Warmshowers is great for those of us with mature vertebra unhappy with tenting. At 78, my ninth tour since retirement is this summer and in the past, I normally seek and find nearly 50 hosts per year. I'm not a last-minute guy and always consider the host first. I plan my route and stops ahead of time, and make an online spreadsheet of all host contacts, whether it be Warmshowers, Couchsurfing, church, city mayor or offers as a result of articles by editors of newspapers along the way. There is lots of time spent sending emails to get it all arranged and keep people with progress reports.
Warmshowers folks are usually the best. One has to realize it takes a certain kind of person to allow a stranger into their home and I have never been disappointed. And if they are cyclists, they are a breed unto their own. That doesn't mean a few may not be without quirkiness. There is that, but it makes for good stories later on. On the other hand, most hosts are proud of their towns, hobbies and families. They want you to see them as they do. I've stayed in hogans and adobe pueblos on Native Indian Reservations, a treehouse from a TV show, motorhomes, a teepee, boats, etc. Even a jail cell (open) in Nevada. You name it, I've been there.
Because of the desire to involve their guests, I have white-water-rafted the Royal Gorge, danced with desert women, soared in a glider, ridden donkeys, had huge cyclist parties given in my honor, taken a motorcycle excursion, offered a short barge ride down the Mississippi from lock to lock, hiked and potluck dined with Rangers, climbed Devil's Tower, kayaked, paddle boarded, air boated a bayou swamp, caught fish for breakfast with a game warden, met hundreds of interesting people and many other firsts. Of course, if one is anti-social, this is not what you would be looking for.
Without hosting, very little of these experiences would have surfaced. I say one could count a million reasons why someone is unable to host to match your schedule. Keep your expectations low. My only complaint is 'no response' to a request, no matter who it is, and I let them know of my disappointment if that happens. An attention to manners keeps one civilized.
Couchsurfing has morphed into a college social look-at-me-site and backpacker haven searching for free room and board during concert season. Most do not host and the response rate has fallen to near zero. (Their parents neglected to train them properly.) I still run into some sharp folks through the organization but not many. Too bad.
I notice a number of people here whining about fees and donation money. I donate monthly because I owe them so much. Some campgrounds are $40-$50 while cheapo motels are over $60. (Maybe more this year.) Are you kidding me? You're complaining? I do feel guilty from hosting so little. But in my defense, I am on tour four to five months out of the year at the height of the touring season and during the winter months I'm only home off and on. Soon, circumstances may change due to age issues and I will be hosting a lot more than simply being just a guest.
I’ve learned that a bicycle tour is not just about beautiful sunsets and wonderful vistas. There are lofty reasons to take the time and energy to organize hosts along a nomadic cycling route. I have enjoyed and benefited greatly from the hospitality shone on past rides, having stayed in host homes in 46 States and 8 Canadian Provinces. The new set of eyes gained has been the backbone of my bicycle touring experiences. Cheap motels, stealth camping and campgrounds provide little social or cultural value: one is only passing through without making human contact. Residents are cultural reflections of an area and the real reason one is traveling. We grow through interaction, not through isolation.
I suppose what I'm saying is no one owes you anything. Make the effort to find hosts, it takes perseverance. And pay your way without complaint. Life is great as long as you have a considerate and positive attitude.
