Blog - Homestay Harmony

Access The Best Beaches, From Cheap Apartments For Rent in Melbourne

Jun03

Melbourne has not just cafés, art, music, and culture. It also has some lovely beaches. So keep reading to get to know where to lay your towel, whether you like to surf or bask in the sun. The best beaches in Melbourne Melbourne has some beautiful spots near the sea. Still, for you to enjoy it, you need to consider that some beaches are for the surf. This means that waves can be powerful and

Enjoy The Best Australian Desserts with Private Rental in Melbourne

Devale No Comments

May31

Melbourne is a really vibrant city with a lot to do and see. If you choose this Marvellous town for your trip or study, you’ll surely find yourself having a sweet tooth on occasion, so here’s a list of Australian Desserts to give you some hints. Are you staying in a hotel room? Or you chose a private rental in Melbourne? Both will do the work for satisfying your sweet craving. From a hotel room

Hotels or Rooms For Rent In Melbourne

Devale No Comments

May23

Victoria State is well known for being an outdoor activities hotspot in Australia. Here are some tips for your favourite hiking spots outside Melbourne, far enough to enjoy the great outdoors and close enough to visit from your room for rent in Melbourne on the same day. Tips and accommodations (hotels or rooms for rent in Melbourne). Victoria is well known for its parks and hiking spots. If you come to Melbourne, you’ll both enjoy

Homestay Harmony Replaces The Traditional Melbourne Homestay Agency

Devale No Comments

Apr20

Most guests trying to find Melbourne accommodation, have found it hard in the current environment, even when utilizing a Melbourne homestay agency. There’s No Greater Reliability With a Melbourne Homestay Agency Unfortunately for many guests, placements are being canceled, last-minute by concerned hosts. These cancellations are spurred by the current COVID-19 fears regarding health and safety, reliant upon updates issued by the government. Hosts have been hesitant to provide accommodation for guests who will require

Homestay in Australia is Cost Effective and Time Efficient

Devale No Comments

Apr08

International students have many accommodation options available to them including home share, private leasing, short-stay accommodation, and on-campus options. There are pros and cons to each of these options. Home share arrangements often come with horror stories of unclean bathrooms and food being stolen by roommates. Private leasing can be expensive, as it usually does not include furniture or white goods, and commonly imposes a 12-month minimum contractual requirement. Short stay accommodation is fully furnished

What is International Literacy Day By Homestay Harmony

Devale No Comments

Sep06

September 8th is National Literacy Day. Has your guest been to your local library? When was the last time you visited your local library? They may not be as dull as you remember! How about the local or national newspaper? Not all news has to be watched on TV, or listened to, on the radio. How about reading it online? The beauty of the text is that it’s there, in black and white, to be

Homestay Harmony - Accommodation in Melbourne

Homestay Harmony Provides Inspiration For Host Families

Devale No Comments

Sep03

It’s true that the best spots are only known by the locals. Guests often turn to their host family or homestay provider for inspiration. There can seem too many, or sometimes not enough, places to visit. Other than the obvious, zoos, museums, markets and shopping meccas it’s worth considering exposure to some of the less common experiences. Observe fairy penguins or kangaroos in their native habitats. Take a ferry, a daily thing for some commuters

Homestay Accommodation Students in Australia

Hosting Hotspots – Homestay Harmony

Devale No Comments

Sep02

A host family homestay location is of great importance. Your homestay will be more popular if it is located close to a university, or public transport. If not, it’s worth offering that disused bicycle, as part of your homestay arrangement. If you’re already commuting to the city by car, perhaps you could consider offering a lift into that central location? Whatever your location, consider these points in writing your host description and, tackle any potential

Confusing Colloquialisms – Homestay Harmony

Devale No Comments

Aug29

I love these! More commonly referred to as slang, the definition of which is; (n)A word or phrase that is not formal or literary and is used in ordinary or familiar conversation. We have some stellar ones down under; Crikey, Dunny, Drongo, Fair dinkum, the list goes on. I’ve seen some ripper merchandise with these (and their explanations) which I reckon make fabbo souvenirs. If nothing else the use of these and, the conversations to

Homestay Accommodation the Easy Way

Devale No Comments

Aug29

Homestay accommodation is unique in that, it provides familiar access to residential areas, which would possibly otherwise go undiscovered. On my local route, there are many different styles of architecture, green spaces, flora and fauna and plenty of street art. Wandering around with your guests allows them to quiz your knowledge on these topics. You might even engage in a really memorable event, such as being swooped by a magpie! Whatever the duration, a local

Homestay and Furry Friends

Devale No Comments

Aug26

Do you have a guest who loves animals? Perhaps they chose your homestay for that fantastic pic of your pudgy pooch? Well, even if you don’t, a trip to the pet shop is a free way to observe some of the local pets on offer. Not everyone has seen a green tree frog, or king quail, or cockatoo (mind your fingers!) It certainly costs less, and requires less effort than a trip to the zoo!

Courteous Homestay Accommodation Provider In Australia

Devale No Comments

Aug23

Whether it’s coughing into your elbow, giving up your seat for another passenger on public transport, or a wave of gratitude to a road user who voluntarily gave you right of way, participating in social etiquette makes guests feel like they are part of the community. As homestay accommodation providers, hosts have the ability to educate their guests about these unspoken rules, which will greatly enhance the way others engage with them. And to impress

Homestay Horticulture For Guests

Devale No Comments

Aug21

Another pleasant little discovery for my guests is Bunnings! What was recently intended to be a quick pop in, turned into an epic journey of interest recently. Find the best Homestay place for Guests. Australians are very ‘handy’ people. Many of us enjoy the odd project, even if we haven’t mastered the skills to successfully accomplish it we still have an attitude that allows us to ‘give it a go’. Some Asian countries barely have

Homestay For Weird and Wonderful Days

EvieJ No Comments

Aug14

August 14th is one of those weird and wonderful days, did you know it’s Tattoo Removal Day?!! Not surprisingly, Tattoo Removal Day is created in direct response to Tattoo Day and is traditionally celebrated 30 days after Tattoo Day. 30 days being the earliest day a tattoo can be removed post inking. If you have a tattoo and you are going to remove it but for that, you have to go to another city and

Safety Concerns

EvieJ No Comments

Aug14

At dinner last night I was infuriated when my guest told me of the inappropriate conduct the car service driver had provided. During the course of her trip, he put pressure on her to become his ‘friend’. Clearly this chap has been using his position of power, as the driver of the vehicle, to exploit individuals. My guest was both intimidated and concerned for her safety. Our lengthy conversation journeyed through everything from women’s rights

Winter weekends…..

Devale No Comments

Aug12

In winter, when the days are shorter, the focus shifts from BBQ’s to backyard bonfires. Influences from abroad have recently seen us making Smores, instead of just cremating marshmallows on the end of a stick, as we previously did at our house! Oven cooking is another treat of winter time. Students love being introduced to scones, banana bread, sticky date pudding and all those indulgences! Food is so representative of an area, even more so

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

EvieJ No Comments

Aug09

Today is a day to spark conversation of interest to host family homestay providers and homestay accommodation seekers alike. It is the UN commemorated International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. There are an estimated 370 million indigenous people in the world, living across 90 countries. Speaking the majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and representing 5,000 different cultures. Hosts and Guests alike are naturally inquisitive about other cultures, which leads them to travel

Cheap Eats for Students

Devale No Comments

Aug07

Travelling abroad is a costly adventure. Even more so for students who are not generating much, if any, income and are chewing (pardon the pun) through their savings. We provide all meals, plus snacking, to our students at an additional cost. They usually see the value in this immediately, if not very soon after, as the options for cheap eats are limited and lets be honest, generally unhealthy! Still, it’s sometimes fun to give it

Magic in the Mundane

Devale No Comments

Aug04

We’ve just welcomed a new host student, Ellen, into our host family homestay. Upon arriving in the morning, she asked if we had anything planned for the day. I admit, I kinda freaked out, I immediately thought I should have planned something! Then I remembered, guests often find magic in the mundane. The kids needed some stuff from Kmart, so we headed off to the local shopping centre. Here I pointed out recognisable brands such

Want to bring a host family homestay gift?

Devale No Comments

Aug01

Gifting can be a tricky thing. You don’t want to impose your taste on someone else but, at same time you want them to learn a little bit about you from the gift you give. We’ve been gifted everything from silk scarves to oven mitts but, the favourite in our house is always food! When a guest brings you a treat from overseas it sparks imagination, conversation and taste buds! You don’t need to go

Public Transport

Devale No Comments

Jul30

Host family homestay providers are a wealth of information and support when it comes to local public transport. Guests can easily become overwhelmed by feelings of confusion, embarrassment and frustration in attempting to decode and navigate the system. In our homestay accommodation we often provide our guests with a map and brochure, obtained from the local train station free of charge. Some are more capable than others and, with this brief introduction are able to

Turn it into a game!

Devale No Comments

Jul28

We all find ourselves struggling to make conversation occasionally. Your host family homestay experience might present an awkward silence from time to time. Perhaps you’re hosting a low level English speaker, or a shy individual. Just like the start of a new school year, a couple of games to break the ice can make your homestay accommodation feel warmer and less intimidating. Recently, we’ve been playing a few English learning games at the dinner table.

3 TIPS to: Absorb the extra housework

Devale No Comments

Jul25

It’s inevitable when providing homestay accommodation, taking an extra person into your home, that your housework will increase marginally. Don’t let this put you off, just employ some, or all of the below tricks I use, to absorb it! 1/Consider being a ‘shoes off’ host family homestay. Lots of wet dirt and stuff gets stuck to the soles of those shoes then walked around your whole house! Going shoes off makes a HUGE difference to

Multiple Homestay Accommodation requests and only 1 room available?

EvieJ No Comments

Jul18

What a wonderful position to be in! Your Host Family Homestay experience is so popular that you can’t even accommodate all the requests you’re getting! This generally happens in peak season and can cause some anxiety. The thing you need to do, is determine which is the best Guest for you. Consider the following points; 1/ Do you want a short stay or a potential long stay Guest? 2/ Do you have holidays or special

Celebrate!!!!

Devale No Comments

Jul15

One thing I really enjoy about our host family homestay experience is celebrations. This week we celebrate our guest Ghala’s birthday. This event might otherwise go unnoticed if she weren’t in homestay accommodation. I don’t make a big deal out of it and, it doesn’t cost a lot of time or money. It’s just so easy to grab a supermarket cake and pop (pardon the pun) into the local party shop for some balloons. I

World Population Day!

EvieJ No Comments

Jul12

This week hosted World Poulation Day. This annual event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development to raise awareness relating to global population issues. Discussions around these issues are great talking points with your Guests. I’ve had the privilege of speaking candidly with Chinese students raised under the one child policy and learned a lot. Did you know this policy is mostly enforced in Metropolitan areas, with those in rural areas

Got kids, want to Host?

EvieJ No Comments

Jul10

When hosting an international Guest your children will also benefit from the host family homestay experience. Homestay accommodation provides children in the family, with valuable exposure to other countries, cultures and languages. They build on their communication skills through natural enquiry and conversation. Hosting can assist in developing children’s patience and resilience, while enhancing social understanding, and acceptance. Life skills they acquire can be advantageous to them in all environments.

Make meal times easier!

EvieJ No Comments

Jul06

Make host family homestay meal times easier by serving buffet style or embracing one pot cooking. I have a family of five members and we often have 2 students, so 7 people are at my table. Plating up individually is too time-consuming and I find it often contributes to waste. So when I lay my table it pretty much comes straight from the stove. Everyone then serves themselves as much rice, meat, or vegetables as

How is homestay accommodation different to house share?

EvieJ No Comments

Jul02

In a house share arrangement every member of the house does their own cooking and cleaning. Often homestay Guests, who have experienced a house share, say the house is dirty or it’s difficult to use the kitchen. In a homestay arrangement the Host does all the cooking and cleaning. Guests are often willing to assist and become involved, especially with cooking, as it is a great learning opportunity for them. However, the role is that

When do I get paid?

EvieJ No Comments

Jul02

As soon as a Guest confirms they want your homestay accommodation we recommend that Hosts take a two-week deposit. This forms the first two weeks of fees, paid in advance. The room is then secured for the Guest and can’t be let to another Guest over the same dates. Guests gain peace of mind, Host family homestay providers also have the security of knowing a Guest is financially invested in the homestay. Homestay fees can

So how does Homestay Accommodation work?

EvieJ No Comments

Jun28

As a host family homestay provider of about 13 years, we’ve learnt that it’s far simpler than a lot of people expect. Essentially, all you’re doing, is adding an extra place setting to the dinner table and, including another person in the conversation. That’s it in the simplest form, obviously ground rules need to be laid for your guests. Perhaps there are times in the evening that you need quiet or, the duration of their

QUICK LINKS