One of the outgrowths of social media are websites that allow people to meet online and stay in each others houses while on vacation. One of the most popular sites for fostering these types of arrangements is Couchsurfing.org.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Latin America blogger Tracy Barnett used Couchsurfing to find a place to stay in Guatemala City.

I experienced what it was like to be a guest in a homestay arrangement when I was taking a one-week language immersion class in Guatemala last month.

Homestays are an affordable alternative to staying in a hotel. They can also be a good way to meet people in the place you’re visiting.

But, the arrangements present challenges for both the guest and the host. In the Washington Post’s travel section last Sunday, Nancy Trejos described some of the pitfalls of living with a perfect stranger.

Among the problems is the uncertainty over how friendly guest and host should behave toward one another. Trejos recounts how awkwardness ensued after her guest ate dinner at a neighborhood restaurant with her and a friend and the conversation was lacking. She interviews another couch surfer who says that the family she stayed with asked her to help their daughter complete her homework.

There’s also a high likelihood of serious inconveniences. For example, a woman staying with Trejos didn’t arrive until 1 am.

I noticed these problemas with homestay arrangements when I was in Guatemala:

• Coming and going can be tricky. I was given a set of keys so I could come and go as I wished during the day. But at night, the family used the “super lock” on for the gate in front of their driveway. The later I stayed out, the more inconvenient it would be for whoever had to come out and disengage the super lock.
• Food options are limited. Food was built into the price of my homestay. The idea is to experience the local culture my eating what the locals eat. But if you don’t like what the locals happen to be eating on a particular night, it would be difficult to ask for something else without ruffling a few feathers.
• Syncing schedules can be difficult. Besides the language barrier, I came to realize that we were on different schedules. No one was home when I returned from school around 6pm. I was starving, so I ate a few tacos at a nearby restaurant. Awaiting me when I returned was a heaping plate of homemade chow mein. It took me until the last few days of my stay to realize that lunch tended to be the best meal of the day.
• The friendliness factor. While the family made efforts to talk to me during meal times, there was no common area where we could spend time together and watch TV etc.

But there were these advantages too:

• when the family members were around, I got to practice my Spanish and learn what it’s like to live in Guatemala. We talked about the country’s 36-year civil war, some of the dangers that still exist, and other topics such as the differences between Guatemaltecos and Mexicans
• the food, especially lunch, was generally good.
• living with locals helped me become oriented in a new city faster than I would have on my own.
• they took great care to make sure I made it on my flight home. I had to leave at 3:45am and their son called a cab and waited with me.

What are your homestay experiences?

Photo by ktylerconk (Via Creative Commons)

Remember to subscribe to Travelojos  via e-mail or RSS feed.

Got a question or comment? E-mail me at travelojos AT gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter at @Travelojos

I flew Continental airlines for my trip to Mexico last year and Guatemala this year.

On both trips I re-entered the U.S. in Houston, which is a major hub for Continental. From Houston, I had a connecting flight to D.C.

After landing in Houston, all passengers on international flights must go through customs, pick up their bags and then re-check them for the connecting flight.

Both times I almost missed my connecting flight home because the:

• line for customs was long and moved slowly,
• designated gates for connecting flights were changed, and
• airport is huge (Houston is the fourth largest airport in the U.S. and the sixth largest in the world).

Apparently, I’m not the only one whose noticed this about Houston International.  Here are a couple of comments I found on an online  forum about airports:

Terrible airport in almost all respects. We were in transit from London to Mexico and, even with over 2hrs to spare, almost missed our connecting flight – how can a hub airport be quite so bad? Connection was less of a problem on return journey which left us looking for anything that might resemble half-decent catering or shopping – no chance.

This one is even worse:

We had a 2 hour layover coming in from Mexico. It was not enough time to clear immigration and customs. The worst part was with 20 minutes to flight time the officials seemed to want us to miss our flights. They thought it was funny that we were very anxious. My cousin told the official we had ten minutes to catch or flight and was immediately pulled out of line for an extra customs check, where she was held for 10 minutes before one of the 5 people not doing anything finally got around to searching her. As a result we missed of flight and had to spend the night in Houston. We were one of hundreds of people who missed their flights due to inefficiency. After we missed the flight we stood in line with all those people while one agent did all of the rebooking. We ended up going to departures and having a continental agent help us rebook for the next day. We just barely got on a flight. Had we stayed in the line down in customs I am confident we would have not gotten home the next day. We were told by many employees that this happens all the time.

Have you had any nightmare airport experiences?

Photo by Marina Avila (Via Creative Commons)

Remember to subscribe to Travelojos  via e-mail or RSS feed.

Got a question or comment? E-mail me at travelojos AT gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter at @Travelojos

After arriving at the airport in Guadalajara, Mexico last summer, I withdrew some pesos from an ATM in the terminal so we could take a taxi to our hotel.

It all went according to plan. The ATM accepted my card, I got the cash we needed, and no one bothered me.

But one thing I hadn’t counted on was how conspicuous I would be. By U.S. standards, Guadalajara has a small airport. After we collected our luggage and made it through customs, we walked through a door into the main terminal. Looking back at us were about 35 people asking us if we needed a ride. All the other passengers on our flight, seemed to have disappeared into the city. It was just us and the ride givers.

As I headed over to the ATM, I could feel their eyes watching me. “They all know I’m carrying cash now,” I thought to myself, as I punched in my PIN in the ATM and felt beads of sweat form above my lip.

Last week I finally figured out how to avoid this problem.

You can order most types of foreign currency from your bank before your trip. I could do this online through my bank, which mailed cash to my house two days after my order.

The exchange rate isn’t so good, so I only ordered enough cash to get me comfortably from the airport to where I’ll be staying.

With quetzals in my wallet, I’ll have one less thing to worry about in Guatemala.

Remember to subscribe to Travelojos  via e-mail or RSS feed.

Got a question or comment? E-mail me at travelojos AT gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter at @Travelojos

Here are some tips for preparing for or experiencing your next travel adventure in Latin America.

• Five Ways to Immerse Yourself in Spanish at Home
• The Bus: A Cheap Comfortable Way to See Mexico (and other countries in Latin America)
• Expats’ Secrets for Avoiding Montezuma’s Revenge
• A Guide to Sleeping in Latin American Airports
• Some Tips on Tipping in Restaurants in Latin America
• Five Reasons to Stay at a B&B in Latin America
• Seven Tips for Finding a Spanish Language School
• Avoiding Bank Fees
• Finding and Enjoying Local Food Sources

Now that Google has released Google Maps for Mexico, planning trips and getting around Mexico should be much easier.

The maps allow users to search specific sites or businesses. They also feature overlays showing photographs, Wikipedia entries, and videos for many points of interest. It’s also possible to highlight public transportation options for each destination.

Even better, Mexico will be the first country in Latin America to have Google’s Street View feature, which allows the user to view a map as if they were virtually standing on a street. The release of this feature is highly anticipated. Just search the hashtag #googlemapsmx on Twitter and you’ll see what I mean.

Street View will initially be available in seven cities–Monterrey, Guadalajara, Ciudad de México, Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and Cancún, according to VatorNews. Street View Mexico (a view from the U.S./Mexico border)
Click Here for Google Street View

Plaza de la Constitución, Centro Histórico, Mexico City,‎

Ver mapa más grande

Parque Aqua Azul, Guadalajara

Ver mapa más grande

Here are five practical tips to ensure that your next journey goes smoothly:

Find a good deal on an apartment. If you’re planning to visit a month or two, renting an apartment will be less expensive than staying at a hotel. The Family Hack blog tells you how to find an apartment and use your temporary stay to negotiate a cheap rent.  The basic strategy is to begin your trip at a hotel. From there, you check out the local newspapers listings for apartment rentals. Don’t understand the language? Get the hotel staff to help you.

Keep key documents on hand and quickly access important information. Tickets, money, passport, address of destination, and prescription medicines are the five key things you need to keep on hand while traveling, according to the 43 Folders blog. Also carry a paper in your wallet that lists important numbers such as your health insurance id, credit card company phone numbers, and passport and driver’s license numbers.

Use your cell phone camera to never forget your hotel room number or which rental car is yours. You get the picture? This blog suggests numerous ways to use your camera phone to boost your memory.

Document your travel expenses. Check out this tutorial the corporate hack blog on implementing a foolproof system for saving all of your receipts.

Know how to say key emergency phrases in another language. When you’re under pressure, is your Spanish as shaky as mine? If so, this Web site suggests translating key emergency phrases beforehand. Phrases to know in advance include travel classics such as: “help”, “stop”, and “I need a taxi.”

Photo by Saad.Akhtar