What are the benefits of staying in a homestay?
Homestay can be a great part of the immersion experience. The thing to think
about is what would make the situation the most comfortable for you. You might
want to be with another student, you might want to be on your own. You might
want children in the household, or maybe teens, or maybe not. If you give some
thought to what you think would work best for you, you can request that we try
to match your interests and concerns. Let us know any special concerns as to
allergies, pets, special diets, etc. Although we can’t guarantee that we will
be able to, we will certainly do our best to fulfill your homestay
requirements. The earlier you apply, the better chance you have of the school
being able to meet your homestay requests.
What should my expectations be about my homestay experience?
According to our past participants, the homestay is either the best or worst
part of the trip. The differences are usually a result of different levels of
expectation. Students who have read a lot about the culture, economy and
political situation of the country before they visit usually have realistic
expectations and love their homestays. Those who are unprepared or have
unrealistically high expectations can be disappointed. Remember you are coming
from one of the richest countries in the world and few homestays will be equal
to the comforts to which you are accustomed. Before choosing a homestay, you
should decide exactly what you want. Do you want something different from or
similar to the comforts of the U.S? If the program’s homestays do not meet your
individual needs, you should probably seek alternative housing (see below).
Who chooses homestay families?
Our homestay families are carefully chosen by our schools. If ever you were
to have a problem with your homestay family, the school would be there to help
you resolve the problem or, if necessary, to arrange a different homestay. This
hardly ever happens, since our schools would not continue to work with a
problematic homestay family.
What are other lodging options?
For those not interested in living with a local family, AmeriSpan offers
other options. We can recommend hotels and apartments. Upon arrival in most
cities, students can find apartments or lodging right away. With many programs,
especially outside of Latin America, there are lodging options in residences,
dorms, and shared apartments.
For more information about homestays and all aspects of our study abroad programs, click here.
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