10 BENEFITS OF STAYING IN A HOMESTAY IN CAMBODIA

Homestays offer independent travelers alternative and affordable accommodation with a difference. The many community based homestays across Cambodia can offer you an extensive range of homestay options including overnight stay in a floating village, national park or protected area, local village or remote indigenous tribal community… There is plenty to see and a lot more to experience.

Here are our 10 reasons to choose a homestay:

1. MEET LOCAL PEOPLE

When you stay in a homestay you experience something that you won’t in other forms of accommodation, not only do you meet the local people…you get to live with them too. It’s a way to live in the destination, not just visit it.

2. VALUE FOR MONEY

Homestays offer a great value for most independent travelers. Most homestay accommodation in Cambodia is in a range of $3-7 per night per person, depending on facilities and remoteness of the site.

3. SEE THE “REAL” CAMBODIA

See “real” Cambodia, travel beyond the traditional tourist’s destinations of Ankor Wat, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and the coastal towns. While staying at one of the community based tourism projects you will have a chance to visit local historic sites that most tourist do not even know they exist, hike through national parks and meet indigenous communities in remote parts of Cambodia.

4. EATING HOME COOKED FOOD

My homestay mother is an absolutely fantastic cook, although she won’t admit it. Of course, you can sample local cuisine at a restaurant, but when it’s home-cooked and you’re eating it with a family in a relaxed dining room, it’s a different experience altogether.

5. MAKE YOUR EXPERIENCES LOCAL

Most homestay schemes not only provide accommodation, but also other local experiences such as cooking classes, village tours, craft lessons, cycling tours, ox card trips and many more. These activities help you to immerse yourself in rural life and help better understand the rhythm of local communities.

6. LEARN LOCAL CULTURES AND CUSTOMS

You can read a lot about Cambodian culture and customs before you arrive, but the only way to really get to know them is by experiencing them first-hand. Stay in a homestay, and your host will share with you an insight into local life that other forms of accommodation simply can’t offer.

7. PERFECT FOR SOLO TRAVELERS

Travelling on your own can be an extremely liberating experience, and some would argue it’s the best way to travel. While there’s no doubt it’s a great way to see the world, there’s always something comforting about staying with somebody who knows a destination well when you arrive. In a homestay, you’ll meet local people and get to know Cambodia through the eyes of the locals.

8. LEARN THE BASICS OF KHMER

If you’re traveling or living in Cambodia for few weeks; you might be interested in learning or improving your spoken Khmer (the official language in Cambodia). What better way to do this than staying in a local’s house when you travel?

9. MAKE CAMBODIA YOUR ‘HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Most of the families you will visit, do not see their homestay as a business, for them you will be long lost relative who finally found the time to visit. You will be treated as a member of extended family. It is almost impossible not to fall in love with the warm Cambodian culture, and at the end of your stay to promise to come again when you are in Cambodia. Stay in a homestay, and you really will be staying in a home away from home.

10. HAVE AMAZING MEMORIES YOU’LL NEVER FORGET

Your hosts are real genuine people and by getting to know them and their world, you’ll make memories for the years to come.