Provider

Description

Warm Showers: A global community of touring cyclists

Warm Showers is a global hospitality exchange platform for touring cyclists. It connects cyclists on long-distance trips with local hosts who offer free accommodation — ranging from a backyard tent spot to a private room — along with a warm shower, a shared meal, or simply good conversation. With more than 185,000 members in nearly every country, Warm Showers makes human connection part of the cycling journey.

The platform works on a reciprocal hospitality model: anyone can sign up, make a one-time contribution to join, and participate as a host, guest, or both. Users create a profile, search the map for hosts along their route, and reach out to request a stay. Hosts, in turn, decide when and whom to host. There’s no money exchanged between travelers and hosts — the value lies in trust, generosity, and shared passion for adventure.

The website and app also feature a community forum where members exchange tips, post travel stories and videos, organize meetups, buy or sell gear, and connect with fellow cyclists for upcoming tours. Reviews and references help keep the network safe, welcoming, and vibrant.

Whether travellers are crossing continents or exploring your own country by bike, Warm Showers adds meaning to the miles by making room for spontaneous encounters, cultural exchange, and real-world generosity — without relying on commercial tourism.

Where / Served area: Worldwide

Website: www.warmshowers.org

Why on TravaPowa: Warm Showers embodies the TravaPowa vision of travel that’s intentional, people-centered, and socially meaningful. It proves that sustainable mobility and deep cultural exchange can go hand in hand—without requiring money or luxury, only mutual respect.

The platform promotes a radically different model of tourism that’s based on trust, reciprocity, and human connection, empowering cyclists to explore the world while staying connected to local communities. Unlike traditional accommodation platforms, Warm Showers doesn’t profit from travelers—it thrives on shared values, not transactions.

This translates into real-world impacts that align strongly with TravaPowa's values and the UN Sustainable Development Goals:

• Supports climate-friendly, low-emission travel by empowering long-distance bicycle touring and reducing reliance on fossil-fueled transport.
  → SDG 13 – Climate Action
• Strengthens local communities by fostering intercultural exchange and encouraging travelers to engage directly with people and places off the beaten path.
  → SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Reduces social and economic inequality by providing free hospitality access regardless of background, income, or nationality.
  → SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities
• Promotes lifelong learning and mutual understanding, especially through the storytelling culture and advice exchanged within the platform’s forums and blogs.
  → SDG 4 – Quality Education

Warm Showers is more than just a service—it's a social movement that uses cycling as a bridge between strangers, turning roads into networks and strangers into friends. On TravaPowa, it stands as a symbol of what’s possible when we reimagine travel as an act of generosity and connection.

Take Action:  Want to enable impactful youth mobility and boost your CSR/ESG commitment on the topics of slow travel and CO2 emissions reduction support? Get in touch with the TravaPowa team.

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© Image credit: Warm Showers. All rights reserved