Warm Showers

Warm Showers
Type of business501(c)(3) organization non-profit organization
Area servedGlobal
OwnerWarmshowers.org Foundation (as on the website); WARMSHOWERS ORG (as filed in the IRS form)
Founder(s)Terry Zmrhal
Geoff Cashmen
ProductsHomestay
ServicesSocial networking service, Communication
URLwww.warmshowers.org
Users161,000 members; including 104,000 hosts in 161 countries[1]
Launched1993; 31 years ago (1993)

Warm Showers (WS) is a non-profit hospitality exchange service for people engaging in bicycle touring. The platform is a gift economy — hosts are not supposed to charge for lodging and are not bound.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The legal form is a Colorado 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, US.[8]

The platform has been described as a "cyclists’ support network whose members may offer free amenities and services such as meals and lodging".[9] Rough Guides recommends Warm Showers as means to improve security of solo female cyclists.[10] Warm Showers helps bicycle travelers to balance the self-reliance of camping and hotels with opportunities for social encounters.[11] Warm Showers has a positive effect on rural communities, both socially and economically.[12] Many users of the platform cycle for health reasons or to reduce their carbon footprint and to be environmentally friendly.[13][2] Cultural exchange and social connection do also play a role.[14][3][15]

The organization received donations of $100,641 in 2015, $84,009 in 2016, $115,324 in 2017, $128,626 in 2018 and $111,089 in 2019.[8][16][17][18]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference germany was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Kopnina, Helen (September 20, 2014). "Sustainability in environmental education: new strategic thinking". Environment, Development and Sustainability. 17 (5): 987–1002. doi:10.1007/s10668-014-9584-z. S2CID 154969254.
  3. ^ a b Cunningham, Joshua (April 24, 2018). "Warmshowers: why free hospitality for bike tourists is a priceless experience". The Guardian.
  4. ^ "For Road-Weary Cyclists, a Room, a Couch, Maybe Even a Meal". The New York Times. April 25, 2017.
  5. ^ Milyko, Jennifer (August 29, 2013). "Bicycle Travel Etiquette: Warmshowers or Couchsurfing?". Adventure Cycling Association.
  6. ^ Scotsman, The (December 1, 2019). "Edinburgh cyclists who up and left jobs to travel on their bikes reach half way point around the world in just six months". The Scotsman.
  7. ^ "Bike Touring 101: The Simple, Achievable Joys of Touring America on Two Wheels". insidehook.com. 2019.
  8. ^ a b "WARMSHOWERS ORG" (PDF). Internal Revenue Service. 2017.
  9. ^ Pendak, Jared (June 28, 2018). "Tunbridge's Edwards Lives to Cycle". Valley News.
  10. ^ Reader, Lesley; Ridout, Lucy (February 2010). The Rough Guide to First-Time Asia. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781848368675.
  11. ^ Ferreira, Pedro; Helms, Karey; Brown, Barry; Lampinen, Airi (2019). "From Nomadic Work to Nomadic Leisure Practice: A Study of Long-term Bike Touring". Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction. 3: 1–20. doi:10.1145/3359213.
  12. ^ Beierle, Heidi (May 12, 2011). "Bicycle Tourism as a Rural Economic Development Vehicle" (PDF). University of Oregon.
  13. ^ Higgins, Brian (October 3, 2018). "Why this man is letting cycling tourists stay at his house for free". CBC News.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference mosley was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Viajante que percorre o mundo de bike faz parada em Joinville | ND Mais". ndmais.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 10 September 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  16. ^ "WARMSHOWERS ORG" (PDF). Internal Revenue Service. 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  17. ^ "WARMSHOWERS ORG" (PDF). Internal Revenue Service. 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  18. ^ "WARMSHOWERS ORG" (PDF). Internal Revenue Service. 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2020.