I am planning a fall tour and started to search if any WS hosts are near my route. Some were within a mile or two of the route (yea!) and others were “close” at about 5 miles off route.
While trying to decide if I wanted to ride the distance off route, I wondered how far other riders go.
Therefore, how far off your route are you GENERALLY willing to go in order to stay at a WS host? I know there are instances where 30 miles off route might be considered reasonable, but I am talking about when you are on a tour, nothing is going on out of the ordinary, there are other lodging options available (camping and/or hotel), etc.
How far are you willing to go?
Tailwinds, John
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On my trip to Kaliningrad this summer I stayed at a WS host about 30 km off a shorter route. That started when I had noticed a pin on the map there who had just become a member six hours before I looked! My first message was just to say hi, and I did not want to impose. But she invited me, the pin was at her parents' farm, there was plenty of space. So I took a bit of a detour through a beautiful landscape, and had a very pleasant stay, chatting with the whole family in different languages.
For me, Warmshower is not a must have. wild camp is my primary accomodation, so I go wherever I go. if there is warmshower, great, if not, no issue,
I toured for 35 years before joining WarmShowers, so for me, touring is about NOT being dependent on anyone or anything. Finding a WarmShowers host is great, but so is wild camping, staying at a church, hostel, or farmhouse, and having sponteneity along the way. With that said, how far off the path I would go depends on where I am and what my schedule, terrain and weather is like. For my first WS experience, I cycled about 30 extra miles to get to my hosts (in Minnesota). I have also cycled more extra miles than that to get to a campground that was supposed to be really spectacular.
I have also cycled out of my way to stay with hosts who were previously guests of mine. All depends on the tour.
I guess I need to carlify. I definitely do not require WS on tour. Actually, I rarely stay at one as I prefer camping, wild, or a hotel. However, for me, if one is available near the route (typically under 2-3 miles away), I will consider it. I am just curious how far off the route you would go, if you decided you were going to go to one, 1 mile, 3 mile, 5 mile, etc.?