Warm Showers
| Type of business | IRS form) |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Terry Zmrhal Geoff Cashmen |
| Products | Homestay |
| Services | Social networking service, Communication |
| URL | www |
| Users | 161,000 members; including 104,000 hosts in 161 countries[1] |
| Launched | 1993 |
| Part of a series on |
| Homestays |
|---|
| Hospitality exchange services |
|
| Hospitality for work |
| Hospitality for money |
| Home exchange and others |
Warm Showers (WS) is a non-profit hospitality exchange service for people engaging in bicycle touring. The platform is a gift economy — hosts are not supposed to charge for lodging and are not bound.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The legal form is a Colorado 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, US.[8]
The platform has been described as a "cyclists’ support network whose members may offer free amenities and services such as meals and lodging".[9] Rough Guides recommends Warm Showers as means to improve security of solo female cyclists.[10] Warm Showers helps bicycle travelers to balance the self-reliance of camping and hotels with opportunities for social encounters.[11] Warm Showers has a positive effect on rural communities, both socially and economically.[12] Many users of the platform cycle for health reasons or to reduce their carbon footprint and to be environmentally friendly.[13][2] Cultural exchange and social connection do also play a role.[14][3][15]
The organization received donations of $100,641 in 2015, $84,009 in 2016, $115,324 in 2017, $128,626 in 2018 and $111,089 in 2019.[8][16][17][18]
History
The concept was inspired by cyclist John Mosley in 1976 by placing an ad in the U.S. magazine Bike World, which requested to sign up for a hospitality list.[14] A list of 800 names and contact infos was put into a rolodex for almost 30 years. The name of the organization was Touring Cyclist Hospitality Directory back then. Mosley provided touring cyclists with copies of pages from the rolodex.
A Canadian couple, Terry Zmrhal and Geoff Cashmen, founded Warm Showers in 1993 as a continuation of Touring Cyclist Hospitality Directory.[14][19][20] They created a database from the existing members of biking-hospitality organizations. In 1996, Roger Gravel became responsible for the platform.[21] In 2005, Randy Fay created the website based on the existing database.[19]
As of 2018, Seth Portner was the executive director of Warm Showers.[18][8][17] In 2019, Tahverlee Anglen provided management services.[16]
Membership statistics
In 2018, 53% of members were based in Europe and 30% in North America.[22]
| Date | Members |
|---|---|
| August 2014 | 50,000 members[21] |
| April 2017 | 89,000; including 39,000 hosts[4] |
| April 2018 | 85,000 members[3] |
| August 2018 | 112,570[22] |
| October 2019 | 144,000 members in 161 countries[23] |
| April 2021 | 161,000 members; including 104,000 hosts in 161 countries[1] |
Homestay requests
Warm Showers grants trustworthy teams of scientists access to its
References
- ^ a b Germany, reisereporter, Hannover, Niedersachsen. "Legale Alternativen zum Wildcamping in Deutschland". reisereporter (in German). Retrieved 27 April 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ S2CID 154969254.
- ^ a b c Cunningham, Joshua (April 24, 2018). "Warmshowers: why free hospitality for bike tourists is a priceless experience". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "For Road-Weary Cyclists, a Room, a Couch, Maybe Even a Meal". The New York Times. April 25, 2017.
- ^ Milyko, Jennifer (August 29, 2013). "Bicycle Travel Etiquette: Warmshowers or Couchsurfing?". Adventure Cycling Association.
- ^ Scotsman, The (December 1, 2019). "Edinburgh cyclists who up and left jobs to travel on their bikes reach half way point around the world in just six months". The Scotsman.
- ^ "Bike Touring 101: The Simple, Achievable Joys of Touring America on Two Wheels". insidehook.com. 2019.
- ^ a b c "WARMSHOWERS ORG" (PDF). Internal Revenue Service. 2017.
- ^ Pendak, Jared (June 28, 2018). "Tunbridge's Edwards Lives to Cycle". Valley News.
- ISBN 9781848368675.
- doi:10.1145/3359213.
- ^ Beierle, Heidi (May 12, 2011). "Bicycle Tourism as a Rural Economic Development Vehicle" (PDF). University of Oregon.
- ^ Higgins, Brian (October 3, 2018). "Why this man is letting cycling tourists stay at his house for free". CBC News.
- ^ a b c "Bicycle touring fans reach out and connect through WarmShowers.org". thestar.com. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Viajante que percorre o mundo de bike faz parada em Joinville | ND Mais". ndmais.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 10 September 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ a b "WARMSHOWERS ORG" (PDF). Internal Revenue Service. 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ a b "WARMSHOWERS ORG" (PDF). Internal Revenue Service. 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ a b "WARMSHOWERS ORG" (PDF). Internal Revenue Service. 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ a b Tilton, Benjamin (May 2, 2019). "Before You Hit the Open Road: Warmshowers Has an Overnight Solution for Touring Cyclists and Story-making". SLUG Magazine.
- ^ D'Ambrosio, Dan (March 1, 2018). "HEY buddy, CAN YOU SPARE A WARM SHOWER?" (PDF). Adventure Cycling Association.
- ^ a b Meyers, Drew (August 21, 2014). "A Little History of Modern Hospitality Networks". horizonapp.co.
- ^ a b "Le réseau warmshowers. Quésaco ?". Le Telegramme (in French). 29 August 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Warmshowers : j'irai me doucher chez vous". Le Monde.fr (in French). 11 October 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- .