Homestay hosts regularly encounter guests suffering from homesickness. A homestay is after all more than a language learning experience. Being away from home and thrust into a new country, culture and family setup is a big step for anyone, regardless of their age or travel experience.
As a host, you can help ease the troublesome symptoms that can prevent your guests from really making the most of their homestay.
Understand and recognise the signs
Homesickness affects the mind and body in different ways, which can make it a particularly painful experience.Clinical psychologist Joshua Klapow explains more about the effects of homesickness:
“The comfort of home becomes like a person you’ve lost and miss. You may have some obsessive preoccupation with home and what you’re missing, comparing everything in your day to your experience back home, and that can create a lot of sadness.”
In addition to feelings of sadness, loneliness, and withdrawal, homesick guests may become overwhelmed, anxious or panicky easily. They may experience headaches, disrupted sleep, lapses in concentration or loss of appetite as a result.
However, symptoms show themselves, feelings of homesickness are often concealed by sufferers. Understanding and recognising those tell-tale signs will ensure you can help sooner rather than later.
Help them to help themselves
Often it is the person who is suffering from homesickness that is the best placed to ease symptoms. Give them the tools, encouragement and knowledge they need to do just that.
Immersion into the homestay experience is the most reliable way to ease homesickness. Inform guests about clubs, societies, local events, and places of interest within your community. This will provide the perfect opportunity for them to explore their new home as well as help them to get out and keep busy.
At home, be open and honest about feelings of homesickness, reiterating that being homesick isn’t weak or embarrassing. Simply talking about their emotions and relationship with home can provide the boost homesick guests need to settle in properly.
There may be some simple fixes you can do to help, such as cooking some food from your guest’s home country. But don’t be discouraged if guests aren’t responding positively to your efforts. Getting over feelings of homesickness can take time. Be patient and positive.
Create a home away from home
Your homestay may never replace home. But providing a home away from home that ensures a comfortable base for guests will ease homesickness.
Humans are creatures of habit. Drastic changes in our everyday lives can leave us craving home. Make your guest room feel more like home and less of a scary new place by adding homely touches to your decor. You can even personalise these touches by getting to know your guests before their arrival.
Greeting guests with a welcome basket can also make your homestay less of a business transaction and more of a personalised and comforting experience.
Facilitate contact with home
Ensuring your homestay guests readily have access to WIFI for use of Whatsapp or Skype will provide extra peace of mind that home is just a call away. Guests who have easy access to the friends and family that they’ve left behind tend to better manage their relationship with home.
Regular contact with home is important for easing homesickness but you must also be there to encourage independence. So, do be aware that continuous calls and social media messaging can worsen homesickness and prevent immersion into the homestay experience.
If you haven’t already set up your homestay business, get started today with this complete guide on how to become a homestay host.
