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I hadn't looked at the site for a long time and so I didn't realize it had been sold to "Harvest Hosts", whatever that is.
There are some unhappy BW members who paid for a year's membership without knowing BW had been sold. I looked at the new terms and conditions on the BW site. If my eyes aren't fooling me, there seem to be a lot more "thou shalt nots" than I remember. It doesn't have the friendly vibe I recall.
I had let our host subscription lapse but now I'm on the fence about renewing it. What about you? Are you using it this year?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Never have had an issue using Harvest Hosts (but it is a different model than BW, so I expect there to be some mismatches, more so from HH regulars, which might expect a different code of conduct). I use several hospitality directories, and each experience one needs to be sensitive to the host and their situation. We have had maybe 3-5 'careful' / sensitive hosts or circumstances in our 30+ yrs and thousands of stays. If a HH is truly a farmer.... They may be very busy, and expect guests to be capable / self sufficient, rather than demanding, and be expected to not interrupt the business and schedule of the farm. Many HH are hobby farms / wineries / markets that expect guests to patronize the business. That's fine, as long as you are prepared for that.
I'm just extremely grateful for hosts of any kind, as those stays always perk and make very interesting and often rewarding travel. We are farmers and volunteers and have often stayed to help families in crisis (crops, weather, finances, health, harvest...) And have formed really close and long term relationships worldwide.
It's nice to get to know your hosts, and about their cultures and families.
We were at one farm in the Basque region of Spain for a 2-5am meeting of ETA rebels. That was a 'frightening' treat with our young kids. As was being hosted at a commune that did drug rehab via a Grateful Dead medical bus. Our teenage kids learned some important life choice lessons during that stay!
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 08-12-2021 at 08:23 PM..
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