Hosting Travelers

[donald.stewart.92]

We hosted our first cycle travelers last week. They were on the Atlantic Coast route and were slowed down by rain. They didn’t get as far as they needed and turned into my development. Luckily a neighbor was going out and directed them to a “a guy who bicycles a lot”. We opened our home to them.

The next morning I rode with them up 20 miles up to a difficult spot on Rte 46 @ Rte 80. To show them where you go the wrong way on a one way instead of a suicidal run on the highway.

I have seen cyclists on the Atlantic Coast route before.  It’s a 1/2 mile from my house.  I’m on a road parallel to River rd. Which is faster & less hilly but not scenic.   If you haven’t hosted cyclists before it’s a great experience.


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[hikerjer]

I have hosted cycle tourers numberous times both via Warm Showers and others I've just met on the road or around town. Each time has been an extremely positive experience.

[LouMelini]

Donald:  Thank you for reaching out and helping the cycle travelers. Going the extra mile by helping them navigate a safer alternative was nice of you. I have hosted many travelers going back to the late '70's. Currently, like hikerjer, I host from Warmshowers, a hosting organization that I was on the board of directors many years ago. All of my experiences have been great.

[Westinghouse]

I nearly sponsored a cyclist on the Atlantic coast route. Problem was, I was leaving on a bike tour at the same time. It is good that people sponsor bicycle travelers. After days in a tent it is nice to be able to kick back and relax a while. Motels in this area are quite expensive. I am about 12 or 15 miles off the route. From what I have seen, long-distance cyclists are a good lot, a cut above the rest. There should not be any reason for concerns.

There was a rumor about some people in this vicinity. Supposedly, they are locals on bikes and not cyclists. They, according to rumor, exploit hosts on couch surfing and cycling sites. Is it true? I have no idea, and those people are not bicycle tourists.

[LouMelini]

Westinghouse: When I was on the Warmshowers (WS) board, we had a dedicated "trust and safety" committee to deal with issues. We disabled a number of accounts due to reasons of exploitation and other issues. WS has not had the problems of Couchsurfing over the years. In one WS case about 8 years ago that claimed to be an Australian (?) bike traveler that had his wallet (money and ID) stolen. He used this scheme for a month or so in the Northwest to obtain money and lodging. Initially people went out of their way to help him. Finally as word spread on the WS forums he became banned and was no longer welcome by hosts. He tried to re-list on WS using other aliases but was spotted and had his profiles deleted.

 I am glad to see ACA have a relatively active forum. It seems Warmshowers communication is nearly 100% via Facebook so I am currently out of the loop of current issues.  It is always good to check for positive feedback on prospective guests as few post negative reviews.