PressSplit
Martin Stark with his touring bike, with which he sets off on a longer trip at least once a year. © Oliver Giers
Master optician Martin Stark loves cycling, even on tours. Now, through a self-experiment, he has gained insight into hospitality networks such as “Warmshowers” or “1nitetent”.
Aalen. “For me, cycling is the optimal speed. You’re close to nature, you meet nice people, you’re active – just perfect.”
Martin Stark sounds enthusiastic when he talks about his hobby. We meet him in his optician’s shop on Mittelbachstrasse in Aalen. Stark is a member of “Warmshowers”. We want to know what is behind the internet platform.
Martin Stark has offered overnight accommodation for bicycle tourists at “Warmshowers” and has already taken advantage of them. © Oliver Giers
“Warmshowers is a simple but brilliant app,” says Stark. This is where cyclists network with each other. “The platform is international. There are also a few members in Aalen. “If you’re planning a bike trip, you’ll find people there who are willing to give you accommodation for a night, a shower (editor’s note: “warm shower”) and a meal,” explains Stark.
A one-off payment of just under $30 is required to register and then you can get started, says Stark.
Successful self-experiment in 2023
Stark tested the thing for the first time in 2023. He decided to cycle back from his son, who is studying in Eberswalde.
Once a year he treats himself to a week-long break by bike. He never rides an e-bike “because I want to be totally independent.” Saddlebags, around 20 kilos of luggage, tent, no cooking utensils – “I’ll treat myself to a meal,” he laughs.
On his trip from Eberswalde to Oberkochen, where Stark lives with his family, he spent the night in a tent in a clearing in the middle of the forest near Frankfurt an der Oder – and twice with “warm shower hosts”.
“You immediately have a connection with each other and report on tours you have experienced or are planning. I enjoy getting to know people. And believe me, the world is helpful and friendly,” says Stark.
Host to two special cycling tourists
Conversely, he was also allowed to be a host. That was at the end of August this year.
“After 15 months without a single request,” a couple in their 30s from France stopped by the Starks in Oberkochen.
Martin Stark (right) with his first guests at “Warmshowers”. The couple was on their way back to Grenoble. © strong
“They were on the return journey of a trip that had taken them from Grenoble via Spain, Africa to the remotest corners of Türkiye and back across the Balkans. Incredible, right? I cooked, invited a friend and we had lots of questions. “The two of them would have had stories for a long stay with us,” laughs Stark.
“Cycling 70 kilometers a day, see how far you can get,” says 55-year-old Stark, something else that has fascinated him about cycling since he made his first tour to Vienna at the age of 17.
“And the little adventure of not knowing what to expect in the morning and where they will lie down in the evening.”
Camping in “foreign” gardens
What Stark has now also tried out on his trips: “1nitetent” (one night tent). It works like this: Travelers are allowed to camp in a “foreign” garden for one night.
“In 2023, people in eastern Germany gave me their dachas, which was great,” he remembers.
As with “Warm Showers,” it is advisable to “contact the hosts a day or two in advance,” advises Stark.
His next plans? “I always think about it in the winter. Let’s see.” And his ultimate cycling dream? “My wife comes from Romania. Getting there by bike would be something, but the roads there are full of everything from donkey carts to trucks. Too dangerous.” Are there “warm showers” there too? “Definitely,” he laughs.
Stay unconventionally
informationYou can find information about the various accommodation portals on the Internet under the addresses www.warmshowers.org or for fans of camping under https://1nitetent.com.
And then there are the Couchsurfers www.couchsurfing.com.
