10 Reasons To Prefer Homestay Over Hotels In India

Homestays have become a very popular choice for travelers over the past few years.

It is a form of lodging and hospitality wherein visitors stay in an apartment or house of a local of the place to which they are traveling.

They can be booked hassle free online on Airbnb and have many advantages over conventional hotels.

For people, who rent their places as homestay, it’s a great source of additional income.

For the visitors the stay becomes a memorable experience.

So, what exactly sets the homestays apart from hotels? Let’s find out in our post on reasons to prefer homestays over hotels while travelling in India.

1. Meeting new people and friends

In a homestay you will get to meet new people and make new friends. The hosts at a homestay are generally very kind and friendly. You get to know a lot about the new place, the people over there and in the process make new friends. For anyone who understands the importance of a friend, will realize how important it is to make new friends.

2. Exploring new culture

By staying with local people you will learn a lot about their culture. You will get familiar with their lifestyle, their food, the way they celebrate festivals and a lot more. Just imagine a person from Chennai would know more about Baisakhi or a Punjabi would get to know how Pongal is celebrated in Tamil Nadu. Isn’t this a great example of India being united despite having different languages, religion etc.



3. Experiencing off beat places

No guide or website can show you what a local person can show you about the place. The locals have more knowledge about offbeat destinations than anyone else. They know exactly how to reach a place, enjoy there, the timings, safety measures etc. So, if you are someone who loves to see what the world is yet to see, a host of a homestay would surely help you do so.

4. Try the native cuisine

It does not matter whether you are a foodie or not. There are some dishes you simply can’t afford to miss in India. Your host might just introduce you to a dish which you will crave to eat forever. When it comes to native cuisine, your host would be the best person to cook it as even the so called authentic local restaurants may not be able to give you the perfect taste. Your choice of best dish may just change in a homestay.

5. Local experiences

Staying in close proximity with local people would give you a chance to learn about what they do. Someone interested in gardening for example, would love to see how it is done in that particular place. For someone interested in music can know more about what people like to hear or sing at that place. This type of experiences can be had only by living nearby local people and seldom by staying at a hotel.



6. Learning a bit of a new language

If you stay with people speaking different language among them, it is very likely that you might learn a few words if not much. This can help you bond with those from the same linguistic community anywhere in the world.

7. You get personal attention

In a hotel, one is most likely to be treated as just another guest. However, people at a homestay tend to give special attention to people who are staying at their place. You may want your food a less spicy or you may require some home remedies if you fall sick. Or you may want an umbrella when it’s raining outside. All these special treatments would be happily entertained at a homestay which may not be the case at a hotel.

8. Feel at home

Even after living in a hotel for just 2-3 days, one starts missing the comfort and convenience as well as the openness of a home. At a homestay you will feel like home. You can stroll over the house, enjoy the view from the balcony or even pick something from the fridge and have it anytime. All these comforts can be had only at a homestay and you would tend to miss your home a lot less.

9. Value for money

All the above can be had no additional costs. Most of the things, like an additional cup of tea are complimentary and all you have to pay is only the home rental. Isn’t it a great feeling?

10. Builds confidence to try new things

You can explore a whole new yourself by trying out new things feeling at home. It will give you confidence to get out of your comfort zone and try new adventures of life anywhere in the world.

So, isn’t homestay a pretty good option, considering the fact that you can get a great stay with all the above advantages with the feel of being at home? Websites like Airbnb give you the convenience of booking a homestay with the same ease with which you can find and book a hotel room. Hope you have a great experience in whichever homestay you select for yourself.

About The Author

Anirudh Singh is a passionate blogger and the man behind Amazing India Blog & a few other blogs. He writes about wide range of topics but loves to write travel related posts on various Indian destinations.