Perhaps this has been done before, perhaps this is against board rules, I don’t know. In the “What do you have that’s better” thread, someone mentioned their hospitality. My thought was “Aww, I want to go visit you!” Then I sat here wondering why I couldn’t go visit her. There’s nothing holding me back. I mean, any weekend would do. I like to travel. I’ve always been interested in the concept of couch surfing. Sounds like an adventure to me! So I have two questions.
Has anyone ever gone and visited strangers for the sole purpose of living somewhere else for a period of time (anyhting from 2 days to several years)?
If you were to host someone, what do you have to offer them?
Assuming it’s ok to ask this question, anyone want to host me for the sole purpose of having someone new live with you for a weekend? Sorta a doper party of 2? I’ll drive pretty far but if you want to buy me a plane ticket, I sure won’t refuse it.
I’d like someone that will make this an adventure…someone that’ll show me a new side of life. I’ll leave that up to you to figure out. For you, I have a wealth of chess knowledge, war stories, cool Army knowledge, and spirited debates about various topics.
Mods, I figured Q1 makes this an IMHO thread, so I put it here.
I’ve lived with three Doper couples in as many states over the years, and met all of them on the board.
In a more general vein, I love travelling, too, and have crashed at many an online friend’s places over the years. I live in Tennessee and most recently spent a weekend in Louisiana, where I spent three days with a friend right before Hurricane Gustav. We’ve known each other almost five years but it was the first time we’d met face to face and I enjoyed the time together, though the drive to and from wasn’t quite as fun.
I wish I could be similarly accomodating but the couch in the living room isn’t mine and I’m more of a guest than a host kind of person.
I love having guests and am finally in a position to offer someone a place to crash, but my area is very boring. I can offer cooking, conversation, and board games, but that’s about it.
-I have a spare room and a queen sized inflatable matress for guests.
-I live in NYC so there is tons of stuff to do 24 hours a day around here.
-I live about half a block from the train so transportation isn’t an issue.
-I am lots of fun to hang out with, I promise!
People who stay with me can’t be allergic to kitties, however, so there is that for a down side. And also I would need at least a week’s notice so I could clean properly. Oh, and I snore.
Depending on the doper I totally wouldn’t mind if someone needed to crash with me for a weekend. More than 3 days would be too much though unless they were planning on moving in permanently and paying rent and stuff.
Hell, I’m game to host someone for a weekend or so. Why not? I can offer either a double bed or a slightly larger size futon (I sleep on either at random, so you won’t displace me either way). I’m always good for conversation and debate on more or less any topic. Failing that, there’s always drinks and pool. Or, better yet, all of the above at once.
As for Roanoke itself, we’re in the foothills of the Blue Ridges, so if you like mountain/forest scenery we’ve got you covered (though if you live within driving range of me, odds are it’s nothing new to you). We’ve got a bigass neon star on top of a mountain, with a nice view of the city from same. Metric crapton of restaurants, farmer’s market, dance clubs, arthouse theater. Other stuff.
If this idea actually gets off the ground, it should make for some interesting meetups.
My financial situation is such that I am in need of a roommate, actually, and the woman who was going to move in decided that she won’t move someplace if her boyfriend can’t live there too so I am out of luck. I have to start the search all over again and if I found someone on the dope who needed a place to live that would really solve some problems for me right now. Until I find someone to take that space I have a spare bedroom for people to crash in for a couple of days and I totally wouldn’t mind a chance to hang out with some dopers for a few days at a time!
I just now realized I didn’t answer these two questions.:smack:
I have never stayed with strangers but I wouldn’t be against it if the opportunity came up.
You are welcome to stay with me if you can get to the city. There is even plenty of parking on my block (though I don’t drive so I have no experience leaving a car on the street in this area, so I can’t make any promises about tickets or graffiti. There is covered parking not far from me for a charge as well, so that might be an option if you were to drive up here.)
Wow this is a really cool idea. I’ve heard of things like this, and things like house swapping, and it might be a fun thing for dopers to do. I’m currently unemployed and don’t have the resources to either host or travel, but I’d love to be on any list for future plan-making in this regard. Also, depending on various factors I’m thinking about doing a cross country roadtrip with my brother next summer and something like this could fit in with that.
Well, in teh society for creative anachronism it happens=) When we were a lot more active than now we have had a number of people stay with us the night before and the night after an event, and have guested at other peoples houses…
And as an odd aside, I get really embarrassed when a beautiful lady will introduce me around as the person who saved her life … I sheltered her for several days until she could get into a battered womans shelter and hid her from her husband … I didn’t do it to be heroic, a mutual friend knew she needed a place to stay and I had a spare couch.
I would so do the doper underground railroad thing, once we get our renovation a little bit further done, right now the living room is our closet while we tear out the wall between the 2 bedrooms to make a nice bedroom/home office...
As to what I offer, we are 15 minutes or so from the Mohegan Sun casino, 30 minutes from Foxwoods, 45 minutes from the shore [beaches, mystic village] and as I telecommute, I wouldnt be worried about someone being stuck here with nobody to give them directions to find something=) We also have a back deck with a view of woods, and poultry acting silly. Perfect for a quiet read and coffee/iced tea. We will be having a new hot tub put in as soon as my dad's estate gets settled.
Id like to visit NYC, Washington DC, San Francisco, Phoenix, someplace in the mountains with a deck to sit and watch nature with coffee and a book=)
I'd prefer to swap visits with someone=) they come here and then a month or so later we visit there - renewing the aquaintence as it were=)
I certainly hope that any Doper who makes it all the way to Jakarta will let me know. Depending on your timing, I may or may not be able to offer a place to stay - my mother is planning one or more extended visits in the coming months, and we tend to have a heavy travel schedule - but I’d certainly like to have the chance to make an offer, at least.
In answer to 1, no. I love nothing more than getting home in the evening and shutting the door tight on the world outside. Best of all is that my house mate works nights, so I’ve seen about 5 minutes of him in the fortnight I’ve been in the house. I venture outside when I feel I can walk or cycle without too many people around.
In answer to 2, nothing really. I’m an awful host and not a great guest, I just hang about hoping there’s a conversation I can hop into for a bit and if not, that nobody notices that I’m there.
I love the company of most of the dopers I’ve met, but I’m a single guy - and I mean that in more than the marital status sense; I’m a true “bachelor” of the type that would once have been described as “set in his ways”. And no, not gay either (not interesting enough for that), but just a bloke who likes the peace and solitude of bolting that door shut when I come home from work (though I’d consider getting a cat).
Also, the fact that I live in a one room flat might have something to do with it, as it would be very intimate (only one bed), but even if I lived in a mansion, I kinda like my solitude (at home, that is - I’m not a loner outside).
Well if someone gets to Iceland, give me a holler and we’ll set something up.
I do however, live in a two room apartment - both of which are used as bedrooms (I have a flatmate), but my cousins’ place is downstairs and she’s usually out and about (in the world) so I recon her place is available
D/t Reykjavik - loads o nightlife, beautiful scenery and all that shit
And nope - never done at a strangers’ place. Mutual friends, though.
No, I have never gone and visited strangers for the sole purpose of living somewhere else for a period of time
As a host, I’m located in a suburb (borough to you Native Pennsylvanians) outside of Harrisburg, on the bus line (what bus line it is) and within easy driving distance to Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Pittburgh and NYC if you want to make the 4 hour or so trek. I have a guest room (temporarily occupied by Hallgirl2 and NewBaby), but it is usually available and it has a full sized bed. I also have cats though, so any guests need to know that.
What is there to do around here? Depends on who you are and what your interests are. There is the Susquehanna River (boating, fishing, etc.) close by, the Appalachian Trail goes through not too far from here, there’s the State Capitol, a handful of museums, etc. (What the heck is wrong with the link function???) WormTheRed, after reading your thread, I’m seriously trying to figure out how I can afford to get to Iceland…
I almost forgot! I’m about 15 minutes from Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
I’d let a Doper sleep on the couch for the weekend. I live the typical 20-something small apartment lifestyle, so any guests would have to be prepared for that. I live in New York City and I love to play tour guide. I think I’m pretty friendly and entertaining.
I’ve crashed on people’s couches/floors just to get away and experience new places, but they have always been friends or at least friends-of-friends.
Perhaps sometime next year? Pittsburgh is actually one of the few cities in the Northeast I’ve never been to. When I return to Americorps in January I’ll be in MD, and PA isn’t too, too far.
As for me, I might could arrange something for a single lady Doper on the Gulf Coast (if you were willing to squeeze into my mother’s tiny trailer), but I’m living in a dorm right now so there’s no room with me. I’m planning on moving to New Orleans at some point in the next couple of years, however, and anyone’s welcome at that point. I will warn you – I’m a cuddler, and I may try to convince you to snuggle up with me.
