Biking and Homestay in Southeast Asia

Bicycle tour in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Homestays is the way to go

Your Home Away From Home

You’re ready. You’ve got your bike in good condition, your water bottles are full and you’ve got some cash packed away for food, accommodation and emergencies. Wait a minute. . . . . accommodation?

• When you’re riding through South East Asia, it’s not like there’s a Holiday Inn at each little village you end up in for the night. So what do you do? Homestay. Homestay. Homestay.
• In our opinion, if you want to experience the real thing, learn about the culture and lifestyle, eat the local food and meet the local people, then homestays are the way to go.

In a lot of villages, the only other option is to pitch a tent and find your own food and means of getting clean.

• For us, it’s all about traveling light and asking the locals for help.
• So that means leaving the tent in the attic at home and diving into the village life.

So how do you find a homestay?

Most homestays are established by ecotourism projects or community based development projects that help locals to earn income and alleviate poverty.

That means that the villagers will usually know a traveler when they see one and know what to do.

 

Keep in mind that a homestay doesn’t mean a warm bed and a nicely kept bathroom. It means you’ll be staying in the home of the locals. You’ll eat what they eat, sleep where they sleep, wash where they wash, and with the right attitude, you’ll love every second of it.

(Sleeping bags, foam mats and mosquito nets are usually provided, but we always have our own lightweight sleeping supplies just incase.)

It’s all about pushing your boundaries and letting yourself float along in the local rhythm of life. Why not take it a step further. . . . . get stuck in helping your host family for a day.

Follow them around and help them with whatever it is they’re doing.

Trust us, it’ll be an experience you won’t soon forget, not to mention the amazing photo opportunities that the big tour groups can’t even come close to.