Cover photograph: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 — A traveler sharing a meal with a Sherpa family in Tengboche, Nepal

Hospitality Exchange

Compiled from Trustroots Wiki (formerly Couchwiki) and related projects: Casa Robino, ideas.trustroots.org, hospitalityguide.net (CC-BY), and — with permission — OpenCouchSurfing.

About 30 named people have edited the wiki chapters in this edition, plus anonymous edits. Trustroots Wiki as a whole has several hundred accounts with edits; this book only reprints a slice. Other sources in the volume have their own authors.

License of this book: CC-BY-SA-4.0. Software discussed later remains AGPL (Trustroots), GPL-2.0 (BeWelcome/rox), and MIT (Couchers code, not branding).

This edition starts with practice (how to host and visit on any network), then the networks themselves. Network-specific guidance, history, and governance are grouped with BeWelcome, Trustroots, Couchers, Servas, Hospitality Club, CouchSurfing, or the project they describe. Part III collects country, regional, city, and rural hospitality pages. Part IV looks forward: experiments people can try themselves, related projects, shared software, research, and peer-to-peer proposals. This is not a scrape of CouchSurfing.com. A 2005 Hospitality Club mailing (WikiLeaks file name 2009) is discussed under Hospitality Club; the leaked text itself is not copied into this book.

Part I — Practice

Hospitality exchange is the same motion on every network: say who you are, ask clearly, host when you can, leave the place better than you found it. The pages that follow are that motion without a logo attached — profiles, requests, safety, camps, rural stays.

Which site you use comes after this. If you only read one section before you send a first request, read this one.

Part II — Networks

The practice is shared. The clubs are not. Each network has its own history, software, and habits — BeWelcome’s membership democracy, Trustroots’ circles and map, Couchers’ newer non-profit stack, Servas on paper, Hospitality Club as a founder’s site.

Chapters sit under the network they belong to. A list of projects and a short note on how the free networks are built come last. This book is not a scrape of CouchSurfing.com.

Part III — Places

Hospitality exchange happens somewhere. These country, regional, city, and rural pages collect local context: how hospitality networks are used in a place, how travellers meet hosts, and what a guest should know before arriving.

Some details come from older community pages and may have changed. Follow the source link at the end of a chapter for the live wiki version.

Part IV — Future

Hospitality exchange is unfinished. Its future will not be decided only by the largest platform or the newest software. It will also be shaped by people who host, visit, organize locally, document what they learn, and try small ideas of their own.

Start with an experiment small enough to do. Host once. Visit someone nearby. Organize a meal or a rural weekend. Try two networks and write down what works differently. Improve a wiki page. Help a free network with moderation, translation, design, governance, or code. Share what you learn so the next person does not have to begin from zero.

The chapters that follow offer starting points: practical experiments, academic questions, related projects, the software behind free networks, and proposals for more decentralized hospitality exchange.

The concept of Hospitality Exchange, also known as “accommodation sharing”, “hospitality services” (short “hospex”), and “home stay networks”, refers to centrally organized social networks of individuals, generally travelers, who offer or seek accommodation without monetary exchange. Generally, these services connect users via the internet.

History

In 1949, Bob Luitweiler founded the first hospitality service called Servas Open Doors as a cross national, non-profit, volunteer run organization advocating interracial and international peace. In 1965, John Wilcock set up the Traveler's Directory as a listing of his friends willing to host each other when traveling. In 1988, Joy Lily rescued the organization from imminent shutdown, forming Hospitality Exchange. In 2000, Veit Kuhne founded Hospitality Club, the first widely known Internet-based service (many others existed since the late 90s but never reached the high number of users that HC reached). In 2004, Casey Fenton started CouchSurfing, now the largest hospitality exchange organization.

How they work

Generally, after registering, members have the option of providing very detailed information and pictures of themselves and of the sleeping accommodation being offered, if any. The more information provided by a member improves the chances that someone will find the member trustworthy enough to be their host or guest. Names and addresses may be verified by volunteers. Members looking for accommodation can search for hosts using several parameters such as age, location, gender, and activity level. Home stays are entirely consensual between the host and guest, and the duration, nature, and terms of the guest's stay are generally worked out in advance to the convenience of both parties. No monetary exchange takes place except under certain circumstances (e.g. the guest may compensate the host for food). After using the service, members can leave a noticeable reference about their host or guest.

Instead of or in addition to accommodation, members also offer to provide guide services or travel-related advice. The websites of the networks also provide editable travel guides and forums where members may seek travel partners or advice. Many such organizations are also focused on "social networking" and members organize activities such as camping trips, bar crawls, meetings, and sporting events.

Some networks cater to specific niche markets such as students, activists, religious pilgrims, and even occupational groups like police officers.

Benefits

Monetary savings

As these networks provide accommodation at no charge, monetary savings can be significant.

Local contact

Hospitality exchange gives travelers the chance to experience what life is like for people living in other places. In addition, making interpersonal connections and fostering understanding of different cultures may in the long run also be important to international relations. During hospitality exchanges, hosts may show off their local knowledge and exciting places “off the tourist map”. Not only may travelers get a distinct experience, but they will also get a feel for the everyday lives of local residents.

Reciprocity

These systems foster richer and more convenient travel experiences not so much on the premise of altruism, but on the basis of social exchange theory. Implicit in the agreement to host travelers is the ability to ask to be hosted by them in the future. If one enjoys having interesting guests in their home, this works out well for both parties. It works comparatively better if you are visited by travelers from a locale you find particularly attractive. Thus, hosting someone from New York City in Gainesville, Florida seems to be an unbelievable opportunity. Moreover, if you are a Westerner visiting someone in a developing country, your stay might be the only way that this individual or family could afford a trip to a rich nation. This may mean more than just a relaxing vacation for such disadvantaged parties.

Ecological sustainability

Accommodation sharing reduces the demand for hotels, which, depending on the location can be detrimental for the environment.

Drawbacks

Lack of guarantee

There is no contractual agreement between users in these systems. Reservations are made, but if they are for some reason broken, there is no higher authority to which one could plead for a refund or other compensation. The only repercussion will be the poor rating you give that user and your only consolation will be that your warning will deter others from visiting or hosting them. For those who feel insecure unless their travel arrangements are written in stone before departure, this system will not be comforting.

Potential interpersonal conflict or awkwardness

There is a chance that guest and host will not get along. Perhaps there will be scheduling or ideological conflicts. Maybe you will find that hosts or visitors have misrepresented themselves. Perhaps the experience will not live up to your expectations. Intense interpersonal communications in advance and a flexibility once you have arrived is your best bet. These experiences require additional planning and courtesy towards the demands of your host. Thus, your living conditions, length of stay, and overall experience will be circumscribed by the living conditions you enter into.

Digital divide and demographic segregation

As use of these services generally requires access to the internet and knowledge of the English language, the sample population found in searches of these databases is really much less diverse than a geographical representation of worldwide users might suggest.

Security

Staying in someone's house, or inviting people into your house leaves open the possibility of being taken advantage of.

Example networks

There are countless websites that serve the idea of hospitality service, with new ones appearing as this phenomenon becomes more popular. While this page is not intended to be a directory listing, here is a small sample of the well-established and long-standing networks:

• CouchSurfing - A very active network with over 14 million members in more than 200 countries
• BeWelcome - An active network with over 115.000 members in more than 200 countries
• Trustroots - An active network with over 34.000 members
• Hospitality Club - An out-dated network with over 790.000 members, but most of them not active any more
• Servas International - Human rights and global peace oriented since 1949. A relatively small network now with over 15.000 members(?) with a very long history

Specialized networks

Some networks offer specialised hospitality services. There are at least 15 (specialised) hospitality services.¹, here are some examples:

• The Affordable Travel Club 1 Hospitality Exchange Club with 2000 members worldwide for people 40+
• Lesbian and Gay Hospitality Exchange International 2;
• Warm Showers - Hospitality network towards touring cyclists;
• Dachgeber3 - Hospitality network towards touring cyclists in Germany with about 3000 members. (See our German article.)
• Pasporta Servo4 - for Esperanto speakers;
• WWOOF5 - "Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms", help on the property is exchanged for food, accommodation, education and cultural interaction;
• HelpX6 - "Help Exchange", help is exchanged for food, accommodation, experience and cultural interaction;
• Homeshare International 7 - charity organisation providing exchange of housing for help in the home.
• Ridester8 -- ride sharing for travelers.

References

External links

• Article on www.wikivoyage.org

Source: Hospitality exchange License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

A host is a member of a hospitality exchange network who is willing to offer another member of the network a place to stay or sleep in their home. The sleeping arrangements and accommodation provided by a host is often refered to a couch, even if it not in actuality. Hosts are typically willing to host other members under the pretext of cultural exchange, sharing, and mutual respect but freeloading is frowned upon. Hosts should not expect money or payment for their services. However, they may be reimbursed by their guests for any expenses, such as food.

See Also

How to be a good host

Source: Host License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

• If the desired page is already a "red" link somewhere, just klick it with your mouse and you're in the process of creating a new page. Yes, it's that easy;)
• If your page isn't linked so far, go to an existing page from where you want to link your new page and add a link like [[your link]]. After saving the page your new link will appear in read color.
• Using Templates

Templates are nice as they save a lot of work and make similar pages look the same. In general it's just using within your page, additional info can be found on the template pages:

• • For Countries you can use template for country headers
  • For Cities you can use template for city headers
• A suggested structure for regional guides is:
  • World Regions (more a structure)
    • If suitable: Country Groups (Like Oceania, Baltica, Arabic Emirates?)
  • Countries
    • If suitable: Areas (USA -> California, Germany -> Bavaria)
  • City
    • If suitable: City Parts (Hamburg ->Altona, New York ->Brooklyn, Cairo ->Giza)

Source: How to add my place License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Having a filled out profile can drastically increase your chances of finding a host. It also makes it easier for potential guests to see what kind of person you are. Ideally it should show a bit of your personality, and what kind of guest and or host you will be.

Though much of this advice can be used on any hospitality exchange platform this wiki will use the Trustroots profile as an outline for what should be included in a profile.

About me

You can put anything you want here, what you get up to in your daily life, what kind of trip you are on, what you find most important when meeting other people, anything as all as long as it's a reflection of who you are as a person. Some people like long detailed profiles, other people like to share succinct information, there is no wrong or right. You can update your profile is often or as little as you like.

Accommodation

Write what kind of place you can offer your guest. - how is the accommodation, a bed or a place where your guest can roll out their sleeping bag, a separate room, a place in the living room or a shared room? - What can you offer in a practical sense, can people do their laundry, is there wifi, do you expect to share food or will your guest have to provide their own food? - Is your accommodation wheelchair accessible, are there any other issues that could impede a person with a disability? - How can your place be reached, is there public transport, if so what kinds?

Hospitality exchange is always a two-way street. You receive and you give. If you can't host at the moment, please make sure you explain why so it's clear you're making an effort. When you can't host it's always possible to create a meet-up. This way you can still offer to guide someone in your city, have a drink and hang out.

Meet Up

Another way to participate on Trustroots is to create a meet up. This can be while you're traveling but also when you're at home. It's a good way to show other members you're active. If you can't host, creating a meet up will make sure you do show up on the map so members can contact you. A meet up can be offering to guide someone, have a drink, share a meal, organise a weekly boardgames night or simple to hang out. A meet up will stay visible max one month. You can create more than one meet up. Convenient when you're traveling to different places.

Circles

Circles are a way to find other users with similar intrests. By joining a few circles other people will get an indication of what your interests are.

Experiences

After having met another Trustrooter you can describe your experience. The experiences on your profile will give an indication of what kind of guest or host you are, and what other people could expect when meeting you. For more information on the uses of experiences and how you can write them see experiences

Contacts

Once you have stayed with a person, or met another trustrooter in some other way you can add them as a contact. It will make it easier to stay in touch.

Source: How To Create A Good Profile License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

What is a Couchscrooger?

• A couchscrooger is someone taking in guests, but not willing to be involved otherwise,
• not sharing their culture, not trying to give the guest a feel like home feeling.
• Complaining on everything, offering nothing!
• Creating very complicated rules and demanding too much.
• They are couchpotatoes on their own couch.

How to deal with Couchscroogers?

• Always be polite
• You never know why people react that way.
• Maybe you are way different as the person they had expected.
• Other things came up and they do not know how to handle that cooping with you being there.

• Some Couchscrooge are the kind of Homey freeloaders.
• They consider themselves as the generous host offering you a place to sleep.
• Now, according them, it is your time to show your generosity, by paying all the food,
• spending's at a night out etc.

Other people do not realize they are acting that way. As well their mood might change and your visit ends up into a wonderful friendship.

Knowing that you are not going on a vacation spending your time with a scrooge, it is not always that easy to find yourself another place.

No matter what, stay calm and be correct. Make the best of it yourself. Unless they are really unfair, in that case you are able to give a negative advice. If the host is rude you are able to complain with the community.

Source: How to handle Couchscroogers License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Unfortunately there seem to be some people who are trying to abuse the system. First of all: If you suspect someone is trying to freeload, feel free to say "No!" But, "the only way to solve problems is to first voice them." (Kate L.) Try to find out the reasons for a special way of behavior and decide case by case how to handle freeloaders on CouchSurfing.

What is a freeloader?

Freeloaders are people who only use CouchSurfing as a way to stay for free at someone's house. These kind of people do not care that much about the people hosting them. The most important thing to them is saving money, rather then to respect were the couchsurf community stands for.

Freeloaders spend their money only for their own pleasure, without sharing or at least as little as possible. Telling you they run out of cash, have been robbed, or other sad/ interesting stories, making you feel sorry for them or willing to support them.

As well there are Freeloaders traveling without money or just a little, for real. Those freeloaders know that there is always somebody (mostly starters or naif people) willing to host them. Some Freeloaders, but other guests as well, don't interact with their hosts, don't even try to, known as the Couch-Potatoes. As a matter of fact they might leave your house without a word of thanks.

Another excuse is that they hate money telling you that money is not important to them at all. They want you to believe they really hate it and there should be a way different system according them. Think again!! Taking them in they do not care about money as long as you pay for them. People living on you! You will recognize them soon enough!

Finally there are the experienced freeloaders, using all the techniques above, with their best smile and a helping hand. They are the best actors. It is hard to recognize them but one thing is for sure.…. They try to safe money were ever they can, starting being your guest!

Most freeloaders do not have a confirmed account (Green Lock) Their Profile tells you just a little or a lot of made-up stuff. It is wise to Google you guest before taking him in by using the information mentioned on his profile.

Like by Name, Nickname in combination with EMAIL, Town hobby other profile's etc. If nothing shows up, and you are not sure about, you better refuse the person. and tell him first to update his profile. The profile pictures of course has to correspond with the person asking for a couch, once you meet him in real life time. Otherwise meet in public first.

Now remember this! If you go for a vacation you always know how to contact home/ family, how to contact your bank, how to use money-transfer-services, how to contact your embassy. You always have the responsibility to have an extra budget in case a host is not able to host you for what reason. If you have no possibilities to travel or do not know how to coop with changing, you should never lean on other people's goodness, and delay your plans until you can!

Then there are COUCHSCROOGERS ( See How to handle Couchscroogers

A couchscrooger is someone taking in guests, but not willing to be involved otherwise, not sharing their culture, not trying to give the guest a feel like home feeling. Complaining on everything, offering nothing! Creating very complicated rules and demanding too much. They are couchpotatoes on their own couch.

CouchSurfers report requests for couches that just annoy them. CouchSurfing is a homelessness site so be patient and try to find out more. You can't lose very much by being friendly to a person you don't know (yet?).

Warnings in the profile

Putting aggressive warnings against copy-paste messages seems to be a rather negative way of dealing with the issue of bulk requests.

It is understandable that people get extremely annoyed, specially in popular destination cities, by getting messages from members that just want free accommodation.

But this shouldn't be the solution. The profile is a precious space for communication with other members and for making nice contacts.

It seems best to deal with the messages one by one, without exteriorizing anger in the profile.

Moneyless doesn't mean freeloading

There are quite a few people who live completely without money, or with very little. They are not necessarily freeloaders. A lot of people "give back" in other ways such as bringing in food through dumpster diving, helping out with tasks or fixing your computer. It's good to be considerate of moneyless people. They shouldn't be confused with freeloaders, also, most moneyless people manage to survive because they are nice and do NOT behave like freeloaders. There's a whole website about living this way: Moneyless.org

Also See:

• Brand New Members
• Empty Profiles

Source: How to handle freeloaders License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Organizing a meeting or camp for hospitality exchange people is not too difficult, but some things should be taken care of.

Types

There are different types of camps/meetings. Depending on the time you have and the amount of people.

• Regular Meeting / One day
  • The best ones are the spontaneous ones when you have a guest over, just SMS to several people in your town if they would like to meet up the same evening..
• Camp / Several days
  • Camp -Style Several (organized) activities
    • Look for a big place to where people can camp & be

• • 'Home'-Style
    • People from your town take several guests
    • Central meeting place
    • Several (organized) activities

Structure

There are different Types of meetings. Interesting is to split those ones up and think about different structure they could have.

• • 'Party'-Style
  • 'Workshop'-Style
    • 'Lectures'
    • 'Open Space Technology'

Preparation

Before you announce, pick a good date. Make sure people will be able to come, e.g. choose a date during holidays. Once the date is chosen some travellers might have planned to change their itinerary, or even booked flights, so it's definitely not a good idea to change the date later on.

Also find some people close to you to work on the camp together.

Activities

When you organize meetings/camps over several days with a large number of participants is it excellent when you organize different activities where people can participate in. The normally big party crowd gets split up. Throughout different activities and interaction in smaller groups people will to get to know each other easier.

• Workshops
• Citytours
• Games

Jigsaw Set Ups are especially recommendable and to aspire.

Announcements

• announce your meeting on many sites
  • the Hospitality Club forum
  • couchsurfing.com/meetings.html the CouchSurfing meet functionality
    • to make your life easier you can have your message sent to all members of a specific group
  • you can use the space on this wiki
  • contact some, or all, active members in the region where you organize your meeting
  • try to contact some active members in other regions, such as other people who are organizing large meetings, this way people who attend that meeting can be informed about your meeting

Budget

• try to make sure it won´t be too expensive
  • many people will come on a very low budget

Camping

• when there is outside camping involved
  • try to arrange some spare tents or a place inside where people can sleep, not everyone brings his or her own tent

For a big camp you can set up a seperate website, where people (independent from the networks), can register.

Successful camps

Source: How to organize a camp License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Hospitality exchange is more than a "free" bed. It's an exchange, it's about the experience of meeting and spending time with similar minded people. "What can you bring and what can the host offer in the time you share". You should be looking for a host to stay with and not just a couch to use. Hosts in popular cities get so many requests, they have to be selective about whom they choose. But even the single host at a place far away from the touristic hot spot may be picky. All these potential hosts are using the networks for their own reasons, mostly because they want to meet new people and bring the world to their place, but they may also have limited time and space. So: How to make your request standing out and increase your chance to get accepted? Read on!

Some hosts ask that you write requests with a lot of personalized comments about them and their profile. Some even include a codeword that you have to find to prove that you read their profile. Others don't mind that you copy and paste a request to all selected hosts so you can spend more time travelling than writing requests without even knowing which couches are available when you need one. It is important to read the hosts' profiles carefully to determine how personalized they want requests to be.

Before posting a public request to local groups or forums, make sure to check the guidelines and that there is not another sub-forum specifically for that purpose. Some popular cities name such a sub-forum as "Last minute Requests".

Official tips for writing a request on hospitality exchange networks

Most networks have their own FAQ, make sure to read them they may contain some useful tips and special requirements. Examples can be found at:

• Writing your host at BeWelcome Wiki
• CouchRequest tips at Couchsurfing
• add more ... (alphabetical order)

How to write a couchsurfing request in other Languages

(Note: This is a wiki, so all pages can be edited at any time, so don't expect word-by-word translations!)

- Comment rédiger une requête de canapé - Come scrivere una richiesta di ospitalità - Wie man einen Host anschreibt http://oldcswiki.couchwiki.org/en/Wie_man_eine_CouchAnfrage_schreibt.html

Saying hello

• Read their profiles!: This will help you better predict the quality of your experience. Also read to see if they have special rules/requirements, e.g. bringing a sleeping bag, no smoking, dates when they are unavailable, limits on numbers of people they can host, needs a donation towards food, or for electricity, or internet, or help in home and family, or is it a shared house or a flat.
• See if you are compatible. Look for a host with similar interests. If you only like museums and your host only likes drinking, there could be a personality clash:).
• Some hosts want to know why you want to surf their couch and not just any couch. When you try to answer this question in your request, you should realize that you are interested in the host more than just their couch. Each host is different. So until there's a field to specify request personalization requirements, just read the profiles carefully.
• Try to contact newer & less busy hosts to increase your chances. Busy hosts in popular cities can get up to 10 or more requests every day
• Realize that some hosts get fewer couch requests simply because they live outside of their main city limits "proper", but they still happen to live very close to the main attractions. Be sure to use the "Within ___ kilometers/miles" of a city when you do a couch search. Often, these hosts are more willing to take surfers simply because they get less requests. You can also just search the region instead of the city, when traveling in more sparse areas.
• If you're traveling with friends, make sure they all have profiles. Your profiles should be linked to each other (as friends or with comments/references) and the single links provided in your request, because this makes it easier for hosts to look at all your profiles. (Group/couple profiles are a bad idea, as all references will be for the group/couple after a split up each of you will loose the history record. So better have all individual profiles, and reference each other.)

Say my name ...

• Start with a good impression and say the person's name. Don't start with, "hey man/hi there/hello you/hi" unless you already know them. Sometimes people have a username on CS that is not their real name, but their real name can often be found in their CS references - why not use that and show that you've read that section of their profile, at least. People of Asian background might be uncomfortable with addressing someone by their name the first time they write to you, since, in many cultures, addressing a person by first name is considered rude and too forward. You can work around this by specifically referring to something from their profile to communicate that you read it. A "Hello Mr. or Ms. Surname" will most likely not offend anyone.

• Introduce yourself. Don't tell your whole life story, but try a little harder than just saying, "Hi! I want to surf your couch." Don't copy/paste your request emails to try to get a couch. Hosts have already caught on to this, and your chances of being successful are much greater if you make it clear to the host that you've actually read their profile and want to stay with them, not just stay on their couch.

Timing is everything

• Be as precise as possible about arrival and departure dates/times. If you are hitch-hiking, let your host know and tell them not to wait for you at home because it's impossible to know when you will exactly be there.
• Be aware that people may write dates in different formats. The dates "8/9 to 8/11" could mean 2 days or 2 months, depending on the culture. Instead, use expanded, clear date formats such as: "9-August to 11-August" to avoid confusion. This will make it easy for the host to decide quickly if they can have you surf or not.
• Don't rush. If you need a couch by tomorrow, you are making it hard for yourself. Try to send requests 1-4 weeks before.
• Realize that many hosts will have a hard time accepting couch requests more than a few weeks in advance, due to unpredictable schedules. Many hosts have a "sweet spot" of about 1-2 weeks beforehand. Asking to be hosted months in advance can make a host feel more like a hotel reservation system than a personal residence.
• Don't feel bad about asking more than one host at the same time -- this is not a dating game anyway and also you are not even sure all hosts will respond or even get your request. Mention the range of days you will be in their town and perhaps that you hope to only stay one day per host. Then narrow it down from any positive responses you receive after all.
• In the Arrival and Departure fields of the request form, enter the approximate or exact dates of your whole visit to a place, even though you only intend to stay with a single host for part of that time. Then in the body of your request, ask the host to let you know which dates within that range are available.

Are you for real?

• Make sure you have a complete and detailed profile. Upload more than one picture of yourself - possibly doing fun activities that you enjoy, or places you've already visited. Describe yourself in details, not generalities. This takes some time, but it is worthwhile, especially for those who have few (or no) references.
• Write about what you want to do in the place you are wanting to visit.
• Don't make any demands, but don't be obsequious or give fake compliments either. You will get the most from a visit by adapting to and experiencing what's different about the place. Share what you can and accept what is offered.
• Some networks have specific features that allow member verification that you might want to consider.
  • The verification on Couchsurfing is a bit tricky as it merely means that someone's credit card was used and that there's an address where someone was able to receive a postcard. Being a level 3 fully verified member might help increase your chance of the host accepting you, but it might also decrease your chances with other hosts who are sceptical of the verification process.
  • A better attempt is the member based verification at BeWelcome, which is only done in person. Members can verify each other's ID cards or passports.

Traveling with friends

• If you are surfing together with other people: mention them, introduce them, link to pictures, and try to make them sign up at the network with their own profile. Some people will not host you if your travel partner is not a member as well.

Conclusion

Your success at receiving invitations from hosts depends on a lot of things... Are you smiling or scowling in your photos? Are you pictured doing something fun or sitting in the dark in front of your computer? How did you fill out your profile description? Do you have connections, verification and references within the use network or can link to others?

No prior references/comments? Try to go to in touch with other local members before you start your trip. The bigger networks have local meetings, where you can learn more about Hospitality exchange and harvest some references/comments from real life persons. (Besides: It's fun meeting local members of your network and very often their travelling guests are taking part as well.) Another option is to offer members travelling to your place company, tours or meetings. This is especially usefull if you're completely new or your current living situation prevents you from hosting.

It's OK if you contact several hosts to "increase your chances", but please don't spam everyone in a particular city. Every network has several spamfilters in place and when you send a certain number of messages within a small amount of time you may be automatically identified as a possible spammer and NONE of your messages might go out until they are reviewed by a volunteer to make sure you are not spamming people. How many requests is the right number depends on a lot of things, but 10 requests to an average place with a decent profile and a few days advanced notice is usually more than enough to get one invitation.

Also, it's just polite to write back to everyone who replied to you, to thank them and say you already have a couch if you have already found one. Even if they say "no", reply with a "Thanks anyways" - they will remember your politeness... and who knows, maybe one of their friends may be able to host you.

Remember, read the host profiles carefully and follow any instructions they include when writing your request.

Source: How to write a hosting request License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Although most content of this guide seems to be obvious, experienced users of hospitality exchange networks still report they get a lot requests like this:

HI, I'm a cool guy and will crash your couch next week? CU

Probably for most hosts a request like this won't do it. So for those, who have difficulties to imagine how the perfect request looks like, here are some hints.

General information

• Take care about YOUR profile - besides your request that's the only information your host gets to make up his mind about you.
• Read profiles of potential hosts carefully (for your security, for your host, to avoid missunderstandings). A lot of people have a lot to say in their profiles and maybe they contain important hints.
• If your hospex network provides a special way to request a couch use this tool and not regular mail (or explain why not).

Specifics about your stay

• Make your request as specific as possible, i. e. provide dates and length of stay (or at least explain, if you can't). Unlike the travelling guest hosts live there usual allday lifes and are busy with their regular schedule and social life. So accepting a guest means planing around the daily routine, this is much more easy if hosts know what to plan for.
• Special needs (handicaps, special diet, allegies)? Be clear about this. Also check out your potential hosts profile about this.
• What are your interests? It's a difference, to get wasted in the most fancy techno clubs, to have at tight schedule to visit all the historical museums, to be in town for a research, to whatever ...

Choice of host

• Do a clever search. The first ten of a list for town do get a lot of request already.Use keywords, age, groups - whatever. You'll find the more interesting people and they're more likely to host you.
• Write personal requests. Noone would blame you for copying and pasting the technical part about dates and specifics, your general travel plan and so on, but always make sure to add some specific to the request. And no, just adding the real name to the "Hi" at the beginning of your request won't do it.
• Read profiles carefully, but don't believe everything you read. If you decide to ignore things in them, a lot of people don't mind as long as you provide a reason for it in your request.

Exchange

• It's not just about a place to crash. But what's than? What do you want to provide, what do you want to learn?

Source: How to write a request License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Profiles are the main point of information about each other. So it's an important task to fill out "YOUR" profile.

General

• Tell something. People make up there mind about you from your profile as they don't have any other information untill you meet in real life.
• If you have habits or needs, that could cause trouble mention them (or note them in your request / reply to a request).
• If you're a member of a hospex network most people would already guess you're openminded, want to meet people and like to travel. Writing this down is redundant information (although it tells something about you).

Privacy

• It's the internet. So be careful.
• Explore the privacy settings of the hospex site. Some may allow you to show your profile only to other logged in users. Very often mandatory fields from the registration can be set to hidden as well.
• Sensible information does not belong on a public page. (It's your decision what's sensible and what not.)

Pictures

• Some people have a simple rule: no real picture, no couch.
• Some networks allow to block profiles without a picture (or you simply need to upload one).
• People definetly look at the pictures, so choose wisely.
• Pictures tell different stories than (profile) text and a lot of people prefer them.
• It's the internet. Once released, you can't get it back. Some networks protect pictures from searchengines, but you'll never know.
• Unfortunately pictures of blond females tend to generate a specific kind of unwanted mails. ("Hiding" your real picture in your gallery and using a non-blond image for your profile helps in most cases.)
• If a picture offends you, click on too another profile. Don't cry for the authorities and start a flame war.

Empty profiles

If you stumble upon a member with an empty profile, i.e. no pictures, no description, ask him or her to fill in some more info into their profiles. If the person has problems filling in the profile, you could offer some help if you're geographically close. At couchsurfing you can pre-emptively block couch requests from members with empty profiles ("Edit my profile" page, "Privacy" tab: choose "Yes" for "Contact by complete users only?" Members with empty profiles will then be unable to get "Couchsurf with.." or "Contact" links when they reach your page.) Additionally, a note on your own profile explaining that only members with completed profiles will be able to contact you, may (one hopes!) encourage people to fill theirs in.

Copyrights

The networks claim very different rights for the stuff you upoad or create on the pages. Usually you agree by accepting the terms of use to this. From plain stealing to open licences you could find everything. So it's a good idea to inform yourself about the actual status. In anycase think twice before giving away valuable pictures, text an other stuff.

Also see

• Freeloaders
• Brand New Members

Source: Profiles License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Trust is one of the pilars of our community. We encourage our members to travel, meet, share, learn and connect with eachother. It’s always exciting to meet new people and through our platform true friendships have been formed. The world of hospex is unique in the travel scene. You’re part of a community which believes that helping out/meeting a stranger, can be the best thing you ever did. Our community is full of travellers of all shapes and sizes. Our circles are fields of interests where you can easily find like minded people. Our meet up function is created so besides hosting, you can actively create local events or meet up with travellers around. Your profile and activity is a reflection of what you have to offer so if you can’t host (temporarily), be sure to use our meet up function to connect with members nearby. Although we prefer to trust the good in people, our platform is open to everyone to join so we can’t guarantee safety. There’re however a few simple steps you can go through in order to make this platform -and keep yourself- safe.

Hosting & Being Hosted

Before reaching out:

1. Make sure your profile has enough information about who you are, what you prefer and in case you have a specific lifestyle, make sure this is mentioned on your profile. Trust goes both ways so your profile should reflect you.

2. Read all information on someone’s profile. If there’s a lot of information that means someone made a big effort which means it’s important for them, so be sure you make an effort in going through all of it.

3. See what other members wrote about their experience with the member you want to get in touch with. Keep in mind though, experiences have two sides, there’s no right or wrong, it’s simple someone’s opinion.

4. You can see on someone’s profile who they have as contacts and read those people’s profile too. Contacts could be members who have met eachother, know eachother through the platform and even close friends.

5. Check the date when the person joined and when their contacts joined. Sadly some members make fake profiles to increase their contacts and make it seem like they’re active in the community.

When reaching out:

1. Remember if you use another way of communication outside the platform, our safety team isn’t able to help out in case of emergency.

2. Be sure you’re clear about why you reach out and don’t be afraid to ask specific questions to make sure you’re on the same page.

3. You can always suggest a videocall using meet.jit.si/(add anything here to make a new meeting). This way you have a better idea of the member you’re about to meet and a call can be a good way to get eachother a little bit better upfront.

4. So many people, so many personalities; simple because we’re all on the same platform, doesn’t mean we all have to get along. If you don’t feel comfortable at any moment, am in doubt, there’s no harm in cancelling. We do prefer our members to leave their comfortzone somewhat since it mostly results in the amazing experiences, however be sure you know your own bounderies and don’t be afraid to act. On the platfrom there’s always the option to block a member or if needed: report them.

When meeting

1. Always be respectfull and aware of possible (cultural) differences. Communicate when in doubt to avoid confussion.

2. Like trust, respect goes both ways. Remember when you’re a host, in what position your guest is in and visa versa.

3. Be sure you communicate your bounderies but remember that a difference in values doesn’t mean one person is right and the other is wrong.

4. Have a back-up plan. It might give you more comfort knowing there’s always a solution in case of emergency.

5. Always look up how to get in touch with authorities when visiting a foreign land.

After meeting

1. Always write and share your experience on the platform. The same experience can be different for both parties. By sharing them, we can learn from eachother and therefore make the platform as safe as possible.

2. If you didn’t have a positive experience, but you don’t need the Safety Team to step in, please do share this with the person in question before writing your experience on the platform. Misundertanding can happen and it would be unfortunate if someone didn’t get the chance to explain and instead would read about it online. Bare in mind your norms might be different from the member you just met. Realise there's no right norm so if you for example find it messy, that might be saying more about you than about the other person. Realise someone did you a favour by hosting/meeting you and be respectful when writing about your experience.

3. If you have an unpleasend experience where someone crossed your bounderies, you didn’t feel save and want to talk about it, you can always reach out to our Safety Team and report a member. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAVE WITNESSED OR BEEN VICTIM OF A CRIME, PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY!

Tips for women travelers

Especially women have to take care of safety, read more here.

What could possibly go wrong?

Unpleasant experience

Unpleasant experiences vary not a big deal (e.g. staying in a dirty place or loud guests or hosts at night) to much worse. We want to build features that allow people to rate their experience and later use that rating information so that similar (based on tagging) people will not have unpleasant experiences again with that person. E.g. very clean people will automatically avoid very dirty people, and party people will not easily be connected to people who prefer tranquility over Dionysian celebrations. Unless they choose otherwise of course, a conscious decision.

Violence

Violence is an extremely unpleasant experience (for most people).

We expect that most inherently violent people will cause unpleasant experiences before actual violence occurs. And that our system to prevent unpleasant experiences will also prevent violence.

There are some interesting cases, such as the famous Venetian wrestling contests - enforced by the host among various guests. A lot of people will consider this violence. We agree. But if it's obvious to potential guests that this is going to be their experience they should be free to go ahead.

Sexual abuse and harassment

This mainly affects solo traveling women, please read more here.

Safety team

Back in 2014 we didn't think building an extended dedicated safety team is the solution. Prevention is key. As soon as there is sign of a person showing violent behavior their trust rating should go down which leads to some kind of seclusion.

In 2018 we thought it's good to start building a team of people working on this (see also https://meta.trustroots.org/c/safety). Since 2019, our support / safety team consists of two people. More volunteers are welcome. Especially having a female point of view would be great in this team! If you are interested, join the volunteer chat.

In 2020, the safety team grew to four people and they started having regular meetings:

2023 the safety team currently exists of three people.

More safety advices

There is a very good article about safety on BeWelcome, http://www.bewelcome.org/safety.

Source: Safety License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Searching for a couch is one of CouchSurfing's most important functionalities.

In advance: Hosts are naturally concerned about security, and the more that they know about you, the more likely that they will be willing to host you; accordingly, the more detailed your profile is, the better. So fill in your own profile page with interesting (true!) information about yourself, and be sure to upload a photograph of yourself - again, that helps the host to decide yes or no.

Searching for a couch

• If the profile says "Coffee or a drink", that means the surfer cannot host anyone at the moment. But it does mean that they would love to chill with you during the day, show you around, etc, but you just can't crash there.
• Don't just contact the top five hosts in any city - they are probably inundated with requests. Explore the other pages in your search results too.
• Especially with big and popular CS cities, try searching couches further away from the main city area. These people get less requests and are thus more likely to host.
• Be sure to read a potential host's profile thoroughly to understand any conditions they might have set, e.g. only one guest at a time, maximum three nights, vegetarians only, etc.
• Women: choose women's couches, if you feel safer with them. See also the Tips for solo women.

Requesting a couch

• Be specific about your intended arrival and departure dates and times - that helps the host to decide yes or no. (And they don't want to wait for you all day!)
• If possible, send a request well in advance

1. In some cases, you will have to plan a month in advance. Others do not require that much time. Remember: some hosts in popular places receive more than ten requests each week!

• If requesting a last minute couch:

1. Check the last login time and place (potential host who just logged in from the other side of the world is very unlikely to host you)
2. Still read the profile carefully - being in a hurry is no excuse to be ignorant

• A few days before you get there, remind your host you'll be arriving soon.
• If you have special needs or request (i. e. allergies) mention them in advance.
• Try to identify interests between you and your hosts. Many hosts are willing to basically provide a free hotel, but it is more interesting for the host if they know something about your background or can learn something even when you are just stopping in to rest at night.
• Be specific if you have special plans for the city or region.
• Ask about the couch: air-mattress, couch, bed of your own
• Ask about the location of the couch (separate room or couch in a 1-room-apartment/loft).
• Ask if sleeping bag is needed or if sheets are provided.
• Ask if there will be other CouchSurfers or guests at that time.
• Ask about public transportation options. Can you get to the city center without riding with your host? Is there a good train or bus system near their home? Is there a reliable taxi service you can use? (If you are uncomfortable staying somewhere that has no public transport available, you may want to rethink your destination.)
• Ask for needed information (phone number, adress, ...)

1. If possible, you could ask your host to meet you in advance at any certain place.

• Also look at tips about Keeping in touch cheaply when travelling

Changing plans

• If you change your plans and don't plan to arrive after all, tell your host as soon as possible. Hosts are generously providing their couches for you! Be respectful of their lives and plans!
• DECLINE A HOST IF YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE. It is OK to do this! You are allowed to change your mind, but be respectful and let them know in advance of your decision.
• Have a back-up plan! Have addresses and phone numbers of a hostel in the surrounding area, just in case.

Asking more than one host at the same time

Asking more than one member for a couch increases your chances to finally get a couch when/as you want it. This is quite ok, especially when you're in a hurry or your dates are fixed. But please keep in mind: When hosts agree to host you then they will definitely have made changes in their schedule - just for you. So

• Don't flood the community with requests. Try to filter out only a few hosts-to-be by carefully reading profiles.
• Decide as soon as possible for one host.
• Tell any other immediately that you will not make use of their offer. Don't let somebody prepare your stay in vain. Remember: you had time enough to ask, they invested their time to think about it and to give you a positive response. So whatever hurry you are in, you must have the time to write at least a short message.
• Maybe you can „meet them for a coffee or a drink” instead.

(couchsurfing.com/groups.html?group_category=1 Groups related to the city, region or country are not recommended to search couches. But in case of emergency [budget traveling is not an emergency] it's an option to ask around there if people are interested in hosting you.)

Travelling from one couch to the next

• If you are leaving your host, make sure you have planned the next segment of your trip properly (by rideshare, bus, train, etc.)
• Consider having a plan to contact your former host upon arrival at your new destination. Before you leave, set a latest possible time with them by which you should have got into contact to let them know you're ok. That way, if there is no sign of you by the decided upon time, your former host can probably act immediately in case something has happened.
• Contact your new host in advance: fix dates, set time of arrival, tell them about the method of arrival, etc
• Always get the address of a hostel in the surroundings, just in case.
• Find out who the ambassadors in the area are. Even if you're not surfing with them, they can be a valuable resource to you.

No host or other accommodation is available?

Stay at a hostel or look for a camping site. I. e. check out these sites:

• http://www.hostelworld.com/
• http://www.hostelworld.com/en/index.html
• http://www.itravelnet.com/ directories/camping.html

Source: Searching and requesting a couch License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Be Welcome is a project aiming to connect people from all over the world through hospitality exchange and to allow them to learn about other cultures, countries and traditions. It was founded in 2006 by volunteers of Hospitality Club who experienced the limits of decision making, transparency and legal structure within the management of HC. Thus an official NGO was founded in July 2006. First called HCvol it's final name is BeVolunteer.org.

The first beta website of the project BeWelcome was launched in February 2007. A second upgrade was carried through at the end of June 2007, the third and actual Version was introduced in the beginning of December 2007. In 2007 various volunteers of CouchSurfing, spreading "Open CS" also joined the volunteers network.

Check http://www.bewelcome.org

Why use BeWelcome?

BeWelcome has a few nice things to point out:

• A good reply rate to accomodation requests (afaik)
• A quite responsive community of volunteers
• Openness for ideas from the community.
• If you like the interface, that's one more point. If you don't, well, then not.

Why would someone not use BeWelcome?

• not as many members as some other networks. You don't get that many requests, and you don't have that much choice in small places.

History

See History of BeWelcome

Philosophy

See Philosophy of BeWelcome

Forum moderation

BeWelcome is quite an open and transparent organization compared to CouchSurfing and Hospitality Club but there have been some alleged cases of censorship in BeWelcome, in ocasions where the moderation team aplied the forum rules and this decision was disputed by the ofenders. Read more here.

Promotion kit

• an A4-BeWelcome poster to put to the walls (pdf)

References

The Software which runs BeWelcome1

Article on BeWelcome 2

Wikivoyage about BeWelcome 3

Canvi article about BeWelcome (Catalan) 4

Indymedia article about Media and BeWelcome 5

more?

: From http://www.hospitalityguide.net/hg/wiki/index.php?title=BeWelcome&action=edit&oldid=5616

Source: BeWelcome License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

The beginnings of BeWelcome and BeVolunteer can only be told alongside a history of Hospitality Club, since this is where all the founders started and learned to love the idea of hospitality exchange. More detailed history can be found on https://www.bevolunteer.org/about-bevolunteer/history/

July 2000

Together with his brother Kjell, Veit Kühne founded the Hospitality Club, inspired by other hospitality exchange networks like SERVAS.

2002-2005

The later founders of the future "HCvol"/"BeVolunteer" started volunteering for Hospitality Club, covering all areas of Hospitality Clubs volunteering from programming, spam checking, accepting members, forum moderation, translation to service for Hospitality Club members.

in 2005

Some of the core volunteers from the Hospitality Club - the ones who had been working so closely with Veit for years - started to question Veit about some processes which were obviously missing in the Hospitality Club. These special topics were the following:

• the absence of any legal status for the Hospitality Club
• the absence of any democratic system in the way of taking decisions, at any level
• the absence of any transparency in the management of finances, at any level

Other aspects were pointed out too: feeling of manipulation of volunteers, lack of transparency on Hospitality Club policies for members...

Those shortcomings became even more problematic to the founders of HCvol since the Hospitality Club could not be considered a baby anymore but a real project that was actually growing very fast. Concerned volunteers felt the responsibility to work on these topics so they could evolve and, with some time and efforts, be implemented in Hospitality Club.

However, Veit never focused on these problems but tried to make volunteers stick to concrete work instead. He refused to debate and chose neither to involve nor to inform even the most committed volunteers on those issues.

December 2005

After many futile and highly frustrating attempts to push the above mentioned issues further in personal conversations, the time was there for more concerted action. A "manifest" was sent to Veit Kühne requesting him to work with the concerned volunteers on the mentioned points, or those volunteers would stop all their work for Hospitality Club. Regardless of that action, those volunteers were - and still are - totally in love with Hospitality Club, and never stopped working, but motivation was decreasing.

February 2006

Finally after 2 months of silence, Veit disclosed his position: NO WAY would he accept that manifest. It was clear for him: never would Hospitality Club offer transparency about money management, never would Hospitality Club be managed by a democratic structure, and for the legal status he suggested a company status or even worse, something based in the shady tax heaven St Kitts & Nieves.

25th of february 2006

A meeting in Dresden was arranged, to discuss problems and find a new way of structuring Hospitality Club volunteer teams and rework procedures. Only an inner circle of Hospitality Club core volunteers was invited. Many attended, some coming from 1000 km of distance, to help solving these ever growing problems in Hospitality Club and the big lack of motivation after the manifest was turned down. Two later HCVOL founders, Matthias and Marco, took part in the meeting. Two and a half days of heated debate revealed that there was no room for compromise from Veit Kühne´s side, as he did not give in on any topic. At the end of the meeting, Veit Kühne finally accepted to consider an external audit for finances inspection; he set a board of 5 persons chosen by him, and in which he would keep a veto right, to take strategical decisions - but explicitly NOT empowered to discuss finances and the possibilities of creating a legal organization - anything discussed in that board was to keep secret; he considered establishing a legal team to work on defining, what would be the best statutes for Hospitality Club and he talked about creating a page explaining his point of view on Hospitality Club policy.

For some of the concerned volunteers this was still not enough, and so unacceptable.

For others it was already a good evolution, even if not enough.

The problem, however, was that none of the good intentions have ever been implemented. The board had one or two skype conferences, where nothing was achieved. Afer six months, the board was officially dissolved. Two later HCVOL founders, Pierre-Charles and Marco, were members of that board.

But there was still the hope that Hospitality Club could evolve to become the organization that is worth its incredible members!

March-April 2006

A group of highly involved Hospitality Club volunteers decided to set up HCvol, in order to build a space of communications for volunteers, independent from Veit Kühne´s control. The underlying main point of criticism of Veit Kühne was that he wanted to prevent real communication between volunteers, in order to prevent them from discussing what he decided - be it good or bad. The founders of HCvol considered it unacceptable that Veit Kühne´s had blocked many issues for so long even though whole teams didn't agree with his position.

Is HC Veit Kühne´s thing?

The underlying idea of HCvol is the question whether the Hospitality Club was `Veit Kühne´s´ thing'. The conclusion that Hospitality Club was rather the volunteers' thing, if not the members' thing, was quite obvious. Consequently the Hospitality Club should be owned by a legal non-profit organization composed of the ones who build Hospitality Club everyday: the volunteers. It is true that Veit invented the Hospitality Club and there is no denying of him having done enormously great things for it. But great inventions transcend their inventor...

The mere thought of all the volunteer work being used in the future for one man's interest was unbearable for the founders of HCvol. Trusting Veit Kühne was not enough. Building a future for HC was ensuring that the possibility of Hospitality Club being sold or used in a commercial way could never come true. This seemed more important than improving HC website or accepting more members.

July 2006

HCvol being set more or less it was introduced to Veit Kühne. There were many hopes that Veit Kühne would accept that proposal of a new organization, or at least evolve in that direction. Veit Kühne´s radical answer soon destroyed those new hopes: NEVER.

Never democracy, never transparency.

Some of the HCvol founders, who had given so much of these last years for HC were even threatened to be kicked from Hospitality Club 1, and told that their only aim was to gain personal power.

September 2006

Since nothing was moving in Hospitality Club, it was felt that a real counter-power had to be built. It was evident that having a place for the volunteers to work out of Veit's control can only be a very productive thing. Only by word of mouth many volunteers had found their way to HCvol and started to use the forum extensively for all kinds of discussions.

October 2006

Since October, HCvol is an official organization, and so submitted to democracy and transparency. A group of 9 worked a lot to set an organization as basis of work in HCvol. They (minus one founder) constitute the first "Board of Directors" (which we call the BoD), whose role is to meet weekly in order to take any needed decision, to organize HCvol so volunteers can work well, and to make sure no abuse takes place. As soon as HCvol will contain a bigger group of volunteers, there will be a General Assembly and a BoD will be elected by HCvol members.

In the middle of the month, there was a (last?) big hesitation. Wasn't the whole project a huge waste? Wasn't there any way to work on a really new project with HCvol, but including HC members? So the BoD suggested to Veit that HCvol start developing a project on a new site (new website) but that the Hospitality Club database be shared. In exchange HCvol members would help maintaning the [http://www.hospitalityclub.org| Hospitality Club site] for a limited period of time. So the HCvol site would have been like a test site, a new site, which Hospitality Club members could have used if they wanted. It would have been difficult technically, but possible. After lots of hours of discussions one of the HCvol BoD members told Veit about that idea. Well, we understand why he refuses, but for the members, however, we would have liked that compromise.

January 2007

HCvol is renamed BeVolunteer and is totally dedicated to its project, BeWelcome2.

The majority of the topics touching the creation of that new platform are being discussed among the volunteers, decisions are taken and all the teams and routines are set.

CouchSurfing volunteer exodus

During mid-2007 many former Couchsurfing volunteers began volunteering for BeWelcome instead, including 3 of the 4 former Couchsurfing core developers active during the short-lived CS 2.0 experiment. Begun following the termination in July, 2006 of the [http://www.couchsurfing.com| CouchSurfing website] by its owner, Casey Fenton, following a major loss of data, the main emphasis of CS 2.0 was to be decentralized volunteer participation -- Couchsurfing was no longer to be dominated by one person. But during the following year, when many selfless volunteers answered the call and helped take Couchsurfing from the edge of ruin and marginal financial stability to thriving success with a budgetary surplus, Casey Fenton and his hand-picked associates, mostly in secret, organized a top-down pyramidal corporate structure with paid employees, all of whom are close associates of Casey Fenton. Independent-minded volunteers who raised questions about the integrity of the managerial processes, or questioned Casey Fenton´s unaccountable and privileged position within the community, were blacklisted and encouraged to leave. Casey Fenton turned out to be much like Veit Kühne. Some of the major issues prompting the exodus were secrecy, unaccountability, unfair treatment of volunteers, unkept promises and an extremely oppressive, one-sided non-disclosure agreement.

Thus, many former Couchsurfing volunteers share common values with the founders of BeVolunteer, and appreciate the work they did in establishing a new home for those in the hospitality community who support the enlightened principles upon which BeWelcome is founded.

October 2007

BeWelcome.org becomes the first Open Source Software 3 hospitality website, by unanimous vote of its developers. See the Press Release (PDF)

Here we are, now.

BeWelcome has been around for a couple of years and thanks to an ongoing range of missteps at the currently biggest hospitality exchange network it's growing faster. See http://www.bewelcome.org/statistics for a detailed overview. As of December 2012 there are more than 28,000 members.

''' Full of motivation to BUILD something, our minds free of conflicts from the past, and full of our experiences and hopes.

Go through all this information about BeVolunteer to discover its projects and how it all works! '''

References

The Software which runs BeWelcome4

Article on BeWelcome 5

Wikivoyage about BeWelcome 6

Canvi article about BeWelcome (Catalan) 7

Indymedia article about Media and BeWelcome 8

more?

: From http://www.hospitalityguide.net/hg/wiki/index.php?title=BeWelcome&action=edit&oldid=5616

Source: History of BeWelcome License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Goodwill

Goodwill is the precondition for any cooperative work. It enables us to face some minor/medium problems between us without getting under pressure or questioning our common goals. We are all here with the same aim, isn't it? However, this should not be misunderstood as a free ticket for the refusal to learn and improve. Things done with a good intention might still be bad for others. So we should see goodwill as a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one.

Altruism

We are not working in BeVolunteer for personal glory or enrichment, but to spread the words of hospitality as a great idea, and to provide the tools to help this idea come true all around the world. Our highest goal is the welfare of the whole community, not personal benefits. And the other way round, according to our statutes, money can never give any priviledge in BeVolunteer. Still, it is up to us to enjoy our own-enrichment we gain through the network...

Trust and courage

Trust starts within ourselves. We believe in ourselves, our values, our community and our goals. We are not afraid of other people and communities but curious to get to know them. We trust our future because it is us who create it! The trust in ourselves is the basis for courage. There is no reason to hide or to be afraid, we are here to bring light into our lives.

Ambition and excellence

Ambition is mainly not a negative thing. We have big goals and are impatient to turn them into reality. We are not dreaming as if we would live forever, and do not live as if we would die today. We are here to live our dreams! This is our ambition, we are not afraid of big ideas, but greedy to make them come true.

Voluntariness

In contrast to businesses, we do not require commitments. Our enthusiasm for hospitality is a higher guarantor than any commitment. We work voluntarily, that is why we love it so much.

Transparency

Trust and transparency condition each other. No trust without transparency, no transparency without trust. Transparency is a joy for the sincere, and the ruin for the malicious.

Diversity

We are here to reduce distances, to cross borders and to unify people who share our values. However, we are not here to equalize and standardize people and cultures. We appreciate the precious value of variety, the right of being different and how diversity is able to freshen up and open our minds.

Participative, well-fortified democracy

As an organization, we have a democratic structure. Democracy guarantees many of our values, and in particular prevents the abuse by a few mighty individuals. At the same time, we are not naive but aware of the drawbacks of an exaggerated interpretation of democracy that undermines the functioning of its elements. A democracy deserves its name only as long as it is capable of acting for the welfare of its individuals. A good way of keeping a democracy working well is to enforce the principle of subsidiarity: Discussions, decisions and actions are done on organizational levels only as high as necessary but as low as possible, i.e. individuals first, then teams, then Board of Directors (BoD), then General Assembly (GA). So the best way to describe our structure is neither a representative nor a basic democracy, but a participative one.

Friendship

Friendship is not something that obeys to any rules or statutes: friendship results from the delight you have while spending time with other people. We hope you find a lot of them in BeVolunteer!

Source: Philosophy of BeWelcome License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Couchers.org is a relatively recent hospitality exchange network. It is open source, non-profit and free.

Source: Couchers License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

CouchSurfing

CouchSurfing.com is the large commercial hospitality site most people have heard of. This book does not reprint that site, member profiles, or its branding.

What belongs here is history and a how-to that still applies on other networks: searching for a place, writing to a host. OpenCouchSurfing (2007) argued for a more open organisation; the campaign’s full essays are not copied until authors grant a free license. BeWelcome, Trustroots, and Couchers.org sit downstream of that fight.

This is a step-by-step guide aimed at beginners and first-time users of CouchSurfing. In this guide we will show you how to search for a couch, or a place to stay with a host on the CouchSurfing hospitality exchange network.

Step 1: Fill out your Profile.

Fill out your Couchsurfing profile. Tell your potential host who you are, and what you are about! Write about your interests, your experiences, and your motivations. It doesn't have to be an essay - the important thing is to give it a try. Upload a profile picture, preferably one which shows your face. You are unlikely to find a place to stay without a fully filled in profile page. If you need more information, see How to fill out your profile.

Step 2: Where would you like to go?

• At the top of every page you will should find a search bar with the words "Where would you like to go?".
• Type your destination into the search bar, then click Surf or hit Enter.
• In this example we have used Paris, France as an example.

Step 3: Find a place to stay

The CORRECT way ✔

• Searching for your destination takes you to the place page associated with your destination. In this example, we are taken to the place page for the Paris area.
• At the top of the place page for your destination you will find a box with the text Find a place to stay for [ ] traveler(s)

• Select the number of people that require a place to stay and click Go! or hit Enter.
• You will be taken to the Couch search results page.

The WRONG way ✘

• The place page also acts as a hub for the local community. To the bottom of the Find a place to stay section is the conversations section.
• The conversations section is a public forum where locals and travellers can discuss the local area, for example, to arrange meetups or discuss events that may be happening.
• Do not post a request for a couch in this section.

• For more details see community guidelines.
• Why? Safety: by posting in a public forum, you are inviting strangers to contact you.
• Why? Simple courtesy: it is more polite to ask people directly for their hospitality. You will be more successful finding a place to stay through personalized messages.
• Why? Spam: Thousands of people are looking for hosts. Filling up the conversations forum prevents the local community from using the forum for legitimate uses.
• If you still decide to go ahead: your post will most likely be flagged and then deleted.

Step 4:

• You now arrive at the Couch search page. Here you can browse the available hosts, and click through to visit their profiles.
• This is the most important part of your search. Look through the list of available hosts and decide who you would like to stay with.

• A brown couch (right of the username) symbolises that the member has a couch available.
• You can use the filters (bottom left corner) and the sort these people by: menu (top) to further refine your search.
• Visit the profile of a potential host and read their profile thoroughly.

Step 5: Read a profile!

Step 6: Send a Couch Request

Step 7:

Source: How to search for a couch on CouchSurfing License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

OpenCouchSurfing

OpenCouchSurfing.org was a 2007 campaign for a more open CouchSurfing organisation. The site was archived in 2012. Full essays from that campaign are not copied here until individual authors give permission (preferably CC-BY or CC-BY-SA). Grants are logged in the repository SOURCES.md.

Meanwhile: the campaign concluded that openness would not come from inside CouchSurfing core, and pointed people toward more open alternatives such as BeWelcome.

Source: https://opencouchsurfing.org/ (Wayback). Permission pending for full texts.

The Hospitality Club was an international, Internet-based hospitality service of appr. 553,000 members in 226 countries² Its members use the website HospitalityClub.org to coordinate accommodation and other services, such as guiding or regaling travelers. Hospitality Club is currently the second largest such hospitality network, after CouchSurfing.

In terms of development the site has been pretty stagnant for many years now.

History

Hospitality Club was founded by Veit Kühne in 2000³ with the help of friends and family⁴ as a general-purpose Internet-based hospitality exchange organization. The organization, open to anybody, followed from a similar network organized by Veit Kühne exclusively for members of the student exchange organization AFS. The concept for Hospitality Club was inspired by the SIGHT hospitality network of Mensa and it is the successor of Hospex, the first Internet based hospitality exchange network, established in 1992 and with which it joined forces in 2005.⁵ Membership has since increased dramatically.

Functioning

Membership in the organization is free and is obtained simply by registering on the website. The core activity of the organization is exchange of accommodation. Acting as a host, a member offers the possibility of accommodation at his leisure. As a guest, a traveler may find possible hosts and contact them through the website. No money is involved — guests and hosts do not pay each other. The duration of the stay, whether food is provided for free, for a fee or not at all, and all other conditions are agreed on beforehand to the convenience of both parties.

After meeting, the host and guest may comment about each other. This provides a means to establish reputation which is the main security measure. Users have to provide their real identity, which is screened by volunteers, and protected against changes.

Apart from accommodation, members exchange other forms of hospitality, such as guiding visitors or providing travel-related advice. There are also wiki-like Travel Guide sections and forums where members may seek partners for travels, hitchhiking etc.

Volunteers within the club often arrange meetings or camps which are events that last several days that bring people together.

Organization and policies

The club is based on the work of hundreds of volunteers around the world. The motivation behind it is the idea that bringing people together and fostering international friendships will increase inter cultural understanding and strengthen peace. It is one of the largest hospitality networks, and there is a mission to find 1,000,000 friendly people.

There is no registered organization behind the website in Germany or other countries, and the domain name is directly registered to the founder of the site, Veit Kühne.⁶, who is working full time on Hospitality Club.⁷ Veit has acknowledged that there will be no official structure for decision taking and that final decisions will always be with him.⁸

As for financial sustainability, the site contains advertising in the form of Google's AdSense.

The policy of the organization explicitly forbids alternative uses, such as dating, job-seeking, commercial use, and website promotions.⁹ In order to protect members' mailboxes from spam and to keep trust in the network at high levels a volunteer team scans the messages being sent across the site. Members may also opt-out of this service and receive all messages directly. The website includes a Forum with certain rules - for example it is forbidden to post personal data of other members, and volunteers prefer not to discuss the organization's strategy on the forum, but encourage members to contact them directly.¹⁰

As a result of a disagreement between Veit Kühne and active Hospitality Club volunteers on various club policies, another hospitality exchange network, BeWelcome, was created in 2007.¹¹¹²

External links

• Hospitality Club website
• at Wikinews

References

• Detailed Volunteer Information

Source: Hospitality Club License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

See also CouchSurfing censorship

Hospitality Club has been managed like a proper dictatorship since its inception. This includes the practice censorship.

Removal of profiles

guaka (talk)'s profile was removed in February 2008. He received a message "you seriously abused our rules as outlined on rules.hospitalityclub.org, therefore we had to terminate your membership to protect other members and our network Greetings, the Hospitality Club Abuse Team". And that's it. The profile deletion was probably for a link to BeWelcome on his profile. Several other BeWelcome volunteers saw their profiles on HC blocked.

Removal of messages

As of August 2006 Hospitality Club was still censoring its users. Messages containing the word "CouchSurfing" are considered "website promotion", which is considered spam, and thus deleted. Here's what Guaka got when he sent a message, only containing "Check out CouchSurfing my dear!", to amylin, who has her spamfilter turned off. Note that this is a big improvement from before, since members are actually informed about this censorship.

Hospitality Club Spamfilter: your message to amylin has been rejected

this is a semi-automatically generated message from the Hospitality Club spamfilter. If you believe that it is an error, please DO NOT reply to this message, rather contact the Hospitality Club Administrators who will take care of your issue by clicking here: http://secure.hospitalityclub.org/hc/contactmember.php?to=22777. However, since we volunteers all have a huge workload, please make sure to read the spam info at http://secure.hospitalityclub.org/hc/stopspam.php first which might already answer your question.

Thanks a lot for your cooperation!

The Hospitality Club http://www.hospitalityclub.org ...bringing people together!

==================

We contact you because of the following issue: you sent one or more messages through the Hospitality Club which promoted websites (see your original message below). As is marked clearly on every message form and in the Rules (http://rules.hospitalityclub.org/) we consider these messages spam. Because of this our spam checkers stopped them, they were not sent out. If you want to promote your site a bit you can post in the Forum Topic "Links, Links, Links" (http://secure.hospitalityclub.org/hc/forum.php?SelectedCategory=21) or use other more appropriate channels on the net. Thanks a lot for your cooperation!

Greetings from the Hospitality Club Spam Checkers

Example of your original messages:

Date & Time: 2006-08-24 03:42:28

Check out CouchSurfing my dear!

-- The Hospitality Club ... bringing people together!

http://www.hospitalityclub.org

More to find out

It doesn't need an Internet-aware person to realize there is something wrong when a message with another web site in it gets censored. Possibly 30% of normal messages by normal people contain a link or a mention to some other website.

Let's see what happens with messages mentioning other websites such as:

• "Do you think I can buy a sleeping bag on Ebay while I'm here?"

: Safely arrived.

• "You can use Google Maps for understanding which cities are closer"

: Safely arrived.

• "Have you ever used hitchhiking.wikia.com?"

: Safely arrived.

• "Have you seen globalfreeloaders.com?"

: Safely arrived.

• "This is where I live (with link to Google Maps)"
• "I often use Flickr, I'll upload my photo there (link to your page on flickr)"
• "I bookmark my links on del.icio.us, see (link to your del.icio.us page)"
• "Do you use skype? You can download it for free at www.skype.com"
• "Do you use yahoo messenger?"
• "Have you seen servas.org?"
• [paradoxical]
  • Q: "What is you blog address?"
  • A: "I would like to tell you but in this case my message will be considered spam and hence deleted, don't you know that web addresses cannot be comunicated on the web?"

Links

CS groups

• couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=10&post=1013924 Warning about systematic censorship on the HC forum, May 14, 2008
• couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=10&post=542120 HC/CS meeting censorship... November 30th, 2007

Source: Hospitality Club censorship License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Hospitality Club: power and strategy

This chapter is original commentary for this book. It is not a reprint of a leaked email. The primary source is a Hospitality Club internal mailing that WikiLeaks published as veit-hospitality-power-strategy-2009.txt. The file name says 2009; the message itself is dated 19 January 2005, from Veit Kühne, founder of Hospitality Club. Contact details that appear in that mailing are left out here.

What the mailing is

Hospitality Club (HC) grew in the early 2000s as a large internet hospitality exchange, after Hospex and in parallel with the rise of CouchSurfing. Volunteers were arguing about whether the club needed a committee, more “structure,” and something like democracy — comparisons to Servas (1948) came up in the thread.

Veit’s reply is the strategy document people still point to. He treats HC as his club: an internet platform to bring people together, not a members’ association with elected officers. He says there will be no official decision-taking committee while he is involved, and that on “debatable” decisions the last word stays with him. He presents that as a way to avoid power struggles and delay, and as the opposite of what he calls Servas’s “pseudo-democratic setup.” If you want a democratic hospitality network, he writes, join Servas.

He does not argue that volunteers should do nothing. The plan in the mail is to hand off operational slices — translations, accepting members, message checking, specialised technical work — to people he trusts, while keeping responsibility for HC as a whole “for many decades.” A non-profit, he agrees with another volunteer, does not have to be democratic in order to take new members and keep people contributing.

Why it still matters

Later fights in hospitality exchange are the same argument with different logos.

• Who decides? A founder with a veto, a board, a members’ assembly, or the people who write the software.
• Is the network “just a website”? The 2005 mail says yes, in so many words: no committee is needed no matter whether there are a thousand members or a million.
• How do you get labour without a vote? HC’s answer was: listen widely, then decide; give volunteers a piece of the work; do not put the founder’s private planning (a mind map is mentioned) on the public site.

CouchSurfing’s later incorporation, the OpenCouchSurfing campaign (see the chapter in this book), and the founding of BeWelcome (2007) as a democratic GPL network all sit downstream of that question. Trustroots and Couchers.org are later non-profit attempts that still have to pick a governance story: foundation board, volunteer democracy, or “the code is the club.”

This book’s other chapters describe those free-software networks. They do not relicense Hospitality Club’s site, member data, or this mailing. Read the WikiLeaks file if you need the full wording; do not treat it as Creative Commons.

Source

• Veit Kühne, “HC democracy and strategy,” 19 January 2005, published at file.wikileaks.org/file/veit-hospitality-power-strategy-2009.txt
• Context: Trustroots Wiki, A brief history of hospitality exchange networks (CC-BY-SA)

HospitalityGuide.net is a website with info about hospitality exchange networks.

Source: HospitalityGuide.net License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Hospitality exchange networks (from hospitalityguide.net)

From hospitalityguide.net, licensed CC-BY. Attribution: hospitalityguide.net, 2005–. Random Flickr photos on that site are not included here.

Hospitality exchange networks help travellers meet locals: a place to stay, a meal, help with plans, a chance to meet people. They are also called homestay networks. They differ in goals and culture. The aim of HospitalityGuide was not to rank them, but to help people find their way: present the networks, tips, safety, and experience.

The site invited veterans to talk about futures, safety, ideas, and beliefs on an independent platform. BeWelcome was added to its overview in the 2000s. A magazine about hospitality exchange networks was discussed. HospEx Ne>t was the branding for that overview.

Join more than one network if you cannot decide. Think, ask, exchange.

Source: https://hospitalityguide.net/

See also

• https://ideas.trustroots.org/comparison-of-hospitality-exchange-platforms/

Source: List of hospitality exchange networks License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Servas Open Doors is an international, non-governmental, interracial peace association running in over 100 countries by volunteers. Founded in 1949 by Bob Luitweiler as a peace movement, Servas International is a non-profit organisation working to build understanding, tolerance and world peace.

Servas means "we serve", in the sense of "we serve peace", in the language Esperanto.

It operates through a network of Servas hosts around the world who are interested in opening their doors to travellers, and, 'on the other side of the coin', many open-minded travellers who want to get to know the heart of the countries they visit.

Servas International has consultative status as a non-governmental organization with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, currently with representation at many of the UN's hubs of activity.

There are over 13,000 Servas 'open doors' scattered throughout almost every country in the world.

Programs

Unlike other hospitality exchange networks, Servas makes a clear distinction between travellers and hosts. Participation in the different programs costs, in the United States 85 US$ per year for "international travellers" and 50 US$ per year for "domestic travellers".

External links

• Servas.org
• Members' site

(Each National Servas Country can have its own website, usually reachable from the main international site.)

Source: Servas License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Trustroots

Trustroots is a volunteer hospitality exchange network run by Trustroots Foundation, a UK non-profit. This wiki — and this book — grew out of that project. The site is free to use. Members have profiles, can offer a place, send messages, and filter people by circles (shared interests). A map shows who is around.

The chapters under this heading are the wiki history, the onboarding guide, circles, volunteering, and a 2020 note on whether Trustroots could “replace CouchSurfing.” How the software is built is in the last chapter of this part. This book does not use the Trustroots tree mark (CC BY-NC-SA) as cover branding.

Circles are collections of people who share an interest. Joining them helps you to find like minded people. It also adds to the picture people get out of you when viewing your profile.

Joining a circle is easy. Just go the [circles] page, see which ones you feel are right for you and click join. If there are any circles you think are missing you can send the volunteers a suggestions.

Source: Circles License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

History

Here's some ideas for names and descriptions that were floating around before Trustroots was launched.

Name for a new Hospex network

We sent out to a bunch of people and asked them to suggest names for the new project. Initially the codebase was just called "Bikeshed".

Initial description

• Community site about sharing (rides, meals, info and whatnot) with hospitality exchange in core. Aims to be little bit hippie and for nomads at the beginning, but also has long term goals to reach more mainstream audiences. Wants to change how people behave by encouraging them to "share".
• Something along lines hitchwiki/nomadwiki BW/CS/FB
• Trust in the core of the site.
• Hospex

History

• Started to collect names: February 18, 2014
• Initially name was suggested on June 10, 2014 by Kasper.
• We finally decided on it on Dec 10, 2014 together with Kasper, Mikael, Callum, Natalia and Carlos.

Mikael did most of the tech and design work. Amazing job. At some point in 2022 or 2023 he dropped out. Kasper was the only person with server access at that point. Since 2024 there is a serious effort to move towards nostr and significantly reduce the dependency on specific people running specific servers.

Name ideas

abunding, abundice, abundness, abundly, abundeous, axessible, axess, trusteous, truestarred, abundhood, bravurance, bravout, yobravo, cobravo, hopbravo, bravohop, bravohopping, Crobbu - "Globe" in Sicilian - all domains available, Something from Tribe?, Something from Share, Bravo variants aren't bad either - sounds a bit tacky - reminds some telly stuff, NomadLink, Nomadity, NomadX, NowMad, NowMads, Roadfriend, Roadie, TrustRoots (suggested by Guaka), Trusty, Mondohop, TrustNomad, NomadicTrust, NomadTrust, NomadRoots

Slogans

• Tribal connection
• Tribal community
• Welcome home

Source: History of Trustroots License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Could Trustroots ever replace CouchSurfing?

Maybe it's not really required or wanted. As of 2022 Couchers.org looks like a good candidate to properly replace CouchSurfing. Trustroots has good potential to innovate in other directions such as decentralization and a wider forms of sharing.

There are tons of things to be done that needs people to make actual time for it.

The question starts with: what was the activity level of couchsurfing pre covid? 1M active monthly? To replace CS TR needs at least 1M members.

Quantitatively

As of July 2020 there are 46k members. So insignificant. If we want to reach 1M in 5 years we need to get to an average growth of 200k per year, or 4k per week. Currently we're at 350 per week. So we need to grow roughly 10x faster.

Qualitatively

This means we'll have to grow massively. For this we need to have the right features, especially references and translations. For this we need developers.

For the growth to be healthy we need to have a good group of people who are able to handle the surge in support requests and related safety issues.

• Release references
• Release translations
• Many happy, productive volunteers who are into do-ocracy
• More coders, higher code pulse and more commit activity
• Outreach on social media (Facebook) and to classic media

Source: Replace CouchSurfing License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

A guide to help you (get started)

New to Trustroots, did you just sign up but is this your first time using a hospex site or do you want an easy way to get familiarised with all functions: this guide is your to go! Go through all information one by one, select the chapter you need or go back an forth, there's no right or wrong.

New to Hospex/Trustroots

The concept of Hospitality Exchange, also known as “accommodation sharing”, “hospitality services” (short “hospex”), and “home stay networks”, refers to centrally organized social networks of individuals, generally travelers, who offer or seek accommodation without monetary exchange. Generally, these services connect users via the internet. Read more about it on this page 'Hospitality exchange'.

When joining you agreed to abide to our rules1 that include standards of behavior that apply to everyone. Be sure you're familiar with our privacy policy 2 and our manifesto:

We want a world that encourages trust, adventure and intercultural connections.

Our willingness to help each other is universal. Trustroots is completely free to use and will remain so forever.

We believe in beauty, simplicity and transparency.

We emphasize community.

Your Profile

Your profile is the first impression members get about you when opening it. Having a filled out profile can drastically increase your chances of finding a host. It also makes it easier for potential guests to see what kind of person you are. Ideally it should show a bit of your personality, and what kind of guest and or host you will be.

Check out our wikipage 'How To Create A Good Profile' what you can write on/add your profile.

Editing your profile has five tabs:

• Edit profile (here you can write information and add details about yourself);
• Locations (here you can add info about your location and edit your host/meet up options);
• Photo (here you can add a photo with different tools to choose from);
• Networks (here you can connect other (hospitality)networks to your profile);
• Account (here you'll find all kinds of settings for your profile).

When signing up, the conformation email sometimes might take some time. Please wait 24hours from the moment you registered. Be sure to also check your spam folder and be sure the email address you entered when signing up is correct.

The Circles

Circles3 are unique to Trustroots. They reflect our current community. They say something about a preferred way of travelling, lifestyles or things members are very passionate about. Feel free to join as many as you want. If you feel there's a circle missing, you can send a suggestion to the team. Every year a couple of volunteers go through the list and see which circles could be implemented.

When using the map you can also select circles to find likeminded members more easily. One of our volunteers made a very convenient video about it, which you can check out here 4.

We encourage our members to keep an open mind towards members from circles they aren't member of themselves. We can only expand our horizons if we keep an open mind. Nevertheless we must also realise that some circles that say something about someones lifestyle are a serious indication of what to expect, so be sure you feel comfortable with this or look for another option.

Search

The search option will lead to our map5. This is the feature that is used to find hosts or members that would like to meet up. There're different way to use the map:

• open the map and move around using your mouse (video6);
• search by city (video 7).

There're different filter functions that you can use at the map: circles, hosts/meet ups, online past 6 months and languages. Be sure when you select filters and want to start over, you use the 'clear filter' option. Else there might be one filter still be active which will effect your search results.

How to select members in the map is shown in the video's mentioned above.

Messages

When opening someones profile you'll see the option of 'send a message'. With this option you can privately send a member a message and start a conversation. With each conversation you start you'll see a tip like 'tell your host why you're on a trip'. How you start a conversation is the first impression you'll leave with the other member. If you're new to hospex, be sure to read How to write a hosting request. Above the text box you'll see three automatic responses you can use in the conversation. It always great if you answer quickly so please use them when needed. When you have time you can reply more extensive.

For each message you receive, you should get an email notification. However some accounts flag messages from Trustroots automatically as spam. If you log in and see you received a message but not got an email notifications, still is probably the case. Be sure to mark Trustroots as safe to avoid this in the future. When your browser supports it, you can also allow notifications through your browser. When going to your profile, you can see if your current browser supports this option.

Host

Hosting is what makes this platform possible of course. Without hosts, no options to stay with local while traveling. Since it's called hospitably exchange, make sure you want to offer hosting as much as you want to be a guest somewhere. Start with hosting is also a good way to get some experiences before you hit the road yourself.

If you can't host when joining, be sure to write down why. It's always good for other members to read your reasons because again: it represents you as a person. Your chances to get hosted while don't offer it yourself can also increase if you write down why. Know that if you don't host, you won't be visible on the map so other members can't see you. If you are willing to host: be sure to write down any form of hosting you're willing to offer. Some have a garden and allow their guests to pitch up their end, others can only literally offer a couch and we have members who can't host themselves but have family who is willing to. The better your hosting description is, the better your chances of avoiding miscommunication.

To highlight all that's important when hosting, we would like to refer to our page how to be a good host.

Guest

We have page devoted to how to be a good guest. It seems so logic maybe to most, but it can never hurt to read through the page and see if you read anything you haven't thought of.

Meet

Our meet-up function is a great one to use when you want to meet up with other members that are local, passing by or when you're travelling yourself of course but couldn't find a host. If you're not hosting yourself but you do want to be an active member, this feature is a great tool. A meet up can be offering to guide someone, have a drink, share a meal, organise a weekly boardgames night or simple to hang out. A meet up will stay visible max one month. You can create more than one meet up and can decide for each one the location (in case of a longer trip). One of our colleagues made this great video 8 about how to make a meet up itself.

Contacts

If you've met members and/or stayed with them, adding them as a contact is a convenient way to easily find them again. It also shows with whom you're connected which gives an idea about yourself. You might be going on a trip and see your friend has a friend in the area you're going to. That's great because since you have a common friend, you might have common interests too! We sometimes get reports about unknown members who add contacts randomly. There're different reasons for it. If you want to avoid misunderstanding, be sure to have contact with the member you want to add, before you add them.

Find People

You can find people through Trustroots by name or username. Some members only use aliases so that might make it more difficult to find them. The tool is selected in the menu on the right.

Experiences

Experiences is the feature we have build in to share your experience with another member. This feature isn't available on the mobile app yet so be sure to open the platform on a desk/laptop to see what it's about. Since it was only released in 2021, most members won't have much experiences collected yet. The longer term users most of the times have more contacts, since that was used before to stay in touch and to show who you know. There's a blog writing about the release of the experiences which explains how it works 9

When writing an experience try to stay respectful of others. Be sure your experience is written in the spirit of wanting to help other travellers to get an idea about this host and what they can offer. Try to describe things, not state them. A good standard is: would you understand it if someone wrote this about you? If you had a bad experience, it will also show the option to report a member. This very important in serious cases! Also do reach out if you're not sure how to describe your experience so we can help you out how to deal with the situation.

Experiences can't be changed or removed. Be sure you have given it some thought.

Safety

We like to prefer to invest in "trust features" instead of "safety features". We never claim safety, we encourage trust and we have developed some features and tools to help you to "measure" someone's trustworthiness. Of course you can always encounter someone who was very nice when messaging, but in real life, you don't really connect. No worries! Just as in life, you can be honest, talk about it and decide what to do next. Make sure you're prepared, have a back up plan or even have been in contact with other members around who might be able to help.

Check our page about safety to read more about examples you can encounter which demand taking action and possibly get in touch with our support team10.

Volunteers

This whole platform is designed and maintained by volunteers. You can be a part of it! We have a small team and work by the principle of do-ocracy. Therefore no one is told what to do and everyone works on the projects/tasks they like. This also means that sometimes it can take a while before we can fix things, get back to you or be active through social channels for example. Be patient, stay positive but even better: think about what you could do to push things forward yourself. Our team is open for everyone and even the smallest task or temporarily help is greatly appreciated. You can get in touch with support11 to get an invite to our slack channel.

Source: Start Rooting License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Trustroots is completely based on volunteers. You can find [//team.trustroots.org/Volunteering.html more information here].

See

Source: Volunteer License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Germany is a country in Europe

Typically German?!

• The German Office of Foreign Affairs "Auswärtiges Amt" issued a Handbook for Germany (pdf download) with helpful information about German all-day life, organizational structure, history, almost everything you might wonder, available in 7 languages
• A Deutschland online magazine in 11 languages
• facts about Germany in 10 languages
• and the Young Germany online magazine in English. Definitely check this out!
• YG also offers free German Lessons in text and video/podcasts, and even with correction service!
• The German Phrasebook from Wikivoyage provides German basics (grammar, pronounciation, important words/phrases)
• Weatherforecast for Germany. You can click around and it will show your more about local weather situations.

States

Germany is divided into 16 States (See Map), capital is Berlin.

State, Capital (writing in german if different)

01 Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart

02 Bavaria (Free State), Munich ((Freistaat) Bayern, München)

03 Berlin, Berlin

04 Brandenburg, Potsdam

05 Bremen (Free Hanseatic City), Bremen ((Freie Hansestadt) Bremen, Bremen)

06 Hamburg (Free Hanseatic City), Hamburg ((Freie und Hansestadt) Hamburg, Hamburg)

07 Hesse, Wiesbaden (Hessen, Wiesbaden)

08 Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schwerin)

09 Lower Saxony, Hanover (Niedersachsen, Hannover)

10 North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf (Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf)

11 Rhineland-Palatinate, Mainz (Rheinland-Pfalz, Mainz)

12 Saarland, Saarbrücken

13 Saxony (Free State), Dresden ((Freistaat) Sachsen, Dresden)

14 Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg (Sachsen-Anhalt, Magdeburg)

15 Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel

16 Thuringia (Free State), Erfurt ((Freistaat) Thüringen,Erfurt)

Hospitality Exchange networks

In Germany there are many hosts or people willing to meet you in nearly all of the hospitality networks. Usually there are also German groups / boards / forums to get in contact, find informations and so on (links to some groups see above in the "other links" section). For links to regional or city groups look at the subpages here.

Maps

• Germany in OpenStreetMap
• Germany in Google Maps
• Germany in Microsoft Live Maps

Transportation

Taking the train

You can find all information about departure and arrivals, fares, timetables and buy tickets online at the website of Deutsche Bahn.

Train for Free/Less: There several regional and (for weekends) germanwide group tickets for 5 Persons only for the lokal (means small, stops everywhere) trains. There are often groups with less than 5 Persons who have them and it's easy - at least on common routes - to find people who have a place left on there group ticket. Often it's for free but sometimes they'll ask you if you can spend about 5,- €. If you take the risk, you can just go into the trains and ask the people there. If you want to be more careful (and you are not at a very small station) you can ask people on the train platform. You can also ask people who are leaving the train if they don't need there group tickets anymore, but since last year officially you have to write a name on the tickets and very few controllers also asking for passport to check. (At big stations there are also very often people who try to sell there tickets after use. Check the date carefully, occasionally it's a rip off.)

Hitchhiking

It is very easy to hitchhike in Germany. There are big motorways, called Autobahn in German, which connect the big cities. If you get on these, you can use the stations on the road to change the hosting car. (It is against the law to hike directly on the Autobahn. Often there is no speed limit and you would risk your life.) You have more success if you ask the drivers directly where they go and if they can give you a ride then putting you thumb up. (Best is to have a cardboard sign with your your destination.) A very good site in the Internet is Hitchbase. There are useful experiences from other hitchhikers.

Ride Shares

Ride sharing known als Mitfahrgelegenheit is common in Germany especially amongst younger people. The existing systems are also (ab)used for sharing group tickets for Deutsche Bahn. Most pages are available in several languages. Due to the changes at Mitfahrgelegenheit, so far the most important/useful page, a lot of people checking out alternative / new pages right now. So, in the moment, it can't harm to use several pages at once.

• The most popular website to place and search add was for a long time Mitfahrgelegenheit 1. Unfortunately they recently decided to make lot's of money with the page, made registration obligatory and the system pretty useless for sharing group train tickets. A
• Mitfahrzentrale
• flinc - service for neal-time ridesharing
• Fahrgemeinschaft
• Bessermitfahren
• Drive2Day

Public Transport

• Detailed Information on Public Transport in Germany (German)
• detailed information for people with or without disabilities (German)
• regular Buses in Germany or abroad (German)

Flights

Especially if you're going long distance within Germany flying might be an option. Very famous for it's prices is Ryanair 2 - but they have only a few routes within Germany, often fly from suburban airports (Berlin and Bremen are an exception). Also be aware that it easily might happen they rip you off by extra fees - so be aware of their luggage limits... Other low cost airlines are:

• Air Berlin
• Germanwings

Emergencies

Health and security

Germany is known for being one of the safest countries in the Euro- pean Union, and while you could possibly find yourself on some of Earth's safest terrain in Germany's smaller towns and villages, travel- ing in larger cities can be dangerous. The most serious threat for visitors or tourists are pickpockets, who are known for frequenting crowded places like airports, train stations, busy train wagons or buses, and tourist attractions. For this reason, it is best to leave valu- able items and documents in a hotel safe.

Medical emergencies

You should obtain medical insurance that is valid in Germany before leaving your home country; otherwise, you will be charged for doctor or hospital visits abroad. For less serious illnesses, you can seek advice in one of Germany's many pharmacies (Apotheke).

Pharmacies (Apotheke)

German pharmacies are abundant, even in smaller towns, and are easy to find. Just look for a red stylized "A" or the word "Apotheke" (www.apotheken.de). Pharmacies are usually open from 8 AM – 6 PM and are generally closed evenings, Saturday afternoons, Sundays and holidays. Each of them, typically, has a list on the door of pharmacies in the area that remain open to handle emergencies. Most pharmacists can offer advice on minor illnesses and recommend over-the-counter remedies. Be aware, however, that all medicines (even aspirin) are behind the counter, and must be asked for, even if you do not need a prescription to purchase them. It is also a good idea to bring any prescription drugs from your home country with you for the duration of your stay abroad. While you will probably be able to find equivalent drugs in Germany, you will need a doctor's prescription, which will not be free of charge. Prescription drugs cannot be sent legally through the postal service if you are planning on having them sent from home.

Doctors

Finding a doctor in Germany can be an intimidating process because of the language difference, but it should not be. You can refer to the yellow pages (Gelbe Seiten: www.gelbeseiten.de) or a local tele- phone book (www.dasoertliche.de) in which doctors are listed by their specialization. For a general physician look under "Allgemein- medizin", or, simply ask a colleague or friend; the best references are often by word of mouth. Other good sources of medical care are university clinics, which can usually be found in major cities or univer- sity towns. These clinics are staffed by highly skilled doctors who often speak English. Making an appointment When making a doctor's appointment by telephone or in person, the person you will speak to is the Arzthelferin or doctors assistant. She may not speak English, but do not worry, you will not be asked many questions, you simply need to set up a day and a time for an ap- pointment.

Some helpful phrases for an appointment are:

"Ich möchte einen Termin machen." "I would like to make an appointment." "Es ist dringend. Haben Sie keinen früheren Termin?" "It is urgent. Don't you have an earlier appointment?" "Wo befindet sich Ihre Praxis?" "Where is your practice located?"

Urgent situations

If you have an urgent medical situation during evenings, weekends or holidays you can always find an available doctor who will provide after hours medical assistance. You can find an "on call" emergency physician by:

• Calling a general physician listed in the telephone book. If he or she is not available, you will most likely hear a recorded message with the telephone number of an emergency doctor.

• In large hotels medical care is usually provided on the premises. If not, ask the receptionist to contact a doctor for you.

• Calling the "Ärztlichen Notdienst" (19292 in some parts of Germany) for the name of a doctor in your area, see also: www.aerztlichepraxis.de/Bereitschaft and www.aerzte-notdienst.de.

• Going directly to the hospital or emergency room.

• Taking yourself or the patient to the nearest hospital or out-patient clinic.

• Checking a local newspaper. Look through a local newspaper for the heading "Notdienst Kalender" (“Emergency Calendar”) to find an emergency doctor in your area.

• In immediate life-threatning situations (i.e, motor vehicle accident, chest pain, severe injury etc.) dial 112(toll-free, no area code necessary)! This call will be answered by an expirienced rescue professional (most likely a Fire-Fighter) who will send appropriate help to your location (i.e., Paramedics, Ambulance). See below.

Advice on calling in an emergency:

How to correctly report an accident/incident. In an emergency, a few seconds can be a matter of life and death. When calling for help, you need to concentrate on relaying essentials without forgetting important facts when calling the country-wide Emergency Numbers

112 (Fire, Ambulance, Emergency Physician) and 110 (Police).

When reporting an accident in Germany, keep the 4-W’s in mind:

• Where? Where did the accident/incident happen? (be as precise as possible! i.e., city/town, street name and house number, intersection, on a highway state the direction you are headed and the last exit you have passed or a mile marker - blue signs on the side of the highway that will read "123,5 KM")

• What? What happened? (i.e., car accident, fire, person with chest pain, injured person etc.)

• Who? Who is injured or sick and/or how many are affected. (Gender, approx. age)

• WAIT! Wait for further questions and provide a (mobile-) phone number where you can be reached for further questions. (Never hang up until the calltaker tells you it's ok to do so!)

When calling in an emergency try to stay calm and listen to the questions you are asked. A calltaker will guide you through the process and will ask all the relevant questions he/she needs to dispatch the appropriate emergency personnel.

Police

The German police can be identified by their predominantly navy blue uniforms, and blue and white (or nowaydays more commonly, silver) signs and auto- mobiles. Motorized police units, known as the "Vekehrspolizei" (traffic police), look after safety on the streets, roads and motorways, and can be identified by their white hats. Uniformed policemen patrolling city streets have a hat that is the same color as their uniform. Those policemen who are responsible for criminal offences, known as the "Kriminalpolizei" (criminal police), are usually dressed in plain clothes, and show their identification only when necessary. Many of the German police personnel speak English and are approachable and easy to find in busy areas like airports and train stations. The number 110 can be used to contact the police throughout Germany. Car accidents If you or someone else has an accident or a serious breakdown on the German motorway, you can use one of the special orange telephones that are set every 2 kilometers along the shoulder of the road. These telephones contact an operator who will inform the appropriate emergency services. The emergency numbers 110 and 112 can be accessed by every telephone, including mobile phones, free of charge.

German automobile clubs

If you are staying in Germany for a longer period of time, membership in a German automobile club has several advantages. The largest automobile club in Germany is the ADAC (Allgemeine Deutsche Automobil-Club: www.adac.de). This organization offers information in English, sells insurance, publishes detailed maps and provides emergency roadside assistance. Most cities have an ADAC office. In addition, the ADAC has partnership agreements with some foreign automobile clubs, including AAA in the United States (www.AAA.com).

Lost and stolen property

Thefts and burglaries must be reported immediately to the police (www.polizei.de). If an insurance claim is to be made, a certificate must be obtained to show that the stolen property has been reported. If you have lost a valuable item, try contacting the city's "Fundgrube" (Lost and Found). These exist in every German city and are often in the city hall or "Rathaus". See www.fundbuero24.de. The German Railway has its own lost property office known as the "Fundbüro der Deutschen Bahn AG". The same applies for most airports.

List of Emergency Numbers

Accidents

Fire Department, Rescue and Ambulance ("Feuerwehr und Rettungsdienst")

112 (toll-free, no area-code required)

Police ("Polizei")

110 (toll-free, no area-code required)

On-call Doctor (after hours, "Ärztlicher Bereitschaftdienst")

19292 (local numbers and availability may vary)

Emergency Poison Hotline

(0761) 192 40

Lost & Found ("Fundbüro")

Fundbüro der Deutschen Bahn AG (German Railroad Lost and Found)

(01805) 99 05 99

Zentrales Fundbüro Berlin (Central Lost and Found of Berlin)

(030) 69 95

Lost Credit Cards

Central number for all bank cards (EC), credit cards and cellular phones (with a German contract)

116116 (toll free within Germany); from abroad: 0049/116116

American Express

(069) 97 97 10 00

Diner's Club

(05921) 86 12 34

Euro-MasterCard

(069) 79 33 19 10

VISA

(0800) 81 49 100

German Automobile Clubs offering roadside assistance

ADAC (Allg. Deutscher Automobil-Club)

(089) 76760

AvD (Automobilclub von Deutschland)

(069) 66060

Useful Telephone Numbers

Directory enquiries, national numbers

11842 or 11833

Directory enquiries, international numbers

11834

Embassies

Embassies and consulates can provide a number of useful services for their citizens while they are traveling or living abroad. If your passport is lost or stolen, officials in a consulate can issue you a replacement. The consulate will also renew passports, help you obtain legal advice, hire a translator if necessary, and assist you in contacting your family. If you think that your passport has been stolen, report it to the local police and obtain a police declaration. It is recommended that you make a copy of your passport and other important papers and keep them in a safe place to expedite replacement of lost or stolen documents. Should you lose all of your money and other financial resources, consular officers can help you contact a bank, employer, or family member and arrange for them to send you funds. In extreme circumstances, they may be able to arrange for financial loans to finance the purchase of a ticket home.

A list of foreign embassies in Germany and of German representatives abroad can be found at www.auswaertiges-amt.de.

Germany Subcategories, Pages and Media

Related Links:

Source: Germany License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Portugal is a country in Southwestern Europe, bordered on the South and West by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the North and East by Spain. Occupying about 16 percent of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal has a total area of 35 672 square miles, and a population of slightly more than ten million people.The Portuguese capital is Lisbon, other major cities include Braga, Coimbra, Évora, Faro, Guimarães, Porto, Setúbal. Besides mainland Portugal, the country also includes the archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira. Despite its small size, the country displays a great diversity of geographic features, creating a contrast between plain areas (mostly in the South) and extremely mountainous zones (in the Northern half). As a member of the European Community and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Portugal plays a greater role in both European and world affairs than its size would suggest. Nonetheless, it is one of the poorest countries in Western Europe.

Hospitality Networks

to be added.

Other Accomodations - Outros Alojamentos

Hotels – Hotéis

to be added.

Hostels

[English] Portugal has many quality and affordable hostels. You can find a comprehensive list with reviews here.

[Português] Portugal tem muitos hostels de boa qualidade e baratos. Podes encontrar aqui uma lista abrangente.

Youth Hostels - Pousadas da Juventude

[English] Click here for the list of Portuguese youth hostels.

[Português] Clica aqui para uma lista com todas as pousadas de juventude em Portugal.

Camping – Campismo

to be added.

Emergency List

Portugal uses the general European Emergency Number 112. This number can be dialed from any landline or mobile in order to reach the emergency services (ambulances, fire-fighters and police). 

Portugal usa o Número Europeu de Emergência 112. Este número pode ser ligado a partir de qualquer linha fixa ou telemóvel para contactar os serviços de emergência (ambulâncias, bombeiros e polícia). 

Forest Fires

Dial 117 to connect to firefighters in case of a Forest Fire.

Foreign Embassies

http://www.mne.gov.pt/mne/pt/ministerio/missoes/

Pharmacy

http://www.farmaciasdeservico.net/localidade/lisboa/lisboa/0

Credit Cards

• American Express: 707 50 40 50 / 21 427 82 05
• Mastercard: 800 811 272
• Visa: 800 811 107

Transportation

Airports

Airports Information

Trains

Timetables and prices

Bus

Buses Portuguese only.

to be expanded.

Other Practical Information

Currency

Since the 1st of January 1999, the Euro (€) has been the currency of the Eurozone, consisting of most members of the European Union, including Portugal.

Electricity

The local current is 220 AC and the connection is made by a two-pin plug.

Traveller's from the USA will require a voltage converter.

Travellers from the UK will require a plug adapter and this is best bought in the UK as they are hard to find in Lisbon.

History of Portugal

Portugal emerged as a country in 1143, after a 15 year rebellion by Dom Afonso Henriques (Afonso I). Afonso Henriques defeated his mother Countess Teresa of Portugal, regent of the County (Condado) of Portugal and loyal to the Kingdom of Leon, at the battle of Sao Mamede (Batalha de Sao Mamede) near the town of Guimaraes, in June of 1128. Countess Teresa was imprisoned and exiled by her son, and died in 1130. Guimaraes is therefore known as the birthplace city of Portugal.

However the true test of an independent nation did not happened until 1385 when Joao Mestre de Avis (John of Avis) with the help of legendary supreme constable Nuno Alvares Pereira defeated the Castilians at the epic Aljubarrota battle where the Castilians outnumbered the Portuguese 6:1. John I (Dom Joao I) was crowned King of Portugal. John I along with his sons, Duarte (to became the King in succession), Henry The Navigator, and Afonso started the "Golden Decades" of worldwide discoveries (15th and 16th centuries). Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony.

In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms, which had the opposite effect. Too much freedom too quickly placed the country in total "democratic chaos" with union bosses, corrupt politicians, and left-wing and right-wing extremists taking turns plundering the country, and lead to the implementation of disastrous economic and labor plans.

Food/Gastronomy

The staple diet is one of fish, meat, vegetables and fruit. Although Portugal's waters abound with fresh fish, the dried, salted codfish known as 'bacalhau', often imported, is considered the national dish. In some countries, at Christmas time, people eat turkey, in Portugal people eat boiled 'bacalhau', with olive oil, potatoes, grain and cabbages.

In many areas, meat is seldom eaten, although the Alentejo region is known for its pork and Trás-os Montes for cured meats. Breads and sweets - the latter a legacy of Moorish occupation - take a variety of forms, with many regional specialities.

Wine is the ubiquitous table beverage.

Culture

Portuguese culture is based on a past that dates from prehistoric times into the eras of Roman and Moorish invasion. All have left their traces in a rich legacy of archaeological remains, including prehistoric cave paintings at Escoral, the Roman township of Conimbriga, the Temple of Diana in Évora and the typical Moorish architecture of such southern towns as Olhão and Tavira.

Throughout the centuries, Portugal's arts have been enriched by foreign influences, including Flemish, French and Italian. The voyages of the Portuguese discoverers opened the country to Oriental influences and the revelation of Brazil's wealth of gold and jewels fed the Baroque flame in decoration.

Speaking Portuguese

Once in Portugal, the Portuguese will appreciate that you make an effort to speak their language.

Almost all Portuguese speak English and they also appreciate that you say "please" whenever you’re asking for something.

Economy

Portugal is a country essentially agriculturist, exporting 75 percent of its agricultural and cattle production.

The viniculture dominates the agricultural activities to the North of the Douro (where you can find the generous Porto wine) and, annually, about 15 million litres are produced.

Portugal is the biggest producer, in Europe, of cork oak and has, equally, a big importance in the olive oil production and exportation of canned food. The fishing industry is also important to the national economy.

The construction and steel industries have gradually increased along with the tourist industry, a precious source of foreign currency.

Member of the European Union since 1986, Portugal enjoys a healthy economic growth.

Places to see

North of Portugal

Aveiro

Braga

Bragança

Guarda

Guimarães

Porto

Viana do Castelo

Vila Real

Center

Castelo Branco

Coimbra

Covilhã

Fátima

Guarda

Leiria

Viseu

Center / South

Cascais

Lisboa

Setúbal

Sintra

South

Albufeira

Beja

Évora

Faro

Sagres

Portimão

Guides

Portugal Guide

Language

Basic Portuguese Phrases - just the basics, knowing these few words will help.

Trivia

Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.

Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past decade, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth had been above the EU average for much of the past decade, but fell back in 2001-05. GDP per capita stands at two-thirds that of the Big Four EU economies. A poor educational system, in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct investment. The government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness while keeping the budget deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP ceiling.

The most important industries are textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metals and metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; rubber and plastic products; ceramics; electronics and communications equipment; rail transportation equipment; aerospace equipment; ship construction and refurbishment; wine; tourism.

The currency is the EURO since, on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries.

Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities and a main line telephone density of 53% domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations international: country code - 351; 6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region) is planned.

Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz.

This data was collected on https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/po.html

Source: Portugal License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Kosovo is located in the heart of South East Europe. Kosovo is situated between the 42° and 44° parallels of northern hemisphere and between the 20° and 22° meridians. Positioned in the centre of the Balkan Peninsula, it presents an important junction of the Median and Southern Europe, and the Adriatic and Black Sea. Kosovo's area is 10,908 km2 and is populated by over 2 million people.

The main axis of the junction of northern and southern Balkan regions is comprised of the Ibër, Sitnica and Lepenc river valleys. This axis divides several roundabout valleys: near Mitrovica along the Ibër river passes the Adriatic highway which connects the Montenegrin coast, near Besiana (Podujeva) town; the Llapi and Toplica roads connect Kosovo with the Serbian city of Nish and with the interior part of Balkan Peninsula; nearby is the city of Prishtina and the Drenica valley which connects Drini i Bardhë (White Drini) with the shortest way to the Albanian coast. In the city of Ferizaj, the Morava e Binçës pathway is divided, which is then connected to the main river axes of the Morava and Vardar Rivers.

Kosovo borders Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Macedonia. It has a population of over two million people, predominantly ethnic Albanians, with smaller minorities of Serbs, Turks, Bosniacs and other ethnic groups. Prishtina is the capital and largest city.

The largest cities are Prishtina (500,000+), Prizren (165,000+) Peja (154,000+) and Mitrovica (168.000+) Five other towns have populations in excess of 97,000.

The climate in Kosovo is continental, with warm summers and cold and snowy winters.

There are two main plains in Kosovo; Dukagjini (west) Plain of Kosovo occupies the eastern part.

Much of Kosovo's terrain is rugged. The Sharr Mountains are located in the south and south-east, bordering Macedonia. This is one of the region's most popular tourist and skiing resorts, with Brezovica and Prevalla as the main tourist centres. Kosovo's mountainous area, including the highest peak Gjeravica, at 2656 m above sea level, is located in the south-west, bordering Albania and Montenegro.

The Kopaonik mountain is located in the north. The central region of Drenica, Carraleva and the eastern part of Kosovo, known as Golak, are mainly hilly areas.

There are several notable rivers and lakes in Kosovo. The main rivers are the White Drin, running towards the Adriatic Sea, with the Erenik among its tributaries), the Sitnica, the Morava in the Golak area, and Ibar in the north. The main lakes are Gazivoda (380 million m³) in the north-western part, Radonic (113 million m³) in the south-west part, Batlava (40 million m³) and Badovac (26 million m³) in the north-east part

Events

Rock për Rock - contains rock and metal music Polifest - contains all kinds of genres (usually hip hop, commercial pop, unusually rock and never metal) Showfest - contains all kinds of genres (usually hip hop, commercial pop, unusually rock and never metal) Videofest - contains all kinds of genres Kush Këndon Lutet Dy Herë - contains christian music North City Jazz & Blues festival, an international music festival held annually in Zvečan (Albanian: Zveçani), near Mitrovica.

There are 3 National TV: RTK (Radio Television of Kosova), KTV (Kohavision) and RTV21 (TV21) All 3 channels can be viewed also on Satellite EutelsatW2

Travel Tips

To come to Kosova you need to have a passport (you do not need a visa)

Entry Points

Air: Prishtina International Airport is located 15 km southwest of Prishtina.

Ground ways:

From Albania: Vërmica, Morina and Qafë Prushi

From Macedonia: Hani i Elezit and Glloboçica (near Tetovo)

From Montenegro: Gryka e Çakorit (Kulla) and Zhlebi

From Serbia: Merdare, Dheu i Bardhë, Muqibaba, Jarinje, Gazivoda

Before you pass border gate, make sure your passport is stamped or you can request a Border Visit Card. In case you've missed both options, you might be consider a 'illegal visitor' by police authorities. To avoid such unpleasant situations, visit alien police, border police or nearest police station.

Flash Info

- Currency: Euro (€) EURO - Area Total 10,887 km² - Density 220/km² 500/sq mi - Population 2.2 Milion - Time zone (UTC+1)

Ethnic groups (2007) 92% Albanians 5.3% Serbs 2.7% others (bosnian, turks, roma)

Official Languages: Albanian, Serbian and English

Religions: Muslim, Orthodox, Christian, Other

Mobile Operator VALA (MC, 212 01) IPKO (SI Mobitel)

President: FATMIR SEJDIU (LDK) Primeminister: HASHIM THACI (PDK)

International Presence UN, NATO-KFOR, OSCE, EU

Practical

• Mobile Roaming availability:

- Vala, 212 01 --> as in monaco

- IPKO, Mobitel --> as in slovenia

• Emergency Call [mob]--> 112 nearest police station (free)

Landline (free) --> 92 Police, 93 Fire Department, 94 Medical Assistance. This call service is available for free at every phone booth of PTK (Telecom Kosova)

Bank ATM's available: ProCredit, Raiffeisen, NLB ...

Other: Western Union, MoneyGram, Fedex, TNT,

Bus Ticket from: SKOPJE to PRISHTINA = 5 € (daily train available)

PRISHTINA - PODGRORICA = 15 €

PRISHTINA - TIRANA = 20 €

PRISHTINA - SARAJEVO= 25 €

PRISHTINA - THESALONIKI = 35 €

PRISHTINA - ZURICH = 70 €+

PRISHTINA - MILANO = 100 €

PRISHTINA - STUTGART / FRANKFURT = 110 €

Direct flights from Airport Prishtina european cities: Budapest*, Berlin, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Koln, London, Ljubljana*, Milano, Munchen, Rome, Stutgart*, Tirana*, Zürich*, Vienna*, New York (seasonal)

*daily flights

national airline: Kosova Airlines www.flyksa.com

Embassies / Diplomatic

ALBANIA St. M.Ulqinaku - Qyteza Pejton tel: 038 548 368

AUSTRIA St. Ahmet Krasniqi no.22 Arbëria 1 tel: 038 549 284

BELGIUM St. Taslixhe I 23 A tel:038 518 838

BULGARIA n/a

CHINA n/a

CROATIA St. Fehmi Agani no.68-B-1/A tel: 038 243 399

FINLAND St. Eduard Liri Arbëri tel: 038 549 741

FRANCE St. Ismail Qemajli no.67 Arbëri tel: 038 549 612

GERMANY1 St. Azem Jashanica no.17 Arbëri tel: 038 254 600

GREECE St. Ismail Qemajli no.68 Arbëri tel: 038 243 013

HUNGARY n/a

ITALY St. Azem Jashanica no.5 Arbëri tel: 038 549 715

JAPAN Grand Hotel no.348 tel: 038 249 433

LUXEMBURG St. Metush Krasniqi no.14 Arbëri tel: 038 226 787

MACEDONIA (FYROM) St.Arberia n/a

MALAYSIA St. M.Ulqinaku no.12 Q.Pejton tel: 038 243 467

NETHERLANDS St. Ekrem Rexha no. 17 Arbëri tel: 038 224 610

NORWAY Fidanishte n.o Arbëri tel: 038 248 203

RUSSIA n/a

SAUDI ARABIA n/a

SWEEDEN St. Ekrem Rexha no. 6 Arbëri tel: 038 245 795

SLOVAK REPUBLIC n/a

SWITZERLAND2 St. Adrian Krasniqi no.11 tel: 038 248 088

TURKEY Ulpiana no.22 tel: 038 550 100

GREAT BRITAIN3 St. Ismajl Qemajli Arbëri 1 tel: 038 249 559

USA4 St. Nazim Hikmet no.30 Arbëri tel: 038 549 516

Visit Kosova

http://www.visitkosova.org/ -- This link is broken.

Join Kosovo Group™on--CS/Europe

Open Streetmap Kosova

We are working on making streetmaps of kosovo. you can help out! couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=8608&post=3510507

CS

couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=8608

Source: Kosovo License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Russia is a country in Europe and Asia.

Source: Russia License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Turkey is a country in both Europe and Asia.

Source: Turkey License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Eastern Europe is:

• Belarus
• Bulgaria
• Czech Republic
• Hungary
• Republic of Moldova
• Poland
• Romania
• Russian Federation
• Slovakia
• Ukraine

Source: Eastern Europe License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

GENERAL INFORMATION

Grenoble is in the Rhone-Alpes region, and is the prefecture of the Isère departement.

• Official Grenoble tourism office

WELCOME KIT

Finding a couch in Grenoble

Make sure to read this simple HOW-TO find a couch!

• Fill in your profile,
• Make a couch search couchsurfing.org/search/in/city/6181936/mode/H by clicking HERE (use the filters for better results),
• Send personalized couch requests to the persons that you've selected.

In Grenoble, there are more than 4500 CSers (couchsurfing.org/statistics.html?show_all=1&country_id= statistics), including 1 city ambassador (couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=2X3L2VU Gil Cantinelli).

By searching people who say "yes or definitely" have a couch and have been logged-in during the last 2 weeks, you can find couchsurfing.org/search#location={%22city_id%22%3A%226181936%22%2C%22city%22%3A%22Grenoble%22%2C%22latitude%22%3A%2245.194279%22%2C%22longitude%22%3A%225.731634%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22city%22%2C%22state_id%22%3A%22949%22%2C%22state%22%3A%22Rhone-Alpes%22%2C%22country_id%22%3A%2284%22%2C%22country%22%3A%22France%22%2C%22region_id%22%3A%226%22%2C%22region%22%3A%22Europe%22}&order_by=default&map_edges={%22northEast%22%3A{%22lat%22%3A45.31029232246915%2C%22lng%22%3A5.8950556308593605}%2C%22southWest%22%3A{%22lat%22%3A45.078028690575096%2C%22lng%22%3A5.5682123691406105}}&couchstatus_all=1&max_surfers=0&last_login_days=14&male=1&female=1&several_people=1&which_groups=A&username=Name%20%28or%20Username%29&keyword=Keyword around 500 potential active hosts (information accurate as of June 2011).

Please make personal requests before using the couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=10055 Grenoble Emergency Requests sub-group. This group is for emergency in time only.

Safety Tips

• couchsurfing.org/safety.html Safety features on CS
• couchsurfing.org/read_profile_tips.html How to read a profile
• Writing a good couchrequest
• Being a good guest
• Tips for solo women
• couchsurfing.org/family_tips.html Family couchsurfing
• couchsurfing.org/references.html Writing and reading references

couchsurfing.org/tips.html All basic infos to know

CS Guidelines

What's acceptable to do on CS? Read our couchsurfing.org/guidelines.html guidelines and couchsurfing.org/terms.html terms of use.

COUCHSURFING GROUPS OF GRENOBLE

Main group

couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=2796 Grenoble CS group has about 185 active members, but the ~1400 subscriptions put this city to the couchsurfing.org/statistics.html?show_all=1&country_id=84 11^th rank in France for number of members.

The Grenoble CS Group is very active, about one local meeting per week with very original themes each time... (See the list below)

You can join this amazing band on: couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=2796 GRENOBLE

Sub-groups

couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=10428 Sports & mountains couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=9382 Gastronomy couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=9807 Concerts, Spectacles, Expos, Ciné couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=9213 Photography couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=15276 Language exchange, couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=63437 Paragliding, couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=62794 Vegeta*ians in Grenoble...

COUCHSURFING ACTIVITIES

Next meetings

Picnic, or bar meeting, every wednesday night!

Grenoble weekly meetings happen on wednesday, 8pm in park Mistral (summer) or in a bar (winter). Check out the couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=2796 Grenoble group about next one.

Check out our collaborative Grenoble Calendar!

- To embed it into your own Google Calendar: <http://www.google.com/calendar/render?cid=cs38grenoble@gmail.com>

- To be able to add/edit events from your very own calendar, log on <https://www.google.com/calendar/> with "cs38grenoble" / "couchsurfing", and add your email in Settings / Calendars / Shared: Edit settings / Share this calendar.

NB: when you create an event, make sure to include a link to the dedicated CS thread, and the precise location.

More help on the Google Help center.

Previous meetings

15 March 2008 - 14:00 A COUCH IN THE CITY, SEVERAL COUCHSURFERS AND A GOOD DOSE OF FUN! The CS group of Grenoble propose a "sofa promenade " through the city and to take pictures in typical places of Grenoble ... Before concluding with a regional Couchsurfing big fiesta! During this day, also the realization of a video film, a photo essay and plenty of other surprises! Subscribe quickly on this meeting by clicking on the link and "Join the meeting"!

UN CANAPE DANS LA VILLE, DES COUCHSURFERS SURVOLTES ET UNE BONNE DOSE DE FUN! Le CS group de Grenoble vous propose une "promenade de canapé" à travers la ville et de se prendre en photo dans des lieux pittoresques de Grenoble... avant de terminer avec une grosse fiesta Couchsurfing régionale! Lors de cette journée, réalisation aussi d'un film video, d'un reportage photo et plein d'autres surprises! Inscrivez vous vite sur ce meeting en cliquant sur le lien proposé et "Join the meeting"!

LINK: couchsurfing.com/meetings.html?mid=8159 couchsurfing.com/meetings.html?mid=8159

Since 1st of January 2008:

Open House, Open minded 31st of December - 1st January 2008

For all the people who wanted to take part of the new year's eve in a different way, a couchsurfer opened his flat for all Cs during all eve, for 5 min or all night...

O'Callaghan night 5th of January 2008

First meeting of the year in the famous bar...

Ideas to suggest future meetings

• Photo rally, picnic, BBQ, concert, movie, impro theater, debate on a theme at home, ephemeral photo exhibition in a bar...

• Pimp my CS profile, contribute to this Wiki...

• Hike, via-ferrata, rock-climbing, geocaching walk, accrobranche...

• Wine & cheese dinner, beer tasting, foreign cuisine, cooking lesson, clothe exchanges...

• Give-blood meeting, free hug session, free hugs disguised for Haloween, photo shooting to make a calendar, pillow fight, water fight, giant bubble battle, cardboard boat making, dahu hunting...

• Invade another city

• "Couch crawl" at Grenoble CSers, hitchhiking race

• International book exchanges

• ...

How to create a meeting

A meeting page (couchsurfing.org/meetings.html?mid=109629 example) makes it possible for the interested people to subscribe to the meeting, without spamming the whole group (numerous messages like "I'll be in!"). And it allows everybody to know at a glance who'll participate in that meeting. So:

1. Start on couchsurfing.org/meetings.html?new=1 "Community" / "Create event"

   Warning: for a sub-meeting of an existing meeting, see the next paragraph.

2. Set a maximum of information, especially the times and location.

4. Validate with the button "Save event"

5. You can send invitations:

    5.1 On the page of you rnew meeting, click on "Send out meeting invitations"

    5.2 Select the appropriate group(s) that you want to inform,

    5.3 And/or select a recent couch search that you previously did, in order to invite those resulting people.

    5.4 Send invitations by clicking "Save and send Message ASAP"

6. Go to couchsurfing.org/meetings.html?show_my_meetings=1 "Community" / "My events" and copy the link to your meeting

7. Then don't forget to post that meeting link on the appropriate groups!

For a sub-meeting of an existing parent meeting:

a. In the web adress of the existing meeting, find the "meeting ID" (e.g: couchsurfing.org/meetings.html?mid=94807 ...meetings.html?mid=94807 -> 94807)

b. Start on couchsurfing.org/meetings.html?newsubmeeting=94807 meetings.html?newsubmeeting=94807 with the parent meeting ID (94807). The form is then auto-filled with the parent meeting data.

c. The rest is all the same: see step 2 above.

More information here (fr).

To find a date/time which fits most people: you can use Doodle polling tool, very easy to use.

Weekly meetings: example of description for the meeting page, and to post on the group:

Hi !

Next wednesday, our Grenoble CS meeting will take place at ......
Here are the address and directions : .....
The weekly theme is : ...You can choose an original theme...

Meeting link : couchsurfing.org/meetings.html?mid=....
Please, do subscribe before coming ! It is not mandatory but very handy to keep in touch afterwards.
Hope to find you there next Wedensday ;-)

NEW CSers: If you just arrived on CS, do not hesitate to join us for questions about CS, to meet the community of Grenoble, and above all, 
to spend some good time :-) 

ORIGIN OF THIS MEETING: This meeting was originally on tuesdays (based on answers to a survey in September 2010), it then moved to wednesday picnics
in Park Mistral, to take advantage of the free open-air movies in that park.

WHAT TO DO?

Check out the following spots (and much more!) on that map

Tourism

The Bastille: It's a nice good walk (45 minutes), and there are beautiful forests and mountains surrounding the city. The mountains never look the same one day to another!

Look at this map of different acess routes and opening times of the doors.

.

Around Grenoble:

More information about the places to visit in Grenoble on the!

Sports

About all sports at Grenoble

      - Office Municipal des Sports à Grenoble

      - Grenoble Université Club (GUC)

Hiking

      - Get lots of advices and rent maps at the Maison de la Montagne, 3 rue Raoul Blanchard, Grenoble (04.76.44.67.03). And search for hikes by criterias: public transportations, duration, etc

      - With "Transisère" coach network (PDF map), you can go to a lot of mountains around Grenoble, starting from the coach station (next to the train station: see map).

      - The Sipavag lists some hikes and bike rides, accessible by public transportations.

      - Map of parks and easy hikes in or near Grenoble, accessible via public transportations (PDF, 5 Mo) (from the Sipavag)

      - Bivouak.net: community about all mountain sports

      - Isere.rando.free.fr: good lists of hikes in the different mountains

      - GeoPportail: online IGN maps

      - Refuges.info: all refuges in France, with IGN maps

      - Trace de Trail: very handy map search, with technical characteristics of hikes in France

      - CampToCamp: a community with topos (and much more) about mountaineering, trekking, climbing, etc.

Roller

      - Grenoble-roller organizes some free rides downtown on every friday night, from April to December.

Skiing

      - Communications are on couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=10428 "sports and moutains" CS sub-group.

      - List of skiing resorts around Grenoble (closest ones: Chamrousse and Les 7 laux)

      - To drive to a station, share a car: coriding.com

      - Standard coaches to get to the resorts: Trans'Isère

      - Coach + skipass are sometimes cheaper than skipass alone:

            - Transaltitude coaches (departure from "Grenoble road station")

            - SkiMania

      - Where skis can be rented? some examples:

            - snowrental.net (possibly 50% off!)

            - Ski Service, 84 rue Nicolas Chorier

            - La Boite à Skis, 18 rue Marceau Leyssieux SMH

            - Espace Montagne, avenue Gabriel Péri, SMH

            - Adrénaline, 1-3 Cours Jean Jaurès, Grenoble

Snow-shoeing

      - You can rent some for 6€ at Borel Sport.

      - List of shops to rent snow-shoes, recommended by Grenoble-Montagne.

      - Suggestions of itinerary for snow-shoeing on Grenoble-Montagne's website

Rock climbing

      - Check out our couchsurfing.com/groups/42924 "Grenoble climbing" CS sub-group

      - collaborative map of spots and shops around the city

      - Camp-to-camp: descriptions of all spots

Slacklining

      - Very often some slackers in Parc Mistral

      - "C’est Slack…er Bon", slackline club at Grenoble. Weekly trainings on thursdays, Parc Mistral. Based at 4 bis, rue Augereau, Grenoble.

Via-ferratas

      - Where to rent equipment at Grenoble (~7€/day): Clavel Sport, Adrenaline, or Espace Montagne

      - List of via-ferratas in Isère

      - couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=10428&post=10547818 CS thread about different via-ferratas done.

      - About the via-ferrata of La Bastille:

            - location: 22 route de Lyon

            - 2 parts: 1h (OK for beginners) + 1h (more difficult).

            - Read this full description.

            - Look at this map of different acess routes and opening times of the doors.

Volley-ball

      - ASPTT Grenoble volley-ball

      - Grenoble Volley University Club

      - ESSM Saint-Martin d'Hères

      - ALE Echirolles

      - ESMT Meylan-La Tronche

Swimming

      - List of Grenoble pools, namely "Le Clos d'Or"

      - Larger list of pools in Isère

      - Olympic pool at the campus

      - couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=2796&post=9638149 Lessons in pools at Grenoble (CS thread)

   Lakes:

      - Lac de la Taillat (free, unsupervised, bikeable distance)

      - Lac du Bois Français (bikeable distance)

      - Lac de Laffrey (33 minutes driving, see location)

      - Lake of Paladru (40 minutes driving, see location)

      - Lake of Monteynard (1h driving)

      A bit further away:

            - List of waterbodies (by car)

            - List of torrents (by car)

            - List of lakes (by car)

Running

      - Check out our couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=32490 "Grenoble Running" CS sub-group.

Cycling

      - Check out our couchsurfing.org/n/o/group/35803 "Grenoble Bike" CS sub-group.

      - Opening dates of the passes in the Alps: cols-cyclisme.com

      - Where to buy a cheap bike: Vivravelo (map), "Un P'tit Velo dans la Tete" (associations, 2 places), Repérages (association), or Le Bon Coin (online classifieds)

Paragliding

      - Check our couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=63437 dedicated "CS Grenoble Paragliding" sub-group

      - Prevol at Saint Hilaire du Touvet (good comment from a CSer couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=10428&post=13307593#post13457390 here),

      - Corol at Chamrousse,

      - Obiou at St Jean d'Hérans,

      - Alto at Lans en Vercors

And couchsurfing.org/people/damien.mien/ Damien is a CS expert-paraglider!

Read couchsurfing.org/n/threads/grenoble-rhone-alpes-france-salut-je-viens-de-revenir-sur-grenoble-apres-un-long-voyage-qui-m-a-amene-en-bolivie-ou-j-ai-appris-a-faire-du-parap this thread by local paragliders and next sessions.

Yoga / pilates

      - Check our couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=78077 dedicated "CS Grenoble Yoga" sub-group

      - Some classes recommended by CSers couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=2796&post=11082650 in this thread and couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=2796&post=11534803#post11540845 in that one:

         - Vie en yoga

         - Pilates et yoga

         - Pila'Fit

         - PhilippeFrequelin-Yoga: more kundalini yoga than purely hatha yoga

      - CSer couchsurfing.org/people/b.escamez/ Benjamin E. is a kundalini yoga teacher: couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=2796&post=11130213 his post on CS

Culture

Where can I play music with my small band?

• At the association "Le 102" (concerts, experimental movies, exhibitions, theatre, debates...)
• At the Café Bayard: live bands every night (except sundays), see the usual planning (couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=26288&post=13294080#post13296302 source):
  • Monday: free Jamp (the owner often plays the guitar because not many musicians)
  • Tuesday: Irish Jam (how it works? <http://sessionsgrenoble.free.fr> (FR)")
  • Wednesday: Ukulele Jam
  • Thursday: Theatre / impro / gipsy jazz
  • Friday: Jam rock / jazz / songs / blues / world /... depending on the musicians who are there
  • Saturday: A bit like on friday but with less poeple.
• at the couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=26288&post=14034371 Family's Pub,
• at the O'brothers Kfé,
• at "Le Grenier" (above the 'Café de la table ronde", place Saint André),
• at l'Art Scène,
• at "the Druid's" pub on Sundays,
• at La Passoire on Fridays

And contact couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=HBX8MT0 Arthur or couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=4CGY12F Miguel for weekly live concerts at their homes.

Grenoble music: the very best of This CS local project aims to create a music compilation of the most famous (or the best-but-not-famous) music bands from Grenoble. (Started on 16/06/11)

For all cultural events, check out the Petit Bulletin (free weekly newspaper).

Games:

• Jeux en Societe: association to play games every tuesday night (~free)
• Joute et Jeux: shop which organizes game tournaments (it also sells games)
• Le Kfée des Jeux: bar/restaurant where you can rent games there (commercial).

Museums:

• Grenoble Museum: Fine Arts and antiques
• Museum of WW2 resistance and deportation: specificity of the French Resistance in the Isère department
• Musée Dauphinois: ethnographic, archaeological and historical museum, covering the territory of the former province of "Dauphiné".
• Contemporary Art Museum
• Museum of the old bishopric: heritage of the Isere department, through the history of its bishopric
• Natural History Museum: the alpîne botanic, zoologic, geologic and ethnologic heritage
• Archaeological museum of Saint-Laurent church: the old church of Saint-Laurent, built on the remains of a Gallo-Roman necropolis, has become an archaeological site and museum.
• Museum "Hébert" (paintings): paintings and sculptures by Ernest Hébert or his friends
• ...

Cinema: "Le Méliès" screens lots of independant, alternative or arthouse movies, from all over the world. Map | Program of this week

Yearly festivals in/near Grenoble:

• Music (check out all the dates and details for 2011 on this pdf program):

     - Rocktambule (Grenoble)

     - Cabaret Frappé (Grenoble)

     - Jazz Grenoble (Grenoble)

     - Les 38e Rugissants (Grenoble)

     - Les Détours de Babel (Grenoble)

     - Fête de la bastille (Grenoble)

     - Fort en son (fanfare music) (Grenoble)

     - Festival de la cour du Vieux Temple (Grenoble)

     - Rencontres Brel (Saint Pierre de Chartreuse)

     - Jazz à Vienne (Vienne)

     - Musiques en Stock (Cluses)

     - Col des 1000 (Miribel les Echelles)

     - Guitare en scene (Saint Julien en Genevois)

     - Démon d'Or (Poleymieux au Mont d’Or)

     - Musilac (Aix les Bains)

     - Musique au Parc (Bourg de Péage)

     - ...

• Movies:

     - Mountain movie festival (Grenoble)

     - Outdoor short movie festival (Grenoble)

Culinary specialties from the area (dauphiné):

• Chartreuse liqueur
• Nuts from Grenoble
• Gratin dauphinois
• Ravioles from the dauphiné
• Tasty cheeses (Saint Marcellin, Bleu de Sassenage, ...)
• (and much more...)

Nightlife

For the following places, see the Grenoble Google Map!

Bars-Concerts:

• Le 1900: Place Notre Dame, Grenoble.
• La Bifurk: 2, rue Gustave-Flaubert, Grenoble. Open monday-friday 9.00-12.00, 14.00-18.00 (and 20.00-... on saturdays)/
• Le Subway: 2, rue Lakanal, Grenoble. Tél: 04.76.87.31.67. Open monday-friday 8.00am-1.00am, saturday 14.00-1.00am, sunday 16.00-1.00am.
• Loco Mosquito: 56, rue Thiers, Grenoble. Tél: 04.76.85.03.16. Open monday-saturday 18.00-1.00am.
• London Pub: 11, rue Brocherie, Grenoble. Tél: 04.76.44.41.90. Open monday-saturday 18.00-1.00am.
• Tago Mago Salsa: 61, cours Jean-Jaurès, Grenoble. Tél: 04.76.46.39.74. Open thursday-saturday 20.30-2.00am.
• No Name: 35, rue Antoine-Polotti, Saint-Martin-d'Hères. Tél: 04.76.01.19.82. Open monday 9.00-15.00, tuesday-friday 9.00-1.00am, saturday 10.00-15.00 and 19.00-1.00am.
• Bar MC2: 4, rue Paul-Claudel, Grenoble. Tél: 04.76.00.79.54. Open tuesday-saturday 19.00-1.00am, after the last show.
• l'Amperage: concerts, etc. 163 cours Berriat, 38000 Grenoble
• Mark XIII: electro/dark bar. 8 Rue Lakanal, 38000 Grenoble

Dancing:

DoTheDance is a community of dancers listing local events, lessons, etc, for all dances. (Startup by 2 Grenoble persons)

• Salsa:
  • in short: "Le Théatro" on tuesdays; "Ambiance Café" on wednesdays; "Da Vinci Club" on thursdays; "Ambiance Café" and "No Name" on fridays.
  • All salsa nights at Grenoble
  • couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=2796&post=11809004#post11892433 CS message about bars for salsa, bachata, merengue, reggaeton, kuduro...
  • Forum about salsa bars and free lessons

• • Lists of dancing bars

• • Read couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=2796&post=11640187#post11640597 this CS thread and couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=2796&post=11640187#post11640597 that other one for advises.
• Lindy Hop:
  • The Youth Hostel of Echirolles, on thursdays 8:30 pm for free training (but no live band)
  • The Shag Café (Seyssinet) on tuesday nights, often with live bands (5€ + a drink).
• Folk, traditional dances, balleti:
  • Association Terre A Pied (thursday nights, outdoors at the campus if the weather is fine)
  • Calendar of folk bals and activities near Grenoble

Original Fast food

Fed up with chips, sponge bread, and dripping ketchup? If the smell of fat makes you sick, try the new shops which propose quickly-made fresh products, vegetables and cracking round loaf.

Pastas

Mezzo di Pasta: 3, avenue d'Alsace Lorraine 09.62.50.46.86 / 7, rue Saint-Jacques Tél. 09.77.80.17.81.

Pasta Via: 3, rue Philis de la Charce 04 76 41 86 79 / Centre commercial Grand'Place Tél. 04 76 41 86 79.

Soups

Naturel Délice: 4 rue Lafayette Tél. 04 76 03 28 13

Wok

Le Buffet de l'Etoile: place de l'Etoile Tél.04 76 43 05 04

Le Wok Bar: place Notre Dame Tél.04 76 15 23 02.

Nems

Thaï Express: Centre Commercial, 55, Grand'Place Tél.04 76 22 00 00.

Le ChinaMoon: 52 avenue Alsace-Lorraine Tél. 04 76 43 14 15.

Sandwiches

Naturel Délice: 4 rue Lafayette Tél. 04 76 03 28 13

Le Subway: 5, rue de Sault / Place Notre-Dame / 1 rue Président Carnot Tél. 04 76 86 28 84.

HOW TO SETTLE

Accomodation

Short term: Youth hostel

Check out this main website for students who need to find a flat in Grenoble: neutral and sincere advices (not a commercial agency).

• CROUS dormitories (see this dorms list)

• CROUS for short term rentings

• Homes for young workers

• LC-Mobility searches flats for students, PhDs, researchers, teachers and their families.

thumb|right|upright=1.0|[WikiMapia](http://wikimapia.org/#lat=45.1912772&lon=5.7229543&z=16&l=2&m=s&v=9): interactive map of districts and places of interest. Online ads:

• CRIJ 16, bd Agutte Sembat: paper ads from owners (june / september).

• FNAIM: adds from agencies

• ADIIJ

• ADELE

• Le bon Coin'''

• VivaStreet'''

• IntEGre forum (association of students)

• Appartager (shared flat)

• Colocation.fr (shared flat)

• Sub-rentings

• AnnonceEtudiant.com

• Among individuals

• Intergenerational housing: free accomodation at an elderly or handicaped person's.

• Facebook Group for Erasmus students

Check out our ads and offers on the couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=12012 CS sub-group dedicated to flat search and share-rentings.

Roommate dating: in "the Subway" bar, 2 rue Lakanal, Grenoble (04.76.87.31.67), on tuesdays and thursdays, 6.30pm-8pm, from 16/08 to 20/10. More info on their Facebook page.

Advices:

• New flats may be taken quickly, so check very often on those sites.
• Call the landlord by phone (insist until he replies).
• Always try to book a visit for the same day.

Average prices:

• 350€ for a studio,
• 250€ for a share-renting (roughly speaking)

Need money for the bail, or miss a guarantor? Actionlogement.fr can help you! thumb|right|upright=1.0|Map of Grenoble districts. Grenoble districts:

City life mainly happens around the "hyper-center": "Victor Hugo", "Notre-Dame", etc. (But very expensive.) Not so far but more quiet is "Europole" (near the station).

• Saint Bruno: a "village" atmosphere, with its own identity. Lots of different populations (maghrebi, chinese, students, families, associations, lots of small groceries...).

• Grand Boulevards: high buildings, lots of flats to rent, but not really lively identity. 10-15 minutes walking from the city-center.

• Saint Martin d'Hères: one of the "suburbs", with big (and sad) buildings

• Villeneuve-Village olympique, Fontaine...: hem, not recommended if you wanna walk by night safely.

• ...

More info about Grenoble districts on Wikipedia

And check WikiMapia Grenoble for interactive info about districts and places of interstes.

Transportation:

• Full details in the paragraph below
• Is this flat near a tram station? Check out on this Google Map of the trams network.

Keep in mind that bicycling is easy in Grenoble (flattest city in France), so you can afford living a bit further away (and it will obviously be less expensive).

Need to leave your stuff for a few days or months?

You can rent a 1-2 m² box:

- Homebox at St Egrève (~35€/month)

- Boxmax: 35 rue des allies, Grenoble (students -10%)

- Boxland: 96 avenue leon blum, Grenoble

Boot fairs / flea markets for cheap products:

Check this updated list on vide-greniers.org.

Administration

Financial helps:

• Caisse d'allocations familiales ( CAF )

3, rue des Alliés

38051 Grenoble Cedex 9

Tél: 0820 25 38 10

• Loca-Pass: free advance of the security deposit (usually 1 or 2 month rents), and/or to be your "guarantor".

• CCAS (Social help)

28 Galerie Arlequin

38100 Grenoble

Tél: 04 76 69 45 00

Jobs

First off: informations about working in France for a "non EU resident".

And ADATE is a local association which helps immigrants, it can give you tips. E.g. it's easier for immigrants to work in the countryside (fruit picking,...). French law is more "liberal" with illegal immigrants in the case of farming.

Online ads:

• ADIIJ-CRIJ (association for Information and Initiatives for the Youth)

• Pole-emploi (official national agency)

• Le bon coin (jobs)

• AnnonceEtudiant.com

• JobEtudiant.net

• JobAviz.fr (student jobs)

• StudentJob.fr

• VivaStreet

• jobs-stages

• RhoneAlpesJob.com
• KelJob
• ManPower (interim)
• Adecco (interim)

Jobs about environment (from couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=2796&post=11527222 this CS thread):

• Paper ads at the Institut de Géographie Alpine

• ProjetDeTerritoire.com

• CapRural.org: regional platform of rural development

• Maison de la Nature et de l'Environnement de l'Isère (MNEI): group of associations about nature

• Alpes Solidaires

Integration help

• "Espace Accueil Information"

1025, avenue Centrale

38400 St Martin d'Hères

Tél: 04 56 52 85 22

• IntEGre: an association of students that organizes activities, outings, etc, to help students with integrating Grenoble.

• Guide for foreign students (pdf)

TRANSPORT

Airports

• Lyon Saint-Exupéry: 100km, accessible by the coach "Navette aéroport" (Faure Vercors), 22€.
• Saint Geoirs: the nearest one, but little traffic.

Train and Railway

SNCF: French train company

NB: there's no official left-luggage at Grenoble, but you can ask the Bar Continental (just at the corner in front of the station) to leave your bag there for the day (for a couple of €).

Railway stations around Grenoble:

• Gare de Grenoble (Tram A / B, bus 34, "Transisère" coaches)

• Gare Universités-Gières (Tram B, bus 6051, 6010, 6070. Park & Ride)

• Gare de Pont de Claix (Buses 1, 18, 17. Park & Ride)

• Gare de Saint Egrève (Bus 30)

• Gare d'Echirolles (Tram A, bus 18. Park & Ride)

Seat61: tips for traveling worldwide from France.

Car and Parking

• The 15 "Park and Ride" (parking relais) allow you to park your car and use the buses/trams during the whole day, for a few euros.

• Alpes-AutoPartage.fr: vehicle sharing.

• Check out this map of all covered parking lots in the city, and this map of paid parking lot zones downtown.

• Car-sharing:

    - couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=8181 CS Grenoble dedicated sub-group (or in couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=2891 France and other cities)

    - covoiturage-libre (open, and no fees)

    - vadrouille-covoiturage (open, and no fees)

    - Student car-sharing: from/to the campus

    - 123envoiture

    - co-voiturage.fr

    - EasyCovoiturage

    - Comove

    - Tribu-covoiturage

    - Vivastreet

    - Carstops.org

    - Covoiturage.fr: online payment, with fees for every passenger. (Forget this site.)

Hitchhiking

• Information on hitchwiki.org: English; Français
• Best hitchhiking spots from Grenoble: see the Grenoble Google Map

Buses and Tramways

• "Tag" company: see full map of buses & trams (pdf, 3.7Mo), or trams on a Google Map

• Interactive tools to build your itinerary
• Schedule: last trams around 01:30 a.m. See all schedules
• Mobile app: tag.mobitrans.fr
• "TransIsère" coaches network: to get to any surrounding mountain in the department.

Bicycle

Grenoble is flat, and full of specific ways for bicycle!

Where are nice paths to ride?

• This OpenCycleMap shows all the bikable routes and related shops at Grenoble.
• "Les voies vertes" are beautiful FLAT tracks for bicylcles along the rivers: see this map for north-west Grenoble (36 km), and that one for the west (14 km).

Looking for a bicycle in Grenoble? Check the following links and organisations:

• You can rent a bike at Metrovélo (long or short rentals): see the 2 places on this map (station and campus).
• Try the TrocsAthlon, organized by the Decathlon shop in the Espace Comboire, in the south of Grenoble. It takes place twice a year, in March and October. Check that page for more information

• Suscribe to the association Le p'tit vélo dans la tête and visit one of their workshops in Grenoble. The subscription is about 13 € for students and jobless, 20 € for other people. In that way, you'll have access to spare parts and to workshops to repair your own bicycle. They can provide you with an old bicycle to repair for a few euros.

• Try Trocsport, 96 Avenue Gabriel Peri in Saint Martin D'hères (phone: 04 76 54 00 89)

• Try the Association Repérages: buy second hand bikes, or have yours repaired. If you give it back, they'll send it to Africa.
• Where to buy a cheap bike: Vivravelo (map), "Un P'tit Velo dans la Tete" (associations, 2 places), Repérages (association), or Le Bon Coin (online classifieds)
• At least, try the "Marché aux puces" on the Esplanade, close to the Porte de France (sunday mornings).

• If you surf during a couple of days, try couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=35803 our Bike-surfing CS sub-group.

• Other platforms to borrow/lend bikes: borrowmybike.org or bike-sharing.org.

You want to give an old one? Contact the association Repérages, they collect bicycles to send them to Africa

Find all the adresses on that map!

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

More emergency numbers...

LOCAL MEDIA MENTIONS

TIPS

Wifi

There are at least 5 places where you can get Wifi access for free downtown: check them on that map.

Alternative ways of living

• Free food / Dumpster Diving:

Go to the end of the markets (~13:00), you'll get lots of fruits and vegetables. (Map of the markets)

Read here for good ways to get free food: bakeries, the sandwich-shops at the university, supermarkets (namely Lidl (SMH)), organic veggies from Satoriz (their bin is inside the parking garage), and from Chez Coco, etc. A few coordinates of some interesting bins are couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=2439&post=14868675#post15132666 given here (just copy-paste them into Google Maps).

This CS Group couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=2439&post=14868675 "Dumpster Diving" will bring you some advice.

• Squats:

There are several political squats in town... but its best to find contact through other people. Or if you are involved in other political projects it should be possible for you to get free accomodation there! also there is an 'espace local autogéré' (local self-run and organised space) where there are often events, food included! There is another 'ancient' squat that's called '102' but I have never been there! I know that they have cool events and stuff too!

• Mini guide of local alternatives:

Les-renseignements-genereux.org publishes this guide for local alternatives (pdf) in Grenoble: places and self-managed groups for mutual support, re-usage, cultural activities, etc.

• Community-Supported Agriculture (or "AMAP" in French)

You can subscribe to a farmer and get a basket of fresh local vegetables/fruits/etc regularly: see on AlliancePEC of Isère the map of all distribution points.

(CSA on wikipedia)

• Vegetable gardens (association):

The "Jardin des Cairns" is an association that has grown trees and organic vegetables near the Musée Dauphinois since 2011. The location is ideal: great view on Grenoble, sunshine, with an enthusiastic and welcoming team. They even have some concerts on their terasse sometimes!

Add information to this page

1. Create an account by clicking on "Log in / create account" in the upper right corner of this page.

2. Then come back to this page and click "edit" on top of this page or for any specific paragraph.

More info about the Wiki syntax

And read this Guide Wiki CS (Fr)

Customize your CS profile

Read here.

Source: Grenoble License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Countries of Northern Europe:

• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Norway
• Sweden
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Autonomic Islands or Regions:

• Åland Islands
• Channel Islands
  • Guernsey
    • Alderney
    • Herm
    • Sark
  • Jersey
• Faeroe Islands
• Isle of Man
• Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands

Source: Northern Europe License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Rural hospitality stands for rural hospitality exchange. Here is your one stop portal to interacting with the world through internet hospitality websites - whether it’s Couchsurfing, BeWelcome or Warm Showers - all are welcome to participate. Trustroots is a good new place to find rural hospitality, as its built around searching on a map.

How it works: Please read through our guides and once you are familiar with how it works, and how it is different to a normal urban hospitality experience please check out the country pages and maps where you are either going to visit or reside.

‘’Note: This has been created with the [http://www.utoronto.ca/divenv/mts/glossary.html#d developed] world in mind. A draft outline of a model for the [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/developing developing] can be found at rural hospitality in the developing world.’’

== 30px Basics == New to Rural Hospitality? * Vision Statement * Purpose * Definition * Rural vs Urban * Expectation of Host * Expectation of Surfer * Icon

== 30px [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=p&msa=0&msid=205252692637269758370.00045ef1142b9b3703c81&ll=28.921631,13.710938&spn=147.464744,68.554687&z=2 Maps] ==

For now we still have our old Google map network seen [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=p&msa=0&msid=205252692637269758370.00045ef1142b9b3703c81&ll=28.921631,13.710938&spn=147.464744,68.554687&z=2 here].

Check back later this year and hopefully there will be a new map system up and running:) * [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=fr&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=116145128319189688118.00047d61977b4f44c7162&ll=57.421294,-90.966797&spn=29.408584,107.138672&t=h&z=4 Canada] * [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&ll=-28.536275,134.912109&spn=37.943652,79.013672&z=4&msid=116082787856478952868.0004810df9736db58c8fc Australia] * [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107088168112611112343.0004770e47ed01b366cfb&ll=62.471724,8.876953&spn=21.631913,79.013672&z=4 Scandinavia] * [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=40.094882,-1.82373&spn=12.766728,19.775391&z=6&msid=113144055528929546446.00046c98a264706e3d140 Iberian Peninsula] * [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=p&msa=0&ll=46.920255,3.427734&spn=13.657503,28.300781&z=5&msid=113144055528929546446.0004605cd5254b0b0620c France] * [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&ll=46.717269,8.239746&spn=3.751128,9.876709&z=7&msid=116082787856478952868.0004810e4ee76eec76d64 Switzerland] * [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107088168112611112343.000477e16a046f20a4b07&ll=51.862924,7.822266&spn=13.533852,39.506836&z=5 Germany] * [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&ll=47.754098,13.590088&spn=3.678491,9.876709&z=7&msid=116082787856478952868.0004810e4affcda81c335 Austria] * [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=fr&msa=0&msid=102441544612975733598.0004781fe675a96025b02&ll=54.316523,-4.790039&spn=12.811724,39.506836&t=p&z=5 UK and Ireland]

== 30px Languages == * Le Rural Hospex en Français * Ländliche Hospex in der Deutschen * Hospex Rurale in Italiano * Rural Hospex em Português * Hospex Rurales en Español

== 30px Rural Guides == * Rural Hospitality Serbia * Rural Hospitality Canada

|- |}

== Vision Statement ==

To build an international Rural Hospitality Network:)

== Purpose ==

The purpose behind Rural hospitality is twofold, # To allow travelers to experience rural areas that are often overlooked, letting them experience ways of life completely different to those found in cities. # To allow rural communities to experience culture exchange they otherwise wouldn’t.

== Definition ==

Rural areas (also referred to as “the country”, countryside) are settled places outside towns and cities. Such areas are distinct from more intensively settled urban and suburban areas, and also from unsettled lands such as outback, American Old West, or wilderness. Inhabitants live in villages, hamlets, on farms and in other isolated houses.

=== Population Limitation ===

Since this definition is not clear enough for everyone, generally the maximum population for villages is considered top be 2,500 persons.[http://www.ntia.doc.gov/legacy/ntiahome/fttn99/glossary.html 1][http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_area 2]

=== Alternative definition ===

A village can also be defined as:

A village is human scale: it is large enough so that all the needs of its inhabitants can be met, with complete specialisation of tasks, but not so large that there are anonymous people; in a village everybody is known, and strangers are instantly recognised and assessed. Settlements smaller than villages are called “hamlets”. In a hamlet there are not enough people for a diversity of specialisation of tasks, so culture is limited to necessities.

For further clarity please read What Rural Means to make sure that you understand the difference between rural and “out of big cities”.

See the couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=9949&post=853121 discussion.

== Languages ==

This wiki page should be translated into more languages. How many more? The more the merrier. If you can help with translations please contact the couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=18641 Rural CS Team.

• Le Rural Hospex en Français

• Ländliche Hospex in der Deutschen

• Hospex Rurale in Italiano

• Rural Hospex em Português

• Hospex Rurales en Español

For this wiki in other languages please click here:)

Flags were removed from the wiki as hospitality exchange isn’t about nationalism couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=9949&post=6011499 1

== What is the difference between a rural and urban Hospitality experience? ==

The principal difference is the location.

Note that there can be some other differences:

• No or few internet access
• Difficulty to reach the place
• Difference of activities to do around
• Difference in lifestyle of host(s)
• In some cases, more help needed or expected than in urban environments(Click the following to read more WWOOF vs Rural Hospex)

== Expectation of Host ==

A rural host can expect from his guest exactly the same things as in an urban area:

• Respect of his place
• Understanding and respect of his way of life
• Sharing time, experiences, conversation, and some daily tasks (dishes, cooking…)
• A great experience in general

A rural host can also sometimes expect:

• A little more help in the garden or the house

== Expectation of Guest ==

A rural guest at the very least is expecting to discover what it is to live in a rural environment in the country they are traveling through.

A guest in a rural area can expect:

• A place to stay (bed, couch, place on the floor, place for a tent…)
• Understanding and respect of his way of life
• Sharing time, experiences, conversation, and some daily tasks (dishes, cooking etc.)
• A quiet place to rest and forget your busy city life
• A great experience in general

Additional things that can be expected:

• Discovering a bit of the daily life if on a farm or an alternative community for example.
• Participating a little to the daily tasks (and then maybe learn and experience new things) (1)

(1)The guest has to make sure that he/she understands what is going to happen during the stay and that he/she is going to be able to give the little help that might be expected.

== Country Guides ==

Rural areas change as the landscape changes. Please check your country page to find out information about anything rural related.

The meaning of rural changes from place to place, and while we have put a general population limitation in place we encourage people to come up with their own definition that suites their area, along with a matching icon. Moderators of the relevant group should maintain a basic wiki page for their respective area, if for nothing else than to explain the process of how to be added to the map.

See a list of the regions by clicking - Rural Hospex Guides.

== Promotion ==

Rural Hospitality has mostly spread through word of mouth and by people reading the groups within the website www.couchsurfing.org. It is hoped that it will transcend couchsurfing and be open for members of all hospitality exchange websites.

=== Groups ===

• couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=9949 main Rural Couchsurfing group

The French Rural CS group got up and running through the promotion of groups. Read couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=18641&post=2809095 here to follow the steps they took. This is the main way to promote Rural Couchsurfing - by making a Rural Group and then linking it to the main country group, as done in couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=176 France and couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=351 Australia.

• [http://www.bewelcome.org/groups/673 Rural Hospitality group on BeWelcome]

This group has just started (August 2012) but it is hoped that will become active and a place for people to interact about their rural experiences.

=== Newsletters/News feed ===

Rural Hospitality has been spread through a variety of Couchsurfing newsletters that are managed by volunteers. Please see examples from Australia123 and France. Rural Couchsurfing has also been mentioned in the official couchsurfing.org/news/alternative-travel/get-away-from-it-all/ News Feedcouchsurfing.org/news/cs-organization/quick-guide-to-cs-groups-3/ 1, it would be great if it could be periodically mentioned here so that new members could find out about it too.

=== Permanent website placements ===

Rural Hospitality has been placed in the Couchsurfing.org couchsurfing.org/rural_surfing.html tips secion!

=== Other Media (Pictures) ===

Pictures are currently stored on the [https://picasaweb.google.com/114554606265727234977 Rural Couchsurfing Picaso account].

== Icon ==

Rural hosts may want to add an icon to their profile as well as a link to this wiki page explaining that they are rural hosts.

Possible ideas for an icon are:

File:rural.gif File:try1.jpg File:RCSIcon2.gif File: Rural_bw.png

To see some icons for Rural couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=20891 India click the following link.

Rural CS India Icons

To add an icon for Rural CouchSurfing to your couch description, just copy paste the code below:

Note: the last two images appear the same but the second has a white background and the third has a transparent background. The code to put an icon in your couch description is for the third image. You can change the image by substituting the url from one of the other images for it.

More ideas are MOST welcome! There is no reason to only have one icon, the greater the variety the better. More discussion about icons couchsurfing.com/group_read.html?gid=9949&post=1428360 here.

== Examples ==

Listed below are some examples of Rural Couchsurfing hosts all over the world:

In couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=2HBLTGF Australia

In couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=1KUH46K France

In couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=326LQ4P Ireland

In couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=5VROO2P Mexico Located [http://bosquevillage.com/ here]

In couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=2XV320A Morocco

In couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=B5BEJP Norway

In couchsurfing.com/people/freebird28 Portugal

In couchsurfing.org/people/skywalke/ Slovenia

== Background, Past and Future ==

Click here to read more about the Background, Past and Future of Rural Couchsurfing.

== Feedback ==

If you would like to propose a change to Rural Couchsurfing please do so couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=18641 here or contact us directly at: ruralcouchsurfing@gmail.com

If you want to see an overview you can check out our administration page. Administration

NOTOC

Category:Rural

Source: Rural hospitality License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Welcome to Rural Hopitality in Europe!

Please feel free to join the couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=32312 Rural Couchsurfing Europe Group.

Intro

Europe is a diverse continent with some of the most industrialized nations within it's boundaries. That said there also an amazing diversity of landscapes, from the Baltic Plains to the Alps to the Mediterranean coast, the Balkans to the Black Sea Coast.

Regions

??Needs to be edited??

Scandinavia

Baltics

Balkans

Central Europe

Eastern Europe

Countries

Rural Hospitality Serbia

Rural Hospitality Romania

Rural Hospitality Bulgaria

Rural Hospitality Moldova

Rural Hospitality Ukraine

Source: Rural Hospitality Europe License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Southern Europe is:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Greece
• Italy
• Kosovo
• Macedonia
• Malta
• Montenegro
• Portugal
• San Marino
• Serbia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Turkey

Autonomic Regions:

• Gibraltar
• Vatican

Source: Southern Europe License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Hospitality exchange networks are increasingly becoming a field of academic research. If you know of any or have conducted research yourself, please add your link to the list.

• Kaefer, F. (2007) Hospitality exchange networks: Their impact on the quality of social exchange within host-guest relationships. Bachelor dissertation: University of Brighton, UK. Download as pdf

• The Polish sociologist Paula Bialski is working on hospitality exchange, probably introducing the term "Intimate Tourism". A list of her work can be found (and in parts downloaded) on her webpage The Sociology of Intimate Tourism

Source: Academic research about hospitality exchange License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

How the free networks are built

This chapter is original description, not a dump of source code. The programs stay under their own licenses. If you want to run or fork them, use the repositories.

Trustroots

Trustroots is a hospitality exchange network run by Trustroots Foundation, a UK non-profit. The site software is github.com/Trustroots/trustroots, AGPL-3.0. Members have profiles, can offer hosting, send messages, and filter people by circles (shared interests: hitchhikers, nomads, vegans, volunteers, and many more). A map shows who is offering a place. The project is volunteer-run and is exploring Nostroots: putting identity and some sharing on Nostr so the network is harder to kill if servers go away. See also ideas.trustroots.org.

Board photographs in the app are mixed: some Creative Commons, some Trustroots-only. This book does not copy the Trustroots-only set.

BeWelcome

BeWelcome is a democratic, volunteer hospitality exchange community. The software, Rox, is github.com/BeWelcome/rox, GPL-2.0. It is a long-lived PHP application: profiles, hosting, groups, forums, activities. Member-uploaded content stays the member’s; BeWelcome only has a hosting license. This book does not copy member profiles or photos.

Couchers

Couchers.org is a newer non-profit couch-surfing platform. Code is github.com/Couchers-org/couchers, MIT, but logos, colour schemes, and long-form essays are not MIT. Reuse of the code for a fork needs rebranding. This book does not use Couchers branding.

What they share

All three are non-profit alternatives to a commercialized CouchSurfing. They implement the same social pattern: public profiles, a way to say you can host, a way to ask, some reputation or references, and geography. Trustroots leans hitchhiker/nomad/circles. BeWelcome leans membership democracy and GPL. Couchers leans a modern stack and MIT code with a protected brand.

Warm Showers (for cycle tourists) and CouchSurfing.com are mentioned in wiki history; they are not compiled here.

Our own projects

• Trustroots1
• Hitchwiki
• Trashwiki
• Nomadwiki

Hospex friends

Non-profit projects that focus on free software and real life sharing.

• BeWelcome2
• Warm Showers3
• https://hackercouch.com/

Other projects

might be interesting to check out

• http://thepoosh.org/
• http://www.volunteersbase.com/
• http://www.hitchlog.com/
• http://findanomad.com/
• http://where-my-nomads.at/
• http://www.backpackclub.org/
• https://www.horizonapp.co/
• http://www.wwoof.net/
• https://www.helpx.net/
• https://www.workaway.info/
• http://www.ecobasa.org/en/
• http://www.borrowmybike.org
• http://bike-sharing.org/
• http://www.bikesurf.org/
• http://mumimhere.info/
• https://www.worldpackers.com/
• http://www.pitchplace.org/
• http://www.sustainablecouch.org/
• http://www.staydu.com/
• http://thereiam.org/
• http://nomad.network/
• https://foodsharing.de/
• https://www.yunity.org/
• https://nomadbase.io/

Airbnb'ish projects

• http://www.staydu.com/
• https://www.guesttoguest.com/en/
• https://www.gocampr.com/

Source: List of projects related to Hospitality Exchange License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

This is a directory to various P2P Hospitality initiatives and proposals. There is a philosophical overview elsewhere.

3M's Brainstorming notes

[ Midsch](User:Midsch ” Midsch”){.wikilink}, Mahouni2000 and [ Matrixpoint](User:matrixpoint ” Matrixpoint”){.wikilink} have been brainstorming about decentralization and privacy solutions for the past 6 months (as of 10/2009). A few more pages may appear here summarizing our explorations, such as this P2P resources page. Our goal was to make use of existing systems, but we haven't yet found a ready-to-deploy solution. Thus, more work needs to be done. (The less, the better.) Very briefly, we see three main areas of technical activity to pursue:

• Customize Noserub (or Drupal or BuddyPress or whatever) for localized or special-interest hospex communities, packaging it so that is very easy to deploy. For example, see the Drupal hospex features page.

• Encourage sub-communities within the big social sites like Facebook, perhaps by developing custom apps for them.

• Develop a decentralized (P2P) trust/search network. A Java-based solution named Nexus is under development.

Some non-technical areas to explore are:

• Universal standards or guidelines for trust, safety, and privacy.

• What constitutes an identity/reputation in the virtual world?

A P2P hospitality proposal by [ Robino](User:Robino ” Robino”){.wikilink} on ShareWiki.org

P2P hospitality

A Decentralized networks discussion by [ Lemon-head](User:Lemon-Head ” Lemon-head”){.wikilink}

Decentralized networks

Source: P2P Hospitality initiatives and proposals License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Try it yourself

Hospitality exchange becomes real when somebody tries something. You do not need to found a platform or cross a continent. Choose one small experiment, make it safe enough to attempt, and learn from what happens.

Start close to home

• Complete an honest profile and offer exactly what you can provide: a bed, floor space, a garden, a meal, a walk, or local advice.
• Meet a traveller or another member in public before deciding whether hosting is right for you.
• Travel to a nearby town and use hospitality exchange as a guest. A short trip is enough to practise writing requests, communicating plans, and respecting a host’s home.
• Organize a shared meal, picnic, walk, repair session, or small camp. An event can create hospitality without requiring anyone to host overnight.

Change one thing at a time

Try two networks, two styles of request, or two ways of describing what you offer. Do not treat people as test subjects: be honest about what you are doing, ask before publishing anyone else’s experience, and protect private information. Keep the question small enough that the answer might change what you do next.

Useful questions include:

• What information helped a host or guest decide?
• Which expectations needed to be stated earlier?
• What made somebody feel welcome, safe, or able to say no?
• What worked in a rural place that would not work in a city, or the other way around?
• Which parts depended on the network, and which depended on the people?

Leave a trail

Afterward, improve the shared knowledge. Correct a wiki page, add a missing situation, translate a useful guide, report broken software, or write the article you wish you had found. Describe what you actually tried, when and where you tried it, what did not work, and what remains uncertain.

The best next version of hospitality exchange may begin as one host, one guest, and one well-documented experiment.