Warmshowers.org

[Shaula]

I know there has been a plug in the past for warmshowers.org but wanted to let you guys know that my husband and I signed up and are expecting our first cyclist Saturday. He's cycling from Greensboro, NC to Tampa, Florida and will be stopping by our south Georgia home. When he gets to Tampa, he will be flying to Haiti, working for SOIL. Should be interesting. Will fill you in on the visit!

[Melalvai]

That sounds like so much fun. I should look to see if there's already a thread on this first...but the lazy way is to ask if others have experiences with Warm Showers to share? I haven't used or offered it, don't really plan to, just curious.

[Aggie_Ama]

My husband was too weirded out by the concept to let us sign up. I think it is so cool you are helping a traveler.

[Biciclista]

we had a couple of young men show up who had started their ride in North Carolina (we live in Seattle) it was fun..

[brianne]

After a friend told me about Warmshowers.org, I signed up for it and about two months later hosted my first (and so far only) guest. He was so nice and had such great stories to tell, though his trip had only started a week before. He wasn't in too much of a rush, so I invited him to stay another night, and during his "day off" we went on a 30-mile ride to some nearby wineries. It was definitely a worthwhile experience and I can't wait to host another cyclist!

[AnnieBikes]

I am a member of both Warmshowers and Couchsurfing. We have hosted the most wonderful people via these sites for the past two years. I cannot say enough good about them. Couchsurfing tends to be used by a younger crowd, who travel the world, doing it on the cheap, and wanting a safe place to stay. The website is very easy to navigate and allows the maximum amount of scrutiny for your potential visitors. It allows you, as a host, to "verify" your identity for a fee and I highly recommend that. You can read references for the people who ask to stay with you and you are under NO obligation to accept anyone. I have occasionally turned down someone who joined the website the day before who wants to stay for some event in my area...say for the NASCAR race, as we have a track here. Bristol also has a very popular music festival in the fall and I get MANY requests for that, but I usually have family or friends here and have no room! We have mostly hosted people passing through the area but often they have a cycling connection.

Warmshowers seems to cater much more to cyclists and indeed, all of the people we have hosted via WS have been on a bike trip. We are within 1/2 hour of the Adventure Cycling Transamerica route and have picked up cyclists for a layover day here...for laundry, R&R, food, and friendship. We have had quite a few cyclists this summer and most are members of both sites. WS is harder to navigate and less easy to check out references though the information is definitely available. We have hosted fewer people via this site than CS but both are reputable sites and most people are members of both and with more members on CS, that seems to be where many of our guests originate. With due diligence regarding the length of time people have been members and with references there is nothing to fear. It is a wonderful way to meet some incredibly interesting people. With a 4 BR home and all children flown the coop, we are happy to share our home when we are here with people who are traveling. I hope to use the site for the long cycling trip we have planned in the future when DH and I are able to leave town together!

I can highly recommend it as a way to meet people, and again, you are under no obligation to accept someone. You can always be "busy" that night! This summer we have hosted four sets of visitors, most on bicycles, and two through CS and two through WS. Some were from the US, two from Poland, two from Italy, and one from Austria. The guy from Austria was delightful, taking a sabbatical from work to ride across America. We ended up riding with him for about 25 miles the morning he left before turning back towards our home!

If you want to see how it works, our user name is Rocky Road and Annie for both sites. You can go to the sites but I do think you have to log in to see the profiles. You will not get an actual address or phone number unless you make a request to stay with us! Then the information goes out with our acceptance of the request to visit. If you have any other questions, I am happy to share my experiences. Obviously, if you do not live "on the beaten path" you will have fewer calls, but we had a lady come to a Regional Lions Club meeting and stayed with us. So you never know who will make a request! It really is interesting...kind of like a free bed and breakfast and we like doing it...pay it forward! Someday we or our family will benefit.

[Tri Girl]

My husband was too weirded out by the concept to let us sign up.

Mine, too!

[AnnieBikes]

Please reconsider!! It is not weird at all. The people are really great. Check out their references and give it a try. You can tell by their references if you want to host them or not!!! The people who might really "weird you out" do not even know about these sites!!! You communicate with them by email and/or phone before they even know where you live and if you do not like the sound of them...you are busy that weekend and can't host them. That has not happened to us except as I mentioned above in my post...the ones that join for a specific event. That is not the spirit of the sites.

[Tri Girl]

Perhaps one day we will. I know where my DH's worry stems from. One of my family members (who I totally trusted) stayed a weekend with us and stole from us (money and jewelry). He thinks that if family does that- a stranger might, too. I understand his concerns, but you don't even have to let them sleep or be alone in your house, do you? They can camp in the backyard, right?