As a long-term nomad, I have stayed in a LOT of different places. One of the most memorable was a homestay on Ataúro Island in Timor-Leste.

Families on Ataúro are opening their homes to visitors in an effort to generate a new income stream for their community, which is in the midst of change. I spent two weeks in a homestay on Ataúro while working with conservation NGO Blue Ventures last spring.

Read my story about this experience and meet a few of these pioneering families on the Blue Ventures’ blog Beyond Conservation.