Moments later we were heading toward the comfortable suburban house Eitan shares with his wife, Susan, and their two young children. For the next two days, we would be their guests. Joining in their routine, we'd sit in their garden and chat over a breakfast of fresh tomato salad, yogurt and pita bread. The kids would eat cornflakes—the familiar red rooster on the cereal box surrounded by Hebrew script—and later they'd splash together in the backyard wading pool. We had arrived as strangers, but at the end of our weekend homestay, we would leave as friends.
Such is the spirit of fellowship that characterizes homestays, also called hospitality exchanges, in which travelers receive not only a place to sleep but also an insider's look into another community and culture. Although commonly associated with students studying abroad, they're also an inexpensive, educational, but little-known option for families traveling both within the United States and overseas. For our family, on a six-week trip through Spain and Israel, homestays provided a welcome relief—for us and for our budget—from night after night of hotel rooms.
Carolyn B. Heller, a freelance writer and avid traveler, lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.
