International Homestay Options Worldwide

Added: 02/10/2006

Possibly the most exciting way to learn about a culture and way of life of a county, international homestay implies staying with a host family for an extended period while traveling abroad. As compared to hostels, international homestays are more beneficial, allowing you to adjust to the new lifestyle quickly. While choosing a homestay, you commit yourself to immersion in the culture as soon as you step into the home of your hosts.

For many students international homestays are a wonderful opportunity to practice a language with its native speakers and move closer to a completely unfamiliar culture and mores. The most affordable option here is a volunteer program, which may sometimes cost you money. It is also possible to make own arrangements worldwide via the Internet, offering a wide range of international homestay options.

Since 1987 American International Homestays has been operating in the United States, with the aim of taking travelers to localities worldwide and housing them in local inhabitants' homes, offering in such a way a unique, culturally rich experience. Among the clients of American International Homestays are students, singles, couples, families and active seniors. Trips are organized for both large groups and individuals.

Spanning the globe from the nearest to the remote locations, the destinations of journeys include the Czech Republic, China, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Estonia and Hungary. With American International Homestays, you can be sure that your trip will be as pleasant as possible, since the company has commitment to quality, matched with broad experience.

All accommodations, provided by AIH are comfortable and charming to please each client. American International Homestays strives to select hosts according to areas of interest and the occupation of its clients. As your personal interpreters and guides, your host families will do their best to help you discover surroundings and immerse in the culture. The company can also be helpful in providing discount airfares, bus and train tickets and visa support. The price makes $100 and $175 per night for full homestay single and double respectively. Not included in the price are passports and visas, taxi or car rental, local transportation, restaurant meals, admission fees to performances, museums, or local events.

A great number of attractive international homestay options are offered by Australian organizations, the largest, as well as the oldest of these being Servas, which adheres to the goal of facilitating cultural exchange. With more than 14,000 host families in 130 countries, Serva offers a range of options for homestay worldwide.

Those looking for a homestay in Japan should take advantage of a Home Visit System, providing foreign visitors with a chance to visit the host family for a short time. The System operates in fourteen cities, including Tokyo, Narita, Yokohama, Otsu, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Okayama, Kobe, Hiroshima, Kurashiki, Fukuoka, Miyazaki and Kumamoto. If you plan to study Japanese while staying in the country, Japanese Study in Nagasaki is a program for you to join. A two year college, Nagasaki College of Foreign Languages offers the classes in Japanese.

Frequently organized international homestay programs are offered by individual countries, allowing clients to stay with local families. They are usually commercial arrangements, common in the former Soviet states. The fee doesn't differ much from that of cheap budget lodgings. However, the experience is far more enriching if you decide to take advantage of these programs.

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