Why I Don’t Host Travelers

Understandable - yet I’m amazed by how fascinating many Americans can be - from their stories travelling or otherwise, from their reading or personal experiences. After all, countries are made of people.

I have hosted oodles of travelers over the years; mostly Swiss and Germans. I still do, but much less frequently these days. It grows tiresome.

I think that I will send them over to Mary’s house from now on.

It’s a pretty simple explanation why you haven’t been contacted: Hospitality Club just isn’t that big in the states. When I lived in Philly, I was contacted twice, maybe, in a year. When I moved to Paris 7 months ago I started getting emails every day.

Since living in Europe, I’ve taken full advantage of Hospitality Club as a guest and host, and have been to one of their huge summer camps. It’s a wonderful organization, but it’s largely Europeans that use it. As an American in Portland, you won’t get many requests to host.. but if you travel around Europe, you can see how well it works. A friend of mine has been using HC exclusively for about 7 months of European traveling… I think she paid for accomidation twice.

but of course, there are many types of travelers. HC members tend to be the opposite of destination-specific, planned-out, highlighted maps types of people. Honestly, I used to be a much more “by the rules” type of traveler before I left the US too, but I’m glad to have leave that behind. Right now I’m writing from an HC member’s house in Budapest, with no idea about how or when I’ll get to my next destination, and no worries at all.

Thats awesome If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love a few stories about using HC, if you get the time! writers.bootsnall.com

When I travel I usually have a good reason to visit the place. So I do not consider myself a traveller with no plans. But nevertheless sometimes it happens that I go to a place and e.g. the friend that I am visiting has to work. I already used HC several times to find someone who shares the daytime with me, go out for a coffee or/and stoll around town. I have met wonderfully interesting people - even and above all in my own country - Germany.
But I have met HC members in Cuba and Dubai already and hope for a lot more…
It also depends on where you are living: is it a place where everyone dreams of going (Paris, Venice, London, New York) or a minor town or countryside… I live just 5 miles out of the center of a big town but hardly anyone asks for accomodation because the place is calles differently so noone is looking it up especially.

In HC there is the possibility of adding your name on the main page of the city you are living in (or the next bigger one) - everyone can edit this page and add something - and joining the “want more visitors” group

And yes: HC still has a European base (founder is German - so no wonder why the word has spread wider in Germany and Europe). But there are more and more members every day - it is up to each one to spread the word and invite others to join.

hey court,
i have had some good and bad experiences with hosting. i too get heaps of requests–mainly from the usa. the travelers don’t read my profile (i say ONE person maximum–i live in a nyc-small apt) and want to come with their wife and mother-in-law–literally. i had an excellent experience staying with someone in zurich–i had an amazing time and we became good friends–and i ended up hosting a friendly ozzie last month who stayed a bit too long but we were good friends by the end of it.