Read the text to learn more about what hospitality exchange is and what you need to do to be a part of it.

Dorota Giżyńska Hospitality Exchange --- Is It For You?

A

Hospitality exchangehospitality exchangeHospitality exchange is a concept of people opening up their homes to visitors. It might seem as a new idea but in fact, it has existed since 1949 when Bob Luitweiler foundedfounded [found]founded the first hospitality service as an international, volunteer and non‑profitnon‑profitnon‑profit organisation. Nowadays, thanks to the Internet, new kinds of hospitality exchange services have emergedemerged [emerge]emerged in the form of websites, making it easier for travellers to find other people who are willing towilling towilling to hosthost (verb)host them.

B

What’s the advantage of choosing this form of travelling over hotels, guesthousesguesthouses [guesthouse]guesthouses or B&BsB&Bs [B&B]B&Bs? Well, the main objective is for the visitors to meet the locals, partake inpartake inpartake in local activities and cuisinecuisinecuisine and learn about what's going on in the city and its favourite hangoutshangouts [hangout]hangouts in order to have a taste of the local culture. These are the destinationsdestinations [destination]destinations that the locals are familiar withfamiliar withfamiliar with, but which may not be mentioned on typical travel websites or in guidebooksguidebooks [guidebook]guidebooks. And of course, the biggest plus of hospitality exchange is that it is free of charge. Sounds too good to be true? Well, it does work!

C

There are various hospitality exchange websites that serve as a platform for travellers and hosts to connect. So, you could go to any place in the world, check these sites to find out if there are any potentialpotentialpotential hostshosts [host]hosts in that location, see if their offers meet your needs, and then send them a requestrequestrequest to stay with them. Of course, you must first register with your credentialscredentialscredentials, which will be verified, regardless ofregardless ofregardless of whether you wish to be a visitor, a host, or both. Your phone number, address, and  validatedvalidated [validate]validated payment method are also necessary. Other guests’ reviewsreviews [review]reviews are extremely important in the verificationverification, adjverification process, and both visitors and hosts are encouragedencouraged [encourage]encouraged to share with others what their experiences have been with the individuals they host or are guests of. Apart from that, you must describe your interests, location and the amount of hospitality you are willing to provide. Is it a room, a couch, meals or maybe an opportunity to accompany you with your hobbies, etc.?

D

Travellers have the opportunity to stay in unusual houses, such as igloos, log cabinslog cabins [log cabin]log cabins, beach hutshuts [hut]huts and even castles. However, the conveniencesconveniences [convenience]conveniences and freedoms may not be comparable to those offered by hotels, but what such places have to offer makes upmakes up for [make up for]makes up formakes up for [make up for]for the little discomfortdiscomfortdiscomfort you may experience. You may join the residents in Sri Lanka to sleep in a houseboathouseboathouseboat on the Dal Lake, go to Bournemouth in England for fish and chips at the beach or enjoy the best Italian ice cream in Venice - in other words, go to places and have the experiences cherishedcherished [cherish]cherished by the locals that you might not have otherwise discovered.

E

Of course, safety is of paramount importanceof paramount importanceof paramount importance. The majority of established networks have safety and security measures in place, as well as teams who supervisesupervisesupervise the websites and bookings. One way of making the process secure is to publish a negative review that would detail the host's failurefailurefailure to deliver on the promised space or state that the location provided did not meet expectationsmeet expectations meet expectations. The complaint could also be about certain incidents of misbehaviour. Before teaming up with the hosts, members are encouraged to thoroughlythoroughlythoroughly review the profiles of potential hosts (and guests), connect with them, set boundariesboundaries [boundary]boundaries and follow up on references. So, are you ready to hit the road?

1 Źródło: Dorota Giżyńska, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.