Are you guys members of http://www.hospitalityclub.org ? I'm a member and I get quite a lot of requests from backpackers/travellers that are coming to Stavanger in the summertime and need a place to crash. I can't welcome them all of course but in August an Italian couple is staying over with us...I told the couple that I would say yes if they bring me a bottle of good red wine from their hometown in Puglia :-) I think the concept is quite good and hopefully it means that it is easier for travellers to get in touch with locals.
No, but I've been a member of Servas for years, formerly as a host and a traveller, then only as a traveller. The Hospitality Club was founded as one alternative to Servas.
Servas, founded just after WWII, has an explicit goal of furthering peace through international cultural exchange. It's somewhat more structured (or stuffier, depending upon your point of view): for one thing, it has an interview process. The newer groups, which are aimed at offering budget travel without reference to any societal goals, at first did Servas a favor by siphoning off some of the people who were looking for a free bed. But now Servas's future is an open question (unfortunately, in my opinion), since it's seen by some as an uncool alternative.
I've had some really wonderful experiences with Servas, both as host and traveller, and made some lasting friends.
Posts: 691 | Location: San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 28 June 2006
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