The Joy of Hosting

On this episode of the Bike Life podcast, we are joined by Ann, a frequent Warmshowers host located on the western coast of Sweden. Ann is an American who met her boyfriend in Spain and then ended up moving back with him to Sweden a few years ago. She became aware of the Warmshowers Foundation around that time and she and her boyfriend signed up to be hosts as soon as they heard about the mission of the organization. Ann isn’t a cyclist herself, but she really enjoys hosting guests from all over Europe and the Americas and hearing all of their touring stories. She likes the fact that she doesn’t have to be 100% “on” when she is hosting because the cycling community is very laid-back and simple, really only requesting a shower and a place to sleep.Ann says that 1-2 weeks advance notice is ideal, but she has had folks schedule months out or the night before. When she is deciding whether to accept an inquiry, she reads the person’s bio to see if they seem like a good fit, and then they communicate a few times before their arrival. As expected, she has not had any guests over the past few months, but she is hoping that cyclists will start touring again as soon as it is safe to do so because she loves being a part of the community. Some of Ann’s favorite guests have been families because she sees the benefit of traveling the world with your kids and she hopes to be able to do the same someday.Connect with us:Bike Flights: https://www.bikeflights.com/warmshowersWarmshowers Foundation: https://www.warmshowers.org/