Hosting Visitors

Home Hospitality:  Dinner Hosting

Dinner hosting is a chance for World Affairs Council members and Greater Seattle residents to spend a casual afternoon or evening with international visitors. It is an opportunity to meet new friends and learn about other cultures by welcoming international visitors into your home and sharing your experience as an American in the Pacific Northwest. We ask that hosts provide transport to and from the hotel where the visitors are staying, if at all possible, and be supportive of any dietary restrictions a visitor may have.

If you are interested in becoming a dinner host, please fill out this survey and please email it to Nadine Shaw, Program Officer, International Visitor Program or mail it to the address listed in the form.

Home Hospitality:  Home Stays

Occasionally, the World Affairs Council hosts youth exchange or professional visitors who would like to stay overnight at the home of a local family.  Home stays usually range from one night up to two weeks.  In the last year home stay hosts welcomed Russian judges, Brazilian and Iraqi youth, and Indonesian environmental policy experts into their homes.  Home stays provide the unique opportunity to share your home and lifestyle with an international visitor and while giving the visitor a unique window into the daily lives of Americans.

If you are interested in becoming a home stay host please see current opportunities and please email Nadine Shaw, Program Officer, International Visitor Program if you are interested.

Professional Hosting

Professional hosting is a chance for Puget Sound-based professionals to meet international colleagues in their field of interest. It is an excellent opportunity for a mutual exchange which educates both parties and often yields long-standing business and personal contacts. Meetings typically last one hour but various types of arrangements can be made to incorporate site visits, observations, trainings, interviews, and more.

If you are interested in being a professional host to international visitors, or would like to meet with a specific visitor, please contact Nadine Shaw, Program Officer, International Visitor Program. Information on upcoming visitors is updated in the blog.