are more motivated by the financial compensation than the chance to interact with foreigners. The language barrier can also become a bit of a problem, although plenty of gestures and pointing, and judicious use of a dictionary or phrasebook, can definitely go a long way towards communicating well.

But on balance...

As far as I’m concerned, the risks of problems at a homestay are far outweighed by the potential advantages. Some of my favourite travel moments have come courtesy of my homestay hosts, from discovering the best restaurants thanks to their tips, to sharing a drink in their living room at the end of a long day of sightseeing. And even when the hosts weren’t quite the kind of people I’d usually hang out with, I learnt so much about the local culture just from how they acted and what they said that I felt like I’d been there for months rather than just a week or two. If you get the chance, try it out for yourself and I promise you’ll want to organise homestay accommodation again and again.

To get you started on homestay accommodation, try www.homestaybooking

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