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<< Cultural Homestay International

CHI World Explorers Program, Travel Abroad on a Budget

TRAVEL THE WORLD.
MAKE FRIENDS.
HAVE FUN!

An affordable, life-changing experience.

As a World Explorer, you can go to over 20 countries and stay with a host family for one, two or three months. The World Explorers program allows everyone, even budget travelers, to experience the excitement of living abroad. We can even help you design a unique Gap Year experience by combining multiple programs in different destinations for up to 12 months of travel.

Highlights of the World Explorers Program

Requirements to become a World Explorer

Be at least 18 years old

Be a high school graduate

Be flexible and adaptable to a different culture

Be respectful of your host family’s rules

Be a fluent English speaker * from the United States, Canada, UK, Australia, or New Zealand. Residents from other countries may only be considered if they are completely fluent in English

What you will be doing?

In our program, you will share your native language with your hosts for 15 hours a week in exchange for a clean and comfortable room! The goal for your family is to practice their conversational English. This is not about teaching them reading, writing, and grammar. To them, this program is about engaging in conversation and feeling comfortable communicating in English with you. No prior teaching experience is necessary!

Engage in fun, casual activities with your hosts

These casual English conversation lessons usually run five days a week, three hours a day. CHI provides you with tutoring materials, but most of our hosts that are learning English as a second language (ESL) simply want to practice speaking English with a native speaker. Every host family is unique and no two placements are the same. You will help your hosts gain confidence in speaking English with you in a comfortable and familiar setting. We encourage you to think outside of the box when teaching English to your host family. Go for a walk in the park, take a trip to the local market, watch a Hollywood movie, or even listen to popular music. It’s that fun and easy!

Traveling abroad on a budget with safety in mind

We work with trusted overseas partners in over 20 countries to place our travelers in the best homestays possible. We work on your behalf to provide you and your host family with a rewarding experience. This includes a diligent application process, interviews, and orientations to ensure that you and your host family enjoy a safe and exciting cultural experience while matching your specific needs. In addition, both organizations provide you with the staff, here and abroad, to support you for the entire length of your stay. All of these perks are offered for a nominal fee, necessary to keep us, a non-profit organization, in business.

Experience you can trust

Benefits of the World Explorers Program

World Explorers takes your average vacation to another level. Let us send you on an exciting trip tailored just for you. Forget staying in overpriced hotels and only doing “touristy” things when you can explore a new culture and live like a local. You will be welcomed into the home of a loving host family that is excited to show you their local customs and way of life. You will eat traditional home-cooked meals with your host family and experience their unique cuisine. Your hosts will be thrilled to show you around town and introduce you to their friends and extended family. We encourage you to get involved with the local community and meet as many locals as possible!

Our goal is for you to have a fun and life-changing experience abroad. We want you to get out there and explore new places,  exchange your language and culture, and live abroad like a local. We are not a travel agency, we are in the business of changing lives. This one to three-month cultural exchange experience is intended to take you out of your comfort zone and immerse you into another world. We hope that you will make lifelong friendships and experience things you’ve never even imagined possible.
This experience is so much better than if you’d decided to stay home and watch the Travel Channel. Read what former World Explorers said about their experience.

If you’ve ever thought about teaching English abroad, the World Explorers program is the perfect way to gain valuable teaching skills that may prepare you for a future career. Think of it as a stepping stone that can lead to getting a paid position teaching English overseas. As a World Explorer, you will give 15 hours of informal English lessons to different members of your host family every week. We provide you with excellent tutoring materials that you can download and bring with you on your trip. But remember, the goal for your family is to practice their conversational English and improve their speaking ability. This is not about  teaching them reading, writing and grammar from a text book. To them, this program is about engaging in conversation and feeling comfortable communicating in English with you. We want you to be creative and have fun with the lessons.

Foreign language students are ideal candidates for the World Explorers program. Language immersion programs are the best way to become fluent in another language. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you pick up new vocabulary and gain confidence in your speaking skills when you live abroad. Most of us studied a foreign language in high school or college but never really got the chance to become fluent. Here’s where World Explorers comes in. The opportunity to live with a host family abroad can allow you to put what you remember from your foreign language classes to use on a daily basis. Your host family will be excited to teach you their  language and even pick up some slang words. While you are not required to speak the local language, it can be helpful. Language courses can also be arranged through our partner agency once you arrive at your destination if desired.

Past participants have been able to receive college credit for the number of hours they tutor English overseas. Others have been able to fulfill a study abroad or internship requirement. Others have traveled with World Explorers to conduct an anthropological case study or to complete a cross-cultural understanding component of their education. Some people have even taken online courses through their university back home while they are overseas. Since you only need to teach English to your host family for 15 hours per week, you have plenty of time to study in your free time. Imagine getting your degree while living in another country! We are always happy to talk to your college or university to help you earn credit for your World Explorers experience abroad.

Looking to take a break from studying and gain some real life experience to add to your resume before you go away to college? Let World Explorers plan your gap year! Gap years are used as a way for high school students to become independent and learn a great deal of responsibility prior to engaging in university life. Our experienced staff can help you plan the perfect gap year adventures based on your specific needs.For example, you could spend three months in three different countries (nine months total) before you even start college! But don’t worry, you don’t need to be a student to apply for the World Explorers program. Some people also take a gap year to travel after graduating from college or when changing career paths. Applicants of all ages are welcome to apply!

Do you work from your laptop at home or in a cafe? Why not communicate with your clients from overseas? Since most business is done electronically these days, you can combine your current job while traveling abroad with the World Explorers program. Most of our host families have fast internet access in their homes, allowing you to work from the comfort of your “new” home. If you have a passport and aren’t afraid to use it, you could be earning money while living in another country!

Everyone knows that traveling takes courage. World Explorers offers you an experience of a lifetime that will stand out on paper. Add “Private Language Tutor” to your resume to highlight your overseas experience. You may also list the foreign language skills you acquired during your program. Employers like to see that you are able to get out of your comfort zone and face a challenge. Upon completion of your World Explorers program, you will receive a formal letter of recommendation and an official certificate stating the number of hours you taught English overseas. Past participants have said that the confidence they gained traveling with World Explorers helped them land their dream job after returning home.

Living in another country is a life changing experience, and you will definitely feel different once you return home. After you’ve been abroad and loved it, we are certain you are going to want to tell others to do the same. You can join the World Explorers alumni group where you can keep in touch with other travelers like yourself through social media and in person. We offer incentives for spreading the word. You can even earn a free program by promoting traveling with World Explorers to friends and peers. CHI has worked with over 250,000 travelers from 103 countries since 1980. We welcome you to join the CHI family as a World Explorer!

AS A WORLD EXPLORER, YOU WILL ENJOY:

Benefits of traveling on a budget with CHI World Explorers

Our Host Families

World Explorers 1

Our host families volunteer to open their homes to you and welcome you in as a member of their family.

This means they truly want to share their language and culture with you while learning about your language and culture at the same time. Instead of paying for language courses, our host families believe that hosting a native English speaker is a better way to learn the language and make friendships that last forever. In exchange for room and board, you are required to tutor your hosts in English for 15 hours per week. It’s your job to assess the level of each family member upon arrival and work closely with them to meet their individual needs. We will offer you tutoring materials to help you prepare for the lessons before you depart. But remember, you don’t need to stay indoors doing grammar exercises out of a textbook. Everyday conversation is oftentimes the best way to become fluent. We encourage you to learn the local language as well!

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS, EXPLORE AS YOU WISH

You’ll have plenty of time to explore the local culture and see the sites of your World Explorers destination when you aren’t teaching English to your host family. Take a look at this breakdown:

1 Week
168 Hours
Tutoring English to Your Host Family
15/wk
Sleep Time
49 (7 hours/night)
Your Total Free Time
104 hours to explore as you wish

As a World Explorer, you can see there is no shortage of free time. That’s why it is essential for you to be independent enough to be able to explore on your own. Whether you prefer to visit museums, sign up for language or cooking classes, or simply lounge on the beach, the outcome of your World Explorers program is ultimately up to you. Our overseas partners are always happy to recommend different activities for you to fill your days when you are not tutoring English. Past travelers have had the opportunity to help out in a local school, lend a hand in our partner’s office, and even lead an English conversation group for university students. We urge you to explore new places, exchange your language and culture, and experience life abroad as a local. We want you to have fun!

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!
Are you ready for a life-changing experience? What country would you like to visit? Our team of travel experts can design a travel plan to best suit your needs.

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