Homestay Promo Code 2026: €20 Travel Credit

Booking on Homestay starts by defining your project: destination city, arrival and departure dates, and stay type (tourism, study, internship). The platform shows the host families available in your city, with each host's detailed profile.

Each host-family listing shows photos of the home and room, the amenities (meals included or not, kitchen access, wifi, laundry), house rules, the distance from the city centre or language school, and reviews from previous guests.

Once you've chosen a family, you can contact the host directly via the platform's messaging before booking — to ask questions, check mutual expectations and make sure the home suits your needs. The booking and payment are then finalised on the Homestay platform.

The main benefit Homestay offers is its referral programme: anyone who signs up and books via your referral link receives €20 travel credit. This €20 applies directly to their first booking — a welcome discount on a first stay.

For the referrer (who shares the link), Homestay also offers a reward after the referee's successful booking. These amounts and conditions vary by current campaign — check your account area for the exact terms when sharing your link.

The weekly and monthly rates are the second form of discount: Homestay automatically offers tiered prices for long stays. For a 3-month internship abroad or a 4-week language stay, the monthly rate can be 20 to 30% lower than the multiplied nightly rate. Check Expedia for return flights and Cybevasion for accommodation alternatives.

Here are the main discounts available on Homestay:

Homestay is an international platform — rates are in euros or local currency depending on the destination. Check the exchange rate if you book outside the euro zone.

Homestay is aimed at three main profiles. Language students: learning a language in the destination country while living with a family that speaks it is the most effective method — and Homestay is specially designed for this, with hosts used to welcoming learners of all nationalities.

Interns and young professionals abroad: for a 3 to 6-month internship, living with a host is often cheaper than a student residence or a flat-share, and the platform offers a safe living environment with daily human contact.

Finally, travellers seeking authentic cultural immersion: unlike a hotel, staying with a host lets you live at the local pace, taste home cooking, get neighbourhood tips and build lasting bonds with locals. A unique format that hotel platforms can't reproduce.

On Homestay, accommodation options include different service levels depending on the host. The room only (no meals) gives access to the room and generally the shared spaces (living room, shared kitchen, bathroom) — the most flexible and cheapest option.

The room with breakfast is the most common middle option: the host prepares the morning meal, letting you start the day with the family and easing language learning in a natural setting.

Half board (breakfast + dinner) is ideal for intensive language stays: family meals are particularly effective moments for language exchange. This option costs more but is generally significantly cheaper than a hotel + restaurant over the same period.

Homestay offers more than 55,000 rooms with hosts in 160 countries. The most in-demand destinations are those attracting the most language learners: the UK and Ireland (London, Manchester, Dublin) for English, Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Seville) for Spanish, Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver) for French and English, and the United States (New York, Los Angeles, Boston) for American English.

Homestay also lists hosts across continental Europe in capital and university cities — a popular option for international students on Erasmus or internships.

Beyond language stays, hosts are available in classic tourist destinations — Bali, Thailand, Japan, Morocco — for travellers wanting authentic cultural immersion at rates often below small local hotels.

How does Homestay compare to alternatives for staying with a host?

Homestay is unmatched for language-learning and cultural-immersion stays. For short tourist stays, Airbnb or hotels remain more suitable.

Homestay.com is an Irish platform specialising in host-family accommodation since 2013. It has become a reference for language stays and cultural immersion, with more than 55,000 verified hosts in 160 countries.

Strengths: the human quality of the experience — living with a family that speaks the target language is unrivalled for language progress. The platform verifies hosts and collects reviews from former guests to guarantee a minimum of reliability. The ability to contact a host before booking is reassuring and helps check compatibility.

Watch-out: Homestay is very oriented toward long stays — for a 2-night weekend, most hosts require a minimum of 5 to 7 nights. If you want flexible accommodation for a few nights, Expedia or Abritel will suit better.

Before confirming your booking, a few points deserve attention. Most Homestay hosts require a minimum stay: 1 week for tourist stays, 4 weeks for intensive language stays. Check this condition on the host's listing.

The €20 referral credit applies only to the referee's first booking — it expires if you don't use it within a defined period. Check the credit's conditions at booking so you don't lose it.

Finally, compatibility with the host is essential for a successful stay: use the pre-booking messaging to clarify schedules, house rules (pets, guests, smoking) and your daily habits. A homestay that starts on a misunderstanding can be hard to live with day to day.

Peak demand on Homestay matches the big waves of language stays: June-July-August for school and university students on holiday, and September-October for new academic terms. In these periods, the best hosts in major language cities (London, Dublin, Barcelona) fill up several months ahead.

For a stay in the UK (the most in-demand destination), book your ideal host 3 to 4 months before arrival in high season — popular hosts (the best-rated, those offering meals included) go first.

The low season (November to March outside school holidays) offers the best rates and the most availability — host families are less in demand and sometimes grant spontaneous discounts to keep their rooms occupied. Ideal for long-term internships.