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Reports

During my travels, I received free accommodation for a night in exchange for writing a daily travel diary. This diary documented how I reached my next destination, the hosts who welcomed me, the food I was offered, and other experiences along the way. Below, you will find the archives of these extensive reports. Please note that English is not my native language, and most entries were written quickly, often around midnight. Enjoy!
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Tuesday, 1 May 2001
Zwolle --> Hilversum (Netherlands) - Departure day!

Welcome to the first report on Letmestayforaday.com. For as long as time is on my side during this project, I plan to share my daily adventures in reports like this.

English is my second language here in The Netherlands, so don’t judge me too harshly for my writing—after all, I’m Dutch.

Here we go...

At 12 o'clock in the afternoon, I waved goodbye to my parents, friends, and neighbors. The moment was eagerly captured by two television crews, some radio reporters, and two photographers. It was quite emotional for me; I’m not really used to saying goodbye to my parents and close friends for such a long time.

My fellow Dutch blogger, Tonie, came by to make sure I was really setting off today. He generously offered me a train ticket since he had to head to work anyway. So, I hopped on the back of a friend’s bike, and he, along with a small group of friends, escorted me to the local train station.

Tonie works as an editor at Planet Internet, one of the top internet providers in the Netherlands—or so they say—in Amersfoort, which was conveniently on my way to Hilversum, where I would spend my first night in a radio studio. In Amersfoort, we walked for about 15 minutes (me with my heavy backpack and equipment) to the building in this small Silicon Valley Park. Tonie introduced me to some of his colleagues, and then, around 1:30 PM, decided it was finally time for his breakfast. He took me to a small restaurant across the street where we both enjoyed a healthy meal.
 
And it was Tonie's treat!
 
After lunch (or rather, his breakfast), I hung around the editorial office until 4 PM, thanked Tonie and his team, and then caught the train to Hilversum.
 
Fun fact: Getting off the train in media city Hilversum, I bumped into Martijn, a journalism student who had interviewed me earlier that week for the Dutch World Broadcast Organisation (Wereldomroep). Coincidentally, he had just finished editing and submitting that same radio piece at the Media Park. What are the odds!
 
At 5:30 PM, I arrived at the door of the Radio 3FM studio, where the receptionist informed me that I could stay in a hotel because the radio show would start at 3 AM and run until 6 AM. Along with the hotel room, I’d get a free meal in the restaurant and the chance to rest before the show. What a generous offer!
 
The hotel was just 500 meters away. I couldn’t quite believe it at first, but there I was! I fell asleep quickly and was picked up around 2 AM by the host of the radio show, Patrick Kicken. In his small, messy office, we discussed which music to play, and at 3 AM, the show began. On air, it was supposed to sound like I was really sleeping on the studio floor, which was easy enough to pretend! Later on, I joined in to talk about my travel project, the possibility of hitchhiking by plane, and presented him with The Gift.
 
The Gift?
 
Let me explain. Every host I visit receives a small gift from the previous host and in return has to pass on something to the next host.
 
This creates a chain of generosity, with each person I meet receiving a token from the last and giving something to the next. I thought it was a neat idea, and I’m hopeful that in a few months, this will turn into a big gift-exchange chain!
 
UPDATE ON THE GIFTS (added one year later): I was able to keep the gift-exchange going for about eight months. It eventually ended in Spain, as the chain broke a few times, and I grew tired of carrying all sorts of stuff. I’m already hauling around 30 kg of materials, and some of the gifts started getting out of hand...
 
Because Patrick Kicken was the first person to invite me, the first gift was from me. I gave him a T-shirt from one of my sponsors, the AM radio station 'Q The Beat'. It was quite funny since all radio stations in the Netherlands compete with each other! The T-shirt is now hanging on the wall of the 3FM studio. Haha!
 
UPDATE: Q The Beat AM radio declared bankruptcy within four months.
 
When the show ended, Patrick took me back to the hotel, where I enjoyed a bacon and egg breakfast before falling asleep again until checkout at 11 AM.
 
My first host, Patrick Kicken, had to think of a gift for me to pass on to the next host. He took a glass frame off the wall that had a unique picture of U2 in it.
 
I had said the gift should be something small and personal, right? Well, it was definitely personal to him, so I accepted the large glass frame and will have to carry it to my next destination on May 2: Amsterdam!
 
PS: The following report carries "?id=6" in the web URL of your browser. The forward button might not always work during the first few weeks due to the database's early setup.

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