Last summer in Croatia, I decided to become a Warmshowers.org bikepacking host at my island house (think couchsurfing, but specifically for bikepackers). I also prepared two inherited plots of land along EuroVelo Route 8 as simple campsites—one seaside, one on Vransko Jezero Lake. Once I published the listings, the requests came flooding in. Since my house and both camp spots sit only a few kilometers off the EuroVelo 8 trail, demand was intense.

Between the house and the campsites, the spaces were occupied almost continuously throughout summer and early fall. In total, 85 bikepackers stayed for an average of two nights each. Although I couldn’t personally meet everyone, the cyclists I did host were a refreshing break from the usual summer crowds. These bikepackers were real travelers—not tourists—the same kind of people I search for when trekking in remote parts of the world, and the kind I hope to meet more of during future bikepacking trips.

Some of My Merry Warmshowers.org Guest from the Summer of 2025

Over shared meals and long WhatsApp chats, we kept circling back to the same topics: the challenge of finding truly adventurous places to go and, especially, the challenge of finding compatible travel buddies. Out of the 85 guests, 39 were solo riders. Those conversations sparked an idea I’d been mulling over for a while… and eventually led to building an app.

Adventure Travel Buddies App Released

So now it’s official. The Adventure Travel Buddies app is available for download from your favorite app stores. Download or Review the latest and greatest version of the Adventure Travel Buddies App from one of these fine App stores.

The app includes bikepacking routes from around the world, downloadable data packs (all the EuroVelo routes plus many in New Zealand and Australia and more), vibrant community forums for finding travel companions, and User Stories sections where riders can share updates and social links.

And More Friends

Statistics

Guests	Males	Females	Alone	Couple/Group
85	55	30	36	49

End of the 2025 Hosting Season

The end date keeps sliding as cyclists kept arriving, but as of November 28th, Martina and Mattia officially became my last guests of the season—bringing the total to 85 bikepackers for 2025.

What’s Next

As with my trekking days, my goal remains the same:

1. Get people off the couch and out the door on an adventure.

2. Find great adventure travel buddies myself.

On that note—if anyone is interested in joining me for a month-long bikepacking trip in NSW, Australia, in January 2026, I’m planning either the New England High Country Loop or the Australian Alps Trail. Just install the app and join the Australia Community Forum to connect with me.

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