Ever wondered about connecting with the locals and understanding the local language in a new country? Homestays help travelers do just that.
Homestays are a type of accommodation that define the words a ‘home away from home’. In a homestay, you book to stay with a local in their home. They are your ‘host’ during your stay. You can instantly connect with the local food, culture and their language. You can also get invaluable advice that cannot be found in any guidebook.
Speaking to natives helps improve the language skills in the best possible way. You’ll get to speak the language every day with your host family. You get to know how the locals live their lives – something that is almost impossible to do when staying in other types of accommodation. The informal set up of the Homestay is a welcome change from the similar looking hotels.
Homestays are specifically good for the young travellers as they can enjoy the comfort of the home while being independent. And the memories that they bring back are priceless. Sometimes they make friends for a lifetime. The Homestay experience helps them learn more about themselves, their language ability, a deeper understanding about the culture of the host country and the world around them in general.
If you’re looking for great value accommodation and a true travel experience, homestays are the perfect option.
Abbey Language Travel

Students at one of the Homestays
We at Abbey Language Travel pride ourselves in providing excellent homestay options for school tours to various countries like Argentina, Spain, France, New Caledonia and Switzerland. As our tours involve students under 18 years, we select host families after careful vetting. The safety and security aspect is our highest priority.
ABBEY’s partner language schools or local ABBEY representative office select homestay hosts according to a set of quality standards and criteria. These criteria include location and neighbourhood, proximity to the school, cleanliness, friendly and caring attitude, required bedrooms, bathrooms, facilities, meals etc.
Regular inspections help maintain high standards of Homestays. In order to monitor student satisfaction with their homestay, we request the students to complete Accommodation Evaluations. We constantly work on the feedback to improve the experience the students have during their homestays.
Host Families are also required to complete a “Homestay Clearance Form” translated into their own language. This is to affirm that all members of the household are fit and proper persons to host children and young persons.
Homestays with Language Lessons
Our homestays combined with the language lessons provide a perfect opportunity for better understanding of the language and picking up the nuances from the natives. Our tours take language learning beyond the classroom. The teachers find a significant increase in the proficiency levels in their students. Apart from this, homestays help the students learn life skills of bonding with people of different cultures and being sensitive and compassionate to others.
Finally in the words of US First Lady, Michelle Obama, “ … When you’re struggling with a language, new foods, learning directions, being forced to make friends and do things that you wouldn’t normally do, that’s going to set you up for a lifetime of value. It’s going to make you a better parent. It’s going to make you a better human being.”
We would love to hear your comments below.
Abbey Team