Warm Showers is a website for people to provide and receive housing while on a bicycle tour. Many people go on tours on their bike, and either bring camping materials or need a place to stay. In some parts of the country it can even be hard to find a place to set up a tent. Warm Showers is the site for people to go to when they are on their bike and would like a bed to sleep in or a place to camp. Anybody can be a host, and any cyclist can stay.
Warm Showers is a reciprocal hospitality site. This means that if you sign up to find a place to stay, that you will eventually be a host. It is okay if you cannot currently host, but sometime in the future they expect you to be able to. This system works well because without hosts, there would be no warm showers. Currently there are 38,456 active hosts, and 62,152 active members in over 150 countries, with Warm Showers translating the site into 14 languages.
Ken Francis, a board member on Warm Showers, shared a quote about his experiences: “Let me just say that I am the person I am today because of the experiences and opportunities that were given to me when I was traveling on a bicycle in my 20s. This is why I enjoy hosting: helping people out and giving them local experiences such as hiking kayaking barbecues with friends and outings to Disneyland. I take pictures of all my guests and pass them along to them so that they can have memories for years and years to come. So in essence I’m giving back to all that have given to me so much in the past.” Hosts and cyclists share a bond that is hard to find elsewhere. Board member Lou Melini says that ” If you have traveled on a bike for a few months, you would understand the luxury it is to have a roof over your head” and as a host you get to provide that simple luxury. Cyclists are always grateful for the meals and beds that hosts provide.
With Websites like Warm Showers are helping people in our world become more hospitable and encouraging the ease of bicycle touring. Many would agree that the best way to see and interact with the environment is by getting out of the car, and hiking or biking. Join the bicycle community and see the geography around you and get a warm shower while you’re at it!
Written by Elise Mazur, 7/7/2015