MineZone Wiki

JuggleStay

What could be better than traveling the world, meeting new friends, and juggling with them? How about a variety of inexpensive or even free places to stay along the way? Billing itself as a list of "short stay accommodations for travelling jugglers and unicyclers," the JuggleStay website offers travelers an opportunity to meet and stay with others around the world who share their interests.

Started by Astrid Dijkgraaf in New Zealand, JuggleStay was initially a single page on the Juggling Information Service, listing only a few hosts. It has since moved and evolved into an integral part of the Internet Juggling Database (IJDb), http://www.jugglingdb.com/members/jugglestay.php. The JuggleStay site is now divided into subsections by country and currently lists over 25 hosts in 17 countries. Free accommodations are available in exotic locales such as Argentina, Israel, and South Africa.

Each host lists their contact information, any house rules, and some specifics about the type of accommodations they are able to provide. Accommodations range from a "spare bedroom" to "floor space" to "a yard to pitch a tent." Traveling jugglers can use the information to contact hosts directly to arrange a possible visit. In the words of Rhonda Horwedel, a JuggleStay participant, "It's a great way to meet other jugglers and keep travel expenses down."

In addition to free housing, most hosts offer to provide information about the local juggling scene and some even offer to show guests around their town. JuggleStay guests can often gain insight into their destination that only a local could provide. While some listings request that guests help with food or teach their hosts new juggling tricks, most make few, if any, demands.

My own exposure to JuggleStay came in the mid 1990s while checking out various juggling-related websites. I immediately signed up as a host, but did not receive any requests from travelers for the first several years. A couple of years after signing up, I had an opportunity to stay with other JuggleStay hosts in London. I bought a cheap last minute plane ticket which departed Austin on Christmas day and returned on New Years Eve. To help keep the budget for the trip to a minimum, I contacted several of the JuggleStay hosts in London.

I made all the arrangements via email and didn't speak to my hosts directly until I arrived in London. Once I arrived, I was told that they too would be taking a holiday trip starting the following day and as long as I fed the cats and fish, I could have the place to myself and come and go as I pleased. In the end, I spent several days exploring London and my accommodations only cost a bottle of tequila and a bouquet of flowers that I left as gifts.

For hosts, JuggleStay can be a way to meet interesting people from around the world without having to leave their home. Viveca Gardiner, who has participated in JuggleStay as both a guest and a host, sees the program as a sign of "how hospitable the whole juggling community is." At one particularly busy time, Viveca shared her one bedroom New York apartment with Brazilian juggler Ferdinand Huber, an Argentinean hand-balancer, a Russian circus juggler, as well as a few Americans.

Becoming a JuggleStay host need not be overwhelming. My first hosting experience was for a juggler and clown couple from Denmark and Spain respectively who had bought a car on the east coast of the United States and were driving across the country. They were happy to get a chance to wash clothes and to find someone who knew where to find a vegan restaurant. They thanked me for the hospitality with a hand-sculpted juggler refrigerator magnet that is still one of the best presents I've ever received. I've since hosted other jugglers, including a member of AmeriCorp in town for an interview and another juggler driving across the country to relocate for a new job.

JuggleStay was one of the first of a breed of internet travel websites to allow participants to easily contact one another to make "hospitality exchange" arrangements. More general interest sites, such as couchsurfing.com and hospitalityclub.org, have since sprung up to connect travelers with local hosts. Like JuggleStay, still more sites cater to smaller special interest communities.

While travelers need not act as hosts in order to stay as JuggleStay guests, hosting is an integral part of the program. Though the prospect of opening one's home to strangers may seem a bit daunting at first, keep in mind that very few people would travel around the world to cause trouble for someone who has gone out of their way to be kind. In addition, hosts are always free to turn down a visit, if necessary. To become a host, simply fill out a membership profile on the IJDb website, then enter your JuggleStay hosting details on the site.

JuggleStay is more than just a free place to stay, offering participants a way to potentially make new friends and foster the growth of the worldwide juggling community.

Tips for Getting Involved

While there are few, if any, official rules of JuggleStay, here are some tips offered by various hosts and guests:

• Make arrangements in advance, as hosts may need time to prepare for guests.
• Ask questions ahead of time, so you know what to bring and especially how to meet up with your host.
• Do not be a burden about needing food or rides, but if you need something minor, like a towel, ask.
• Clean up after yourself and offer to help with household chores.
• Make your own plans and do not expect your host to play tour guide, but do invite them along when appropriate.
• Consider bringing a gift, especially something not easily found at your destination or something specific to your home area.
• Be respectful of any house rules.
• Be considerate, especially if your host is working or helping to organize a juggling festival during your stay.
• Be tolerant of kids, pets, and cultural differences.
• Juggle with your hosts, if they are interested.
• Don't overstay your welcome. Consider a quote from Benjamin Franklin, who said "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days."
• Become a host. The JuggleStay network needs hosts in order to thrive.