Why become a host?

Everybody has a story. If you're willing to share your very own story with interested strangers, you qualify as a host. On our platform you will see a wide variety of people who will allow people into their daily lives. So what will happen if you get a visitor? It is extremely important that you are punctual. If you confirm a booking, you must be at the agreed place to meet the visitors. You decide yourself how many visitors will come at one time. Mostly that's between two and six to ensure real personal contact. They will ring de doorbell and you will welcome them in. From then on it's just like a normal visit. You will probably offer them a seat and a drink and ask where they're from or did they find it hard to find your street? Beginnings of a meeting with strangers can be a bit awkward. The text about yourself that you put on the platform is the best lead to really start a conversation. Your visitors may ask about it to get you going or you may start telling them about it. We stimulate visitors to ask questions. We say there are no taboos as long as questions are asked with respect. The guest will not ask a question that he would not want to answer himself. And you may ask your visitors about their lives just as they do you. Don't prepare a text that you learn by heart. The visitors know that you're not a professional entertainer and they are interested in you. Before you know it the visit will be over.

What happens when you get a guest?

It is very important that you are punctual. If you confirm an appointment, you must be at the agreed place at the agreed time to receive the visitors. You decide how many visitors may come. That will probably be between two and six visitors to ensure true personal contact. They will call you and you will welcome them. From that moment on it is actually an ordinary visit. You probably offer the guests a chair and a drink and ask where they come from and if they have found it easy. The encounter with strangers can start a bit stiff, but when the head is gone everything goes automatically.

The text about yourself on the website is the best start for a conversation. The visitors can ask questions but you can also start telling yourself. City Safari encourages visitors to be curious. We say that there are no taboos, as long as the questions are respected. And you can also ask your visitors about their lives. You do not have to memorize text. You are not an entertainer and they are also interested in you.

What's your story

You can see many documentaries on TV about personal stories of ordinary people like you and me. One has migrated from her home country to find a better life or escape from persecution, another has lived in one place all his life and finds it hard to cope with how everything is changing around him. One may have conquered cancer or be a veteran of a military mission, another may have a passion for doll houses. If you share your passions, your dreams and your history, if you share your daily life, it will lift up your visitors because you allow them to experience something they were always curious about but did not know firsthand. You broaden their horizon and enrich their lives. That sound pretentious, but it's really true. Based experience since 1998 we know our visitors never forget a personal meeting through City Safari.

My story isn't about me

Do you work on a project that you're passionate about? Do you take care of people in your community, or of a communal garden? Is your story about your temple, your mosque or your church? Are you a collector of unusual stuff? Do you coach kids in sports or do you help them with their homework? People love to hear and see what you're passionate about. So invite them in and don't just give them a guided tour with lots of information but talk about your own commitment and how you got involved. It's not about the facts but about the experience.

You need an agent

You get paid for an encounter with visitors and you are completely free to determine your own fee and your own conditions. You and nobody else are the master of the information that will be put on the site. But we use agents in your city for three important tasks: to put your information on the platform and keep it up to date, to confirm your bookings on the platform and to process the payment.

Financial arrangement

You determine your own fee. Check some examples on the platform to get an idea. Of the price on the platform, €2,50 will go to the agent and €2,50 goes to City Safari. So the price you see on the platform is your price plus €5.

Which city?

You can become a host in a city where we're already active. It will be easy to find an agent there and you're likely to attract more visitors in a city where they have a choice. But you may also become a pioneer in a new city as long as it has more than 100,000 inhabitants. If you become your own agent, of course you're invited to invite other hosts that you can become an agent for.

It's not the host, it's the encounter

On the platform you will see that one host may have posted several activities or encounters. So you may invite someone to your home for a cup of tea and a conversation and as a second activity, you may invite someone to your secret garden, your workplace or your house of worship. So one host may post several encounters as several activities with different prices and different locations.

The relationship between host and agent

Our agents are willing to invest in finding hosts and activities that together form an attractive offer in their city that allows bookings to be made. That is also in the interest of the hosts. It is therefore important for us to protect the relationship with our agents. If you have been contacted by an agent or if you have requested the help of an agent to place your activity on the platform, we will continue to pay the agent € 2.50 per visit for your activity. If there is no agent in your city, or if you take the initiative to place an activity on the platform, you must first register as an agent.

Let us know you're interested

If you want to become an agent, please follow the link to Why Become An Agent. If you would like to receive visitors as a host, please fill out the form below and send it to us.