Places to Stay

In her June 4 GEOPOINTS BULLETIN posting, Jenn Milyko wrote about "couchsurfing," which she described as "a chance to stay with a local and get the real flavor of a place." Since I had coincidentally drafted the following information before reading Jenn's piece, I'll go ahead and post it. You might consider it a continuation of/addition to her story.

A few weeks ago we heard from Sun Knaup, the former executive director of the Thunderhead Alliance (now known as the Alliance for Biking & Walking). Sue, who currently serves as the executive director of the Prescott, Arizona-based bicycle advocacy group One Street, wrote to tell us about Bed and Bike America. This new program launched by One Street, Sue said, is designed to “bring more sustainability into the tourism sector by creating an international network that helps bike tourists find welcoming places to stay. The program appeals to all kinds of accommodation vendors, primarily in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, whether they are hotels, hostels, or campsites--fancy or budget.” The small but growing network of cyclist-friendly accommodations currently features listings in several states, including Michigan, California, Arizona, and Vermont.

Older, and therefore claiming a substantially larger member base, is the Warm Showers hospitality list for touring cyclists (which Jenn also cited in her piece). People who are willing to host cyclists sign up and provide their contact information, and occasionally have riders stay with them. The courtesy extended might be as simple as a spot to pitch a tent, or it may include a shower, hot meal, and soft bed. Webmaster Randy Fay recently told us that the list has been translated into Spanish (with French on the way), and that the site now has almost 8,000 members--up from only a little more than 1,000 just four years ago.

Other places to search for places to stay while on tour include ResponsibleTravel.com (these are all outside of the U.S.), Routes2Ride Scotland, RideThisBike.com, and that old standby for budget travelers, Hostelling International.


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Biking Without Borders is written by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor. It appears weekly, highlighting a little bit of this or a little bit of that--just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.