Index: About Me | Healing Humanity: Acupressure Massage Therapy & Instruction | }My Writing For the World |
Nora from Poland With Mirka in Morocco | Emmanual Akadeur with Japanese Guest At A Bush Taxi Stop In Ghana | Piv-Svonn Lew dining in Malaysia with German guest Suzie |
Unofficial Diplomats The Online Guide and Consultation Service For Host Travel Contents 1. What Is Host Travel and Why Would You Do It? 2. Is Host Travel Such A New Thing? 4. There Are Problems, But Not What You Might Expect 5. My Guidebooks To Host Travel 6. How To Get & Benefit Most From A Consultation 7. About the Founder of Unofficial Diplomats 8. Links to Host Travel Resources and Testimonials 1. What is Host Travel and why would you do it!? But what makes that different from… Backpacking? You are not lodging in some ghetto hostel or budget hotel with a bunch of other foreign drunk or drifting backpackers overlanding on the cheap. Volunteering? You are not committed or expected to stay in one place for an extended period with the idea of transforming the community for a non-profit organization. Why would you do host travel?
2. Is Host Travel a new thing? 3. Is This Safe?
4. Of Course There Can Be Problems… Of course, from my extensive experience with such type of travel, I can tell you there are problems that can cause hosts and travelers lost of time, money and energy —though they are not what you might expect:
From travelling between hosts extensively in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, I have run into many different types of problems I had not expected to have, but which could have been avoidable if I was aware of what they would be. In most cases, the bottom line, so easy to forget when you are freely travelling, is that you are big liability and/or responsibility to your host and so it is best to understand how you can minimize inconvenience and problems for them and yourself. Hence, though I did not ever think of myself as being a travel consultant, in the past year many interested in host travel have been sending me messages asking, “How do you do this? Would it be safe for my mother to go to Kenya? Would you recommend a woman going to West Africa with her partner? Who is safe to stay with?” Many questions are very vague, as if also asking ‘what should I ask?’” Overwhelmed by so many messages and yet recognizing that I could offer a service not given by any traditional tourist agency or travel guide book, I have created this consulting company—Informal Diplomats-- specializing advising visitors in host travel. I believe more professional consultations than what I would send off by my good will can help others avoid potential problems that can arise with host travel and make their visits even more enjoyable and meaningful. By assisting people to participate and experience host travel, I hope to expand participation in host travel organizations and fulfillment of their goals of internationally networking people and places, creating educational exchanges, helping people to experience other's lives, fostering intercultural understanding, spreading tolerance, and promoting a more just and peaceful world. 5. My Guidebook(s) to Host Travel While many are requesting individual consultation from me on the host travel experiences they anticipate, if such advice is in high demand, I realize I might as well write a book about it based upon my past experiences to standardize this information. As I have had different experiences doing this in different areas of the world, I shall write one general book comparing host travel in developed and developing countries, and then later others focusing on particular continents. Included in my book are many ways both hosts and guests can benefit from each other interactions, such as:
Later you can order the self-published book from me in its entirety for $5, but for a limited time offer I am offering free sample chapters for anybody who is interested in reading any of the book's topics listed below and providing me with feedback for further editing and revision over the next two years. So email me at healinghumanity@yahoo.com and request the chapter before Lonely Planet or any other publisher you might recommend gets interested. Introduction: Traveling Through People’s Lives (Why I Have Written This Book)
6. How Can You Get A Private Consultation and Make the Most of It? To receive a consultation, please submit a small payment of $10-25 sliding scale via the PalPay button below and I shall receive a verification by email and respond within a week. Please do not send me a requests for consultation expecting me to respond immediately because often I am traveling to expand this website and my book with research and may be unable to reach the internet at times. Benefiting From Your Private Consultation: To make the most out of your consultation, I highly advise you also include whatever other information you might believe to be important to staying with strange people from the internet: For example, I am a health practitioner who has worked with disabled people and major medical problems so I know that in certain circumstances where a lack of facilities or infrastructure may make travel difficult for some people. Also, I would be more careful on advising my grandmother about making such a trip, even though she travels quite a lot. If I can identify you by your profile on a Host Travel organizations such as Hospitality Club and The Couchsurfing Project, this may supply me with information you do not need to give me. When preparing your message for consultation therefore, take some time and thought into composing it so I can advise you according to the best of my expertise. I hope I can help to make your experience with Host Travel safer and more enjoyable
Note: All credit card transactions are through Palpal with a Secure Socket Layer (SSL). From here you can easily make the deposit into my account.
After spending four years learning about the world through concepts, models, and theories in books at UC Berkeley, Jacob Thomas decided to design his own course of studying the real world. After spending a summer staying with ad-hoc hosts in Mexico, he spent a year abroad travelling with hosts throughout every country of Europe, deciding this was truly the way I loved to travel, and wishing to make it more viable for others so they could experience its rewards. He revisited Turkey, Russia, Britain and Italy with Hospitality Club, and since has also used the Couchsurfing Project and Global Freeloaders as well to travel through most of Africa, which gave him the basis to understanding of how host travel could (and could not) work in poorer countries. He is now traveling through Latin America, Oceania and Asia to conduct further research into host travel. He hopes that with this website his experiences can be of greater benefit to anyone who wishes in travelling this way.
Hospitality Club ( www.hospitalityclub.org): Started by Veit and the hitchkiking community in Europe in 2001, Hospitality Club (almost 100,000 members in 190 countries (depending on what you call a country)) seems to have the most extensive online network of hosts and travellers yet. You simply set up a profile here and then can peruse the profiles of others travelling or hosting in the network. Their security mechanism is based on name and passport checks, comments posted about how trustworthy the host is, and an administration that handles complaints and filters spam as all messages must be sent through the site. You do not have to reveal any information about yourself such as your telephone number or address, and yet you can.. The Couchsurfing Project ( www.couchsurfing.com): The Couchsurfing Project website (40,000 members) started by Casey Fenton in 2003 and made public in 2004 has a very nice and sleek design and presentation with more photos than you probably have time to see. Security here is based on another couchsurfing member vouching that you are trustworthy, verification by payment of a small fee to help finance the operation, a network of friends and comments in the network, and governance by CS designated ambassadors and administrators. With exception of a few email addresses offered, most messages are sent through the system and very little personal contact information is revealed. Globalfreeloaders ( www.globalfreeloaders.com): In Globalfreeloaders website the traveler puts in where you want to stay and for what days, and the system gives you the names and emails of hosts that are available at that time and place. You can testify to a host's or traveler's trustworthiness by writing a testimonial on their profile. The emphasis seems to be more on the accommodation than in people meeting with common ideals or interests since much of this information is not provided. Yet you can probably obtain this information by contacting them and have just as a rewarding experience as with other organizations. Women Welcome Women Worldwide ( http://www.womenwelcomewomen.org.uk/): For women only, this 2500 member organization facilitates safe travel in a women friendly hospitality network. As women frequently and understandably have unique concerns about risks in this travel, WWWWW is a wonderful introduction for female travelers into the experience of host travel, as it involves signing a confidentiality form. With all the principles of the other organizations, it has the additional wonderful missions of helping women gain confidence in exploring the world, extending the vision of women and their families, and is complementary to many other women´s rights organizations. |
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Efuli with her host Filipek and friends at nargali cafe In Istanbul | Zelia from Portugal at hockey game with their Finnish host Peter | |
Virtuous guests do the dishes for their hosts like Alex is doing for Matti here | Anna and Steff serenade host Ivan Alameda in Spain | |
Antonio from Japan with hosts Zuzana And Friend in Bratislava, Slovakia | Ana in Austria with guest Yuhosiyama From Japan | |
Bellisimo! Cris sharing the beauty of Rome with Dimasega | Abdelali feeding his Austrian guests Ulf (literally) | |
Eric hanging out with guests in Nairobi, Kenya | Zelia from Portugal enjoying a Swedish picnic | |
Zelia From Portugal and Peter from Finland with hosts in Shanghai | James with friends and his guest Bea in Finland | |
Eric chilling with host and rock band Vinyl at a party in Reykjavik, Iceland | Layna in London with guest Maurice from Italy | |
Lina with mates and hosts in Lyon, France | This may be your only accommodation in a host's home but it is made with love | |
Clara from Sweden with host Lil Bo in China | Luca enjoying giant panini mozarellas in Italy with Alexander from Australia | |
Lelayna having fun with Italian guests Marcello and Aneta At Haagan Daez in London | Cintia Silva From Brazil Hugging Her Host Cara In the UK | |
Emmanual showing love for his American guest Marla at a party in Ghana | Kirsty Sarah Carolling On Christmas Eve In Christ Church, New Zealand With Peter From Holland | |
Luciano and friends in Italy eating pizza with their guest Ben | Pedro in Portugal with friends and Brazilian guests | |
Louise from Portugal chatting with host in Turku, Finland | Kyle and Jeremy with their guest Casey by Richmond-Upon-Thames | |
Portugusee Joao with the neighbors of some hosts in Mozambique | Nora from Poland eating traditional Moroccan food with Abdelali | |
Duke having coffee with his hosts in Vienna, Austria | Zelia from Portugal with friends and hosts in Shanghai ,China | |
Pik-Svonn with her guest Sasha in Malaysia | Jenny welcoming his guests with a traditional Greek meal | |
Robert with strange animal and host Gaechka in Finland | A Guatemalan breakfast in Austria at Ana and Peter's Place | |
Jacob with Turkish host Ozgur and friends on camping trip | Antonio Hanging Out with Joao in London | |
Tonet Aurora from Spain with Davide and Valentino in Italy | Rich with Camila and Maat at Brasov, Romania | |
Sylvain and wife from Switzerland with hosts in Montevideo, Uruguay | How you get around with most African hosts, Maxwell and guest in a bush taxi | |
Luciano shows Brook from Canada what a real pizza is | Two Australians being treated to pina coladas by a generous host in Brazil | |
Vicente in Switzerland shows a fine paella made for him | Omar in Peru with Mila and Beatriz Enjoying A Beautiful Sunset | |
Toret and Aurora with host Stefano in Rome | ||
Paulinka presents an appetitizing tart prepared by her guest Niko in Poland | Even if you are as important as Casey Fenton, founder of Couchsurfing, do not expect your host in London to drive you downtown--take the Tube! | |
Pedro with host in Stockholm, Sweden | Giovanni hosting Lebanese dinner (guests) in Sweden | |
Sokphal with Rachel from London and their host Marco | Helen Viegas from Portugal with host in Sarajevo, Bosnia | |
Helen with hosts in Italy drinking Spritz | Eric with his guests on Christmas in Washington, DC | |
Emerson from UK with Stan and Eduardo In Amsterdam | Jeremy taking his guest Casey to the De Kebab in London | |
Sokhpal Tun having dinner with Italian host in Costa Rica | Manolis from Greece visiting former guest John in Washington | |
Gaecha with posing with American guests Matt, Aleni, Perni in Finland | Marcus and Adam having dinner with hosts Ana and Peter in Austria | |
Sam intracountry couchsurfing with Hostetters in Austin, Texas | Marysia with her guest Ian in Warsaw, Poland | |
Eshu Waiting With Zelia at Mumbai International Airport | Vonny Enjoying Italian Beefs With Guest Ash In Chicago | |
Jacob Making Tortillas With Maria in Honduras | Barry with guests Maggie and Mer in Glasglow, Scotland | |
David Rogers With Host Marie In London | Rich From Sweden With Host Marie, John, and Yoon in Korea | |
Pedro having dinner with German guests Peter and Roland in Lisbon | Vonny staying with Elodie and Fred in Illonois | |
Duygu drinking raki with guests in Istanbul | Dominika with first national hosts in Poland | |
Ivan Cooking Asturian Food For Guests in Spain | Jacob from US and Andre at the sad "Door of No Return" where African slaves set sale for the USA | |