Finding home stays

Tomi · Oct 30th, 2002, 19:43

What's the best way to find homestays in India (specifically Kerala and Tamil Nadu)? I'm not too interested in the slick ones that appear on the Internet for $40 a day, but ordinary local families with guest rooms. When you arrive at a non-major tourist destination, like Kumbakonam or Kottayam, where do you start looking? The tourist office? Thanks for any light anyone can shed.

kwistbeableandco · Nov 7th, 2002, 17:13

I tried it several times at Chennai. The local tourist office (across Spencer Plaza) is supposed to have a list of rooms for rent (paying guest), but last time that list consisted of just one address.
About twenty years ago, it did function well in Bombay though.

-m2- · May 5th, 2003, 05:03

one of our new members mentioned an interest in Homestays and I wondered if you had pursued it further on your last trip, Tomi?

There are a few entries listed on a GOOGLE search of: Homestays in India here's one link as a sample:

http://www.earthvilletravel.com/indi...stayindia.html

anyone tried locating a homestay lately? tourist office? hotel desk at airport? other? how did it go?

marreigh · May 5th, 2003, 15:12

I'm not sure which one of the numerous travel books I've been reading recently mentioned that the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation ( RTDC ) has a list of Homestays in the area, but my main interest is in South India and for that information I'm still searching.

Tomi · May 5th, 2003, 19:32

I didn't report on it, m2, because I found none, and was happy enough with my little hotels and guest houses.

Every time "home stay" was mentioned, it just meant what we call a Bed & Breakfast: a guest house where the owners live in, not a place where you share breakfast with the owners and their kid on his way to school, and are shown pictures of their trip to Varanasi or their cousin in Chicago. I found a few places like that in SE Asia, and I'm sure they must exist in India, but haven't found them yet. My Indian home experiences were with other people I met, some thanks to my digital camera, some the relatives of friends and acquaintances.

Some of these so-called home stays were still wonderful, though, and still you got to know the owners a little bit. Two notable examples: Chiramel Residence in Fort Cochin, and Villa Annamika in Varkala. Exceptional friendliness, well kept like a real home, charming rooms for 400-600 Rs. Some day I'll get around to contributing to the hotel listings, sigh... When are you leaving, marreigh? Feel free to PM me and I can round up my (very short!) list of quaint, charming places and send it to you.

Midnite Toker · May 5th, 2003, 21:08

There's always Servas International.

This movement has been going since 1948 and although I haven't tried them, several friends have given good reports. You can be a traveller without being a host, but you're limited to stays of two nights with one family (though I would imagine this informal limit was flexible if you get on with the people you are staying with).

This is the Servas India homepage

From the site:

Anyone at least 18 years old, having an open mind and a desire to meet ordinary people in different countries of the world so as to better understand the country and its people, can become a Servas traveller. A Servas traveller will find "open doors" in about 100 countries where there are Servas hosts who are interested in meeting and welcoming Servas travellers into their homes.

A Servas host will normally provide a bed for two nights to approved Servas travellers and usually invite the traveller to share in the breakfast and evening meal. This gives the traveller an opportunity to meet the local people and better understand its people than if he were to visit the country as an ordinary tourist.

A Servas traveller receives a letter of introduction which is signed, stamped and dated and is the traveller's 'passport' in Servas. The letter of introduction is valid for one year, but can be renewed if necessary. A Servas traveller also receives a "Host List" for each country that he/she is planning to visit. The traveller must contact the hosts in advance to fix up a meeting or a stay with the hosts.

vinayverma · May 6th, 2003, 09:58

I have been lucky to find homestays in smaller villages across North India, especially in Spiti, Rajasthan and garwal. But these were all hit and trial thingy.
We travel on Royal Enfields and its normal to have a breakdown in the middle of no-where. Its in these situations we have stayed with families in these small towns and villages.
The most friendliest people I found was in Spiti, where once a family specially arranged, white bread, jam and butter for us, as we were from the 'city' and not used to their food.

vinayverma · May 6th, 2003, 10:00

forgot to mention, Since Jan 2003,when I moved back to India, I have had 3 friends who have stayed at my place with my family.

kwistbeableandco · May 6th, 2003, 12:38

As one poster said "they must be somewhere in India" those homestays. Could someone explain why they are so difficult to find. Or is it someway connected to the all pervasive caste-thing?
I did find an address: a Dutch couple who bought a large house in central Tamil Nadu and were proposing rooms for rent. This means foreigners can buy property now and go into business.

latisharma · May 6th, 2003, 13:52

servas is good but its very beureaucratic..

try http://www.globalfreeloaders.com!!

Tigerbob · May 9th, 2003, 18:22

I can help out for Homestays in New Delhi.

steven_ber · May 9th, 2003, 23:12

Is that an offer to stay at your home TigerBob or an offer to help find places, a lot of people (including myself) would be interested.

tulasidalam · Jun 10th, 2003, 14:48

Hello Everybody,
I am telling you about a village homestay in Kerala,S.India.It's called TULASIDALAM .U will be living with the family and sharing their routines and enjoying their hospitality.The best thing is that they also offer the facilities for Ayurveda,Yoga and traditional art classes.Only thing is it's vegetarian and no alcohol. Short trips and sightseeing is also arranged.Yes the cost is from 25USD--90USD for accomodation ,but it's worth. Email: mail@tulasidalam.com

Rockers · Jun 10th, 2003, 15:04

Volunteering your time at a local NGO is an easy way to meet new friends and sometimes have the opportunity to stay in local villages or with host families. I wouldnt advise to volunteer, just for the sake of getting cheap accommodation, but we have found it an excellent way to travel and really get to experience a country.

I think if you even just asked friendly people you meet once in India , they may have friends who would been keen to make a bit of extra money and would be happy to help.

If volunteering, or just staying in a rural community, please do be careful not to impose on a community that would be better off without the intrusion of westerners... Sometimes the most help we can provide a community is to let them be.

Happy travels!

Rockers · Jun 10th, 2003, 15:07

Sorry, I forgot to add, I'll contact some friends in Trichy (in Tamil Nadu) and see if they no of any one who hosts homestays (or is interested in starting to!).

Will post again if I have any luck.

Oct 30th, 2002, 19:43	#1
Tomi Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cambridge, MA, USA Posts: 449	Finding home stays What's the best way to find homestays in India (specifically Kerala and Tamil Nadu)? I'm not too interested in the slick ones that appear on the Internet for $40 a day, but ordinary local families with guest rooms. When you arrive at a non-major tourist destination, like Kumbakonam or Kottayam, where do you start looking? The tourist office? Thanks for any light anyone can shed.

May 5th, 2003, 21:08	#6
Midnite Toker absconding member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Vienna, Austria Posts: 474	Servas There's always Servas International. This movement has been going since 1948 and although I haven't tried them, several friends have given good reports. You can be a traveller without being a host, but you're limited to stays of two nights with one family (though I would imagine this informal limit was flexible if you get on with the people you are staying with). This is the Servas India homepage From the site: Anyone at least 18 years old, having an open mind and a desire to meet ordinary people in different countries of the world so as to better understand the country and its people, can become a Servas traveller. A Servas traveller will find "open doors" in about 100 countries where there are Servas hosts who are interested in meeting and welcoming Servas travellers into their homes. A Servas host will normally provide a bed for two nights to approved Servas travellers and usually invite the traveller to share in the breakfast and evening meal. This gives the traveller an opportunity to meet the local people and better understand its people than if he were to visit the country as an ordinary tourist. A Servas traveller receives a letter of introduction which is signed, stamped and dated and is the traveller's 'passport' in Servas. The letter of introduction is valid for one year, but can be renewed if necessary. A Servas traveller also receives a "Host List" for each country that he/she is planning to visit. The traveller must contact the hosts in advance to fix up a meeting or a stay with the hosts. __________________ travel tips, blog, downloads, panorama photos, online security, tokes: the tokezone

May 6th, 2003, 09:58	#7
vinayverma Maha Infrequent Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 1,286	I have been lucky to find homestays in smaller villages across North India, especially in Spiti, Rajasthan and garwal. But these were all hit and trial thingy. We travel on Royal Enfields and its normal to have a breakdown in the middle of no-where. Its in these situations we have stayed with families in these small towns and villages. The most friendliest people I found was in Spiti, where once a family specially arranged, white bread, jam and butter for us, as we were from the 'city' and not used to their food. __________________ If Life is a journey....travel on...and on..on..on.....

May 6th, 2003, 12:38	#9
kwistbeableandco Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sri Lanka Posts: 33	homestays As one poster said "they must be somewhere in India" those homestays. Could someone explain why they are so difficult to find. Or is it someway connected to the all pervasive caste-thing? I did find an address: a Dutch couple who bought a large house in central Tamil Nadu and were proposing rooms for rent. This means foreigners can buy property now and go into business.

May 6th, 2003, 13:52	#10
latisharma Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 35	servas is good but its very beureaucratic.. try http://www.globalfreeloaders.com!! Last edited by indiamike : May 6th, 2003 at 16:08.

Nov 7th, 2002, 17:13	#2
kwistbeableandco Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sri Lanka Posts: 33	I tried it several times at Chennai. The local tourist office (across Spencer Plaza) is supposed to have a list of rooms for rent (paying guest), but last time that list consisted of just one address. About twenty years ago, it did function well in Bombay though.

May 5th, 2003, 05:03	#3
-m2- . Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: . Posts: 1,578	one of our new members mentioned an interest in Homestays and I wondered if you had pursued it further on your last trip, Tomi? There are a few entries listed on a GOOGLE search of: Homestays in India here's one link as a sample: http://www.earthvilletravel.com/indi...stayindia.html anyone tried locating a homestay lately? tourist office? hotel desk at airport? other? how did it go?

May 5th, 2003, 15:12	#4
marreigh Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: NEW ZEALAND Posts: 16	I'm not sure which one of the numerous travel books I've been reading recently mentioned that the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation ( RTDC ) has a list of Homestays in the area, but my main interest is in South India and for that information I'm still searching.

May 5th, 2003, 19:32	#5
Tomi Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cambridge, MA, USA Posts: 449	I didn't report on it, m2, because I found none, and was happy enough with my little hotels and guest houses. Every time "home stay" was mentioned, it just meant what we call a Bed & Breakfast: a guest house where the owners live in, not a place where you share breakfast with the owners and their kid on his way to school, and are shown pictures of their trip to Varanasi or their cousin in Chicago. I found a few places like that in SE Asia, and I'm sure they must exist in India, but haven't found them yet. My Indian home experiences were with other people I met, some thanks to my digital camera, some the relatives of friends and acquaintances. Some of these so-called home stays were still wonderful, though, and still you got to know the owners a little bit. Two notable examples: Chiramel Residence in Fort Cochin, and Villa Annamika in Varkala. Exceptional friendliness, well kept like a real home, charming rooms for 400-600 Rs. Some day I'll get around to contributing to the hotel listings, sigh... When are you leaving, marreigh? Feel free to PM me and I can round up my (very short!) list of quaint, charming places and send it to you.

May 6th, 2003, 10:00	#8
vinayverma Maha Infrequent Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 1,286	forgot to mention, Since Jan 2003,when I moved back to India, I have had 3 friends who have stayed at my place with my family.

May 9th, 2003, 18:22	#11
Tigerbob Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: New Delhi Posts: 5	I can help out for Homestays in New Delhi.

May 9th, 2003, 23:12	#12
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: London, England. Posts: 8,928	Is that an offer to stay at your home TigerBob or an offer to help find places, a lot of people (including myself) would be interested. __________________ . How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions. Train information.

Jun 10th, 2003, 14:48	#13
tulasidalam Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: India Posts: 3	Hello Everybody, I am telling you about a village homestay in Kerala,S.India.It's called TULASIDALAM .U will be living with the family and sharing their routines and enjoying their hospitality.The best thing is that they also offer the facilities for Ayurveda,Yoga and traditional art classes.Only thing is it's vegetarian and no alcohol. Short trips and sightseeing is also arranged.Yes the cost is from 25USD--90USD for accomodation ,but it's worth. Email: mail@tulasidalam.com

Jun 10th, 2003, 15:04	#14
Rockers 'Itchy Footed One' Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 71	Volunteering your time at a local NGO is an easy way to meet new friends and sometimes have the opportunity to stay in local villages or with host families. I wouldnt advise to volunteer, just for the sake of getting cheap accommodation, but we have found it an excellent way to travel and really get to experience a country. I think if you even just asked friendly people you meet once in India , they may have friends who would been keen to make a bit of extra money and would be happy to help. If volunteering, or just staying in a rural community, please do be careful not to impose on a community that would be better off without the intrusion of westerners... Sometimes the most help we can provide a community is to let them be. Happy travels! __________________ "Freedom is not doing what one pleases for the sake of it, but the ability to make good, moral choices to fulfil our social duties to our fellow human beings". Gandhi

Jun 10th, 2003, 15:07	#15
Rockers 'Itchy Footed One' Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 71	Sorry, I forgot to add, I'll contact some friends in Trichy (in Tamil Nadu) and see if they no of any one who hosts homestays (or is interested in starting to!). Will post again if I have any luck.

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