Homestay holidays – authentic travel from £10 per night

Homestay holidays – authentic travel from £10 per night

Do you want your next holiday to be centred on truly local, authentic experiences? Do you try to ensure as much money as possible from your break goes directly back to the local community? Choosing a homestay holiday can be one of the most rewarding ways to travel, particularly when times are tough.

Justin Francis, managing director of responsibletravel.com which offers over 30 homestay holidays believes this is an up and coming recession-related travel trend:
"Homestay holidays are an undiscovered, unique and relatively new way to travel and in these frugal times, I think it is a perfect way to holiday. They are one of the best ways to get the biggest bang for your buck in terms of real authentic travel experiences. Often located in areas of fascinating biodiversity and cultural significance, you'll be welcomed into the homes of local people, learn firsthand about the true culture and way of life, have the chance to sample traditional home-cooked meals and leave with unforgettable memories.

"So often communities are excluded from tourism or are pushed to the edges by overseas developers and hoteliers. With many homestay holidays, the product is in fact owned by the community itself. This means local people are benefited and are more empowered as a result. "

Homestays can also be combined with other travel experiences, such as cooking holidays, longer group adventure trips, volunteering or trekking.

responsibletravel.com has over 30 homestay accommodations to choose from, spanning across 14 countries. Visit www.responsibletravel.com/homestays

Options include:

Community holidays and volunteering in Uganda - from £10 per person, per night
Enjoy village and forest tours, craft demonstrations and handicraft lessons, the opportunity to meet storytellers and a traditional healer as well as visits to the markets for agro produce and crafts. Stay in the homestead and enjoy mobile solar showers. This project is run by a youth group and all profits are used for community development projects for which visitors can also volunteer to help with e.g. the resource centre, a tree nursery, education for women and other skills training.

Bali homestay and village accommodation - from £45 - £70 per person per night, including transfers, accommodation, meals and guide
Four Balinese villages offer a unique chance for travellers to directly experience village life, staying in lodges and homestays. Guests in homestays have private rooms and share the clean family bathrooms including squat toilets and a ‘bak mandi’ for scooping cool water to wash local style. Activities include coffee making, trekking, bird watching, swimming and snorkelling. This project is not only a way to support the local economy but the very presence of tourists is an affirmation for local people that their environments and their culture are of value, and worth preserving.



Kerala Homestay - from £20 per person, per night, including meals. *Special rates for stays of 2 weeks or more*
This home belonged to the famous Malayalam writer Malayattoor Ramakrishnan and is more than 100 years old. Stay in one of two rooms in this vegetarian household and take part in a range of activities of your choice including Keralan vegetarian cooking lessons, village walks, cycling, trekking to Malayattoor Hill, yoga / meditation sessions and Ayurvedic treatment. The building has been renovated by reusing building materials from other buildings.


Live with a Berber family in the Moroccan Sahara - from £87 per person for three nights
This is the experience of a life-time living with a family of Berbers in the breath-taking Moroccan Sahara. You’ll experience a camel trek into the magnificent erg chebi dunes, and watch the shooting stars in the clear night sky from a Berber tent. Help make bread each morning and learn the traditional methods of cooling drinking water without using electricity. All money goes straight to the family who are paid directly in cash (local currency) at the beginning of the visit.


Thailand homestay holiday, Phuket - from £170 per person for four days, includes meals, accommodation, transportation, local guides and activities
Koh Yao Noi Community based Ecotourism Club was established over 12 years ago. The community are traditional fisher families who have struggled to keep illegal trawlers of their waters – protecting the marine environment and fishing stocks. This award-winning program offers a combination of homestay, fishing expeditions with local host families, exploring the beautiful white-sand islands of the Andaman sea, swimming, snorkelling and conservation. This is a popular trip for families.

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Notes to editors

About responsibletravel.com:
responsibletravel.com is the world's leading online ethical travel company, selling over 3,000 holidays from over 270 specialist operators and 550 accommodations. All the holidays meet specific responsible tourism guidelines and aim to create better places for people to live and to visit. Launched in 2001 with backing from Dame Anita Roddick, the website is for travellers who want more real and authentic holidays that also benefit the environment and local people. The organisation - based in Brighton, England - also campaigns for positive change in the travel and tourism industry.

Contact:
Krissy Roe
press@responsibletravel.com
07717 348 368