Home and away

I`m a pretty laid-back traveller. I like to go to places without electricity, with cold showers, but without other people in my bedroom, unless they`re my very good friends. My bedroom doesn`t have to be very big, though, but it should have a door.

Any improvement in the above conditions is generally welcomed, but doesn`t necessarily add to my holiday in any way. I live in the city all year; I have access to air-conditioners, electricity, shops, movies and any number of bars and restaurants. For me, a holiday is about getting away from it all, and I find it much easier to relax if I really am completely out of my usual context.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that I was surprised by my reaction to a new concept that`s taking the Internet by storm. You can log onto www.hospitalityclub.org and search, by area, for places to stay. The catch is that the places aren`t quaint little bed and breakfasts, or funky backpackers, they are people`s houses.

There is a sense of community among those who have travelled the world.

Editor, ITWeb Brainstorm

The people who log onto and use this network are members of a growing online community offering free accommodation to travellers. On the site, they detail their offering, which can be anything from a garden cottage to a sofa in their lounge, and the conditions of crashing there.

The beauty, if you can call it that, of a system like this is that members aren`t obliged to accommodate anyone who calls them. But if they`re in the mood, and they like the sound of the caller, they can let them in.

The concept sounds fantastic. On our Christmas adventure up into Mozambique, the couple travelling with us picked up a couple of backpackers who were travelling from Cairo to Cape Town and offered them a couple of days` accommodation at their house in Johannesburg on their way through.

There is a sense of community among those who have travelled the world. They like to share their experiences and help others along the way. Then why does the idea of The Hospitality Club make me balk?

I think it has something to do with the fact that if I were to make use of the homes of the people in their network, I would be invading someone else`s space, and would have to abide by their rules and probably socialise with them.

One or two of the accommodations that I saw being offered in Johannesburg had conditions like, "I live with my dad, so don`t drink in front of him", which would mean there would be no hope of me going to stay in that particular establishment.

On the other hand, if I had pulled into Johannesburg late at night with no idea of where to go or what to do, it would be comforting to have a home to sleep in, even if only for one night.

I think, as distressing as it is for me to admit it, that the site is probably targeted at world travellers younger than myself, who haven`t been living in their own homes for a number of years and are quite used to living by other people`s rules.

Either way, it`s a nice concept, even if it`s not ideal for me.