Did you ever travel and came back home only to discover you did not see the place in it true colors? If you are an avid traveler you would want to make sure that you have recognized the soul of the place. And the nearest you can get to knowing a place is by living in home stays. Yeah, home stays which were once a cheap option for school kids or NGO's worker's traveling abroad slowly they have picked up and are now a trend setter in the hotel business.

A classic home stay involves living with a local family and having a first hand experience of its customs, cuisine and way of life. The best part about homestays is they are open to any kind of traveler. The host accommodates the visitor in his own house and the visitor stays for the duration as the member of the family. In fact the ideas of home stays arise out of bringing the comfort to the traveler of the home while he is away from home. Typically a traveler participates in many normal household activities of the family.

Home stays can be of sorts. In some cases you will find yourself absolutely engrossed in the life of your host family, sharing meals and attending the host's family events while in some places you will be allotted a room and be allowed to come and go as you please. Both the options appeal to a wide number of people. Hence the idea of home stays is a hit with so many travelers.

The underlying reason for opting for home stays is generally to know the culture and tradition of the place. It is an opportunity to be transformed into a different world for the time being, to learn about the differences and similarities of each culture and in the process broaden our own horizons.

Home stays have a long history starting with their popularity amongst students who traveled abroad to social workers who traveled to far off lands. In India though, good organized home stays was something unheard of for a long time. There are a lot of Indian states which offer this facility now, but it is believed that most of them are commercial hotels converted into home stays with an objective to mint money from the tourist.

Kerala is one of the few places that offer a genuine home stay experience. In Kerala, home stays became part of tourism when the tourism department of Kerala officially announced the start of program. The Kerala government chalked certain standards that home stays should meet and even provided with several suggestions. Since then Home stays have been an integral part of the Kerala tourism. Kerala is more inclined towards home stays is because all the sophisticated, elite class throngs this place. These sets of people do not generally believe in a punk lifestyle instead have a classic taste and interest in the culture and tradition of the place. In these cases, that better way then to live with local people?

Cultural exchange is one of the major motives behind traveling. Sharing your stories and indulging with your hosts who is an ocean of knowledge about the place is the only way you can get to know the soul of the place. A sense of belonging only comes when one views a foreign place as if it was his own. And to bring in the feel, home stays are the means.

About the Author:

THRILLOPHILIA deals with adventure-related activities on a pan-India level. Be its Rafting in the Tons or in the Kali River at Dandeli, Camel Safari in Ladakh or in the Thar Desert, Trekking around Bangalore or Ladakh, Scuba Diving in Lakshadweep or Andaman, we cater it all. We also have some fabulous Biking trips, Caving, Wildlife, Paragliding and many more adrenaline pumping adventure sports. India, having varied landscapes happens to be one of the finest destinations in the world for adventure.

Author: Prashant Jain