Jamaican Host Family - How To Find One

by Ed
(Albuquerque, NM, USA)

QUESTION about finding a Jamaican Host Family:

Hi My name is Ed. I have never been to Jamaica before but I have plans on going there.

But there is one thing I can't stand... It's traveling as a tourist. I would like to find a family that lives in a typical Jamaican neighborhood.

My goal is to get a real feel for everyday Jamaican life.

Are there any programs that anyone knows of that they could refer me to? Hanging out in the tourist traps is just plain boring.

ANSWER, By Wellesley, Mar 29.

Hi Ed, Thanks again for your interest in Jamaica and for your deeper interest in getting to and sharing the true Jamaican 'roots' and culture.

I perfectly understand and appreciate your preferences. After that that is what the the real Jamaican experience is all about.

And actually, this might be a bit easier than most persons might think! In addition to the fact that there are now several international agencies and projects that facilitates these processes, there are also local agencies that promotes this arrangement.

HERE ARE SOME POSSIBLE OPTIONS:

1. The Jamaica Tourist Board's 'Meet The People' program is one of such and was created with these objectives in mind. You can learn more about it here, read testimonies here or sign up here.
   
   
2. The http://www.projects-abroad.org/ project is another popular one.
   
   In this program, visitors actually reside directly with Jamaican families.
   
   You can find some of the stories here.
   
   
3. There is also another increasing oopular program called https://www.homestay.com.
   
   That one seems to operate like a villa, but with even more of the local flavour.
   
   Typically these persons agree to allow visitors to stay at their residence for a time for a fee.
   
   
4. And finally, http://www.workaway.info
   
   This option allows host families to register their homes/families and thereby allowing others to find them via searches.
   
   It is a global trend and so you should be able to find results for Jamaican families as well.
   

All programs seems to have built in procedures to ensure the safely and security of the host and guest but we'll still recommend due diligence and common sense in any of the above arrangements.

I hope you (and others interested) found this information helpful. Good luck!

And if you do, please don't hesitate to share it using the links below.

Regards,
Wellesley Gayle

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