About this project
LetMeStayForADay is a personal travel archive documenting a journey that began in 2001, when I asked strangers on the internet if I could stay with them for one night.
What followed was nearly three years of continuous travel, daily writing, and thousands of encounters, all published publicly as they happened.
This page explains what the project was, and what this website is today.
What this project was
Between May 2001 and July 2003, I travelled through 18 countries without money, relying entirely on invitations from people who found this website.
In return for a place to sleep, I wrote daily reports about each stay. These reports were published without editing or hindsight.
There was no platform, no social media (that did not exist in 2001), and no network behind it. Just email, trust, and persistence.
What this site is now
This website is preserved as a historical archive.
Language (my second language skills in that time), opinions, and tone reflect the time in which the reports were written. Nothing has been rewritten to match present-day expectations.
Context is added where necessary, but the original material remains unchanged.
UNESCO Digital Heritage
In 2018, LetMeStayForADay was selected by the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (the National Library of the Netherlands) for inclusion in its web archive as recognised UNESCO Digital Heritage.
The library preserves websites that offer unique insight into Dutch culture, history, and early internet practices. As part of this collection, LetMeStayForADay is archived and safeguarded for long-term access and research.
The preservation of websites as digital heritage is internationally recognised in the UNESCO Charter on the Preservation of the Digital Heritage (2003). This broader framework underlines the importance of retaining early web material that would otherwise be lost.
This recognition reinforces the decision to preserve the site in its original form.
Who I was then
At the time of this journey, I was a 24-year-old journalism student from the Netherlands.
I did not set out to build a movement, a platform, or a business. I needed somewhere to sleep, and I promised to write honestly in return.
Everything else grew out of that simple exchange.
Where I am now
I’m still very much alive.
Today, I live and work in Cambodia. I write, edit, and translate professionally, and I continue to build small, independent projects, often around travel, culture, community, and storytelling.
If you’re curious about my current life, you can find it here.
LetMeStayForADay itself remains a finished project. This site exists to document what happened between 2001 and 2003.
Enter the archive
Over 500 daily reports written between May 2001 and July 2003.
Read the daily reports