African cultural home living is a specially designed program that gives tourists an opportunity to live with an African family. The program is ideal for those visiting Africa for a period of between 1 week to 3 months but don't want to spend a lot on expensive food and hotel accommodation.There are a number of African home stay agents to help you.

You will be accommodated in African homes either in the cities or in the countryside depending on your choice. You will be under no obligation to help your host with any work but you will be free to lend a hand in any kind of work that you would personally like to help in.However,you are encouraged to do voluntary work in the community.

In this kind of arrangement, you will have a chance to experience the kind of life that people in Africa go through every day. As such no special facilities are provided and you will live and eat like a real African.

Africa has a diverse rich culture, made from the customs, traditions and practices .While you will be visiting the continent, you will have a chance to live with a family and interact with the people from these different tribes and experience the richness of their culture.

Before your travel to Africa arrangements are made for a family to host you for the period you will be staying in the continent.The family will be introduced to you so that you can start communication before your arrival. You will have a chance to exchange information about each other and maybe exchange photos too. This will help you to get to know each other before your travel.
You will be accommodated in a separate room in the family house. Host homes are inspected for security,safety as well as family's to offer the minimum facilities for your comfortable living and catering for those personal requests that you may make.

However, you will be required to observe some basic family rules, like the latest time you can come into the house. This is for the sake of your security and the security of the family too.

Before your departure from your country, please make sure that you have the necessary insurance cover and tourist visa for the period of your stay in Africa.
On the date of your arrival , you are picked you from the airport and driven to the home of your host.

There are provisions for you to do affordable tours and excursions to game parks, museums and other sceneries that you would like to visit.
You will need to get yourself a cell phone to keep connected all the time.Some homes have Internet access and if not most of the homes are close to cyber cafes. The mode of transportable will be public as opposed to hired expensive tourist buses and cars.

Should you feel uncomfortable with your stay in your host's house, you are required to inform your African home stay agent immediately to change the host for you. If need be they will immediately move you to a guest-house or hotel before they find you another family to host you.

While you live with the host family, you will be required to pay the family a small amount as your contribution for food, accommodation and other services and facilities. The amount of your weekly contribution will depend on where your host family lives but will not exceed US $70.

If your interest is to have a practical experience of the African life and spend less, then African Home stay is the best option.

Learn more about this author, Peter Ongera.
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