The Letmestayforaday.com-project received world-wide attention within one month after the online launch. Nowadays, we can call that going viral, but in 2001 we were not that tight-connected. The project needed it from exposure in the media, and back then that meant newspapers, television and radio. And that is exactly where it was launched globally.
The website was launched on March 7, 2001 and it was first mentioned by Dutch bloggers who kept an eye on any new website with free statistic services, those counters you could put on your homepage. Most of these services also offered an overview of “newly registered counters” and that was the holy grail for bloggers: that is where you found new stuff to blog about.
When a few bloggers wrote about Letmestayforaday (which went from “Nice idea, Ramon” to “Who would ever invite you into their homes?!”), a journalist wrote little piece for the local newspaper of the town Zwolle, the Zwolse Courant.
It was this piece that was then read again by another journalist, who wrote his version for the Dutch newspaper Telegraaf a few days later. The news website Nu.nl posted about it next.
And within a week I was a guest on a Dutch Radio 1 talk show to explain my plan to start off from May 1 that year.
Within that same week the Brazilian website Revista2K had an email interview with me.
Then it was quite for a while. I kind of needed a bit more international attention to actually start collecting places to stay all over the world!
And then Leander Kahney contacted me. He wrote for Wired.com (WIRED.COM!). “You don’t have to be rich to travel the world. All you need is a website, the will to ask strangers for a bed for the night and the wanderlust to go, go, go.” Read the full story on Wired.com.
What followed after this was the totally unexpected avalanche of media attention for this project.
Prepared to be amazed.
March 2001
The Italian Repubblica : “Il viaggio di Ramon Gratis grazie alla Rete”
the Israeli Adcanet newspaper:
“A student is recruiting good-hearted surfers to help him travel around the globe”
the Croatian Internet Monitor:
“Kako proputovati svijet praznog džepa uz pomoć weba?”
the Hungarian website Index:
“Dotnet Turismus”
Eric La Rouche on the Canadian Planet Québec:
“J’avoue que j’aime cette idée!”
the Russian CNews.ru:
“Вокруг света можно объехать бесплатно”
The EyeForTravel.com:
“Internet Provides Novel Approach To Travel”
The Internet-Magazine.com:
“Dutch student ask for free travel accommodation”
The news site Ananova:
“Penniless traveller’s website asks for free board” can be read on her website.
Metro London:
“Web Bid For Free Worldwide Tour”
Greece’s EOne.gr:
“Μουσαφίρης… με το ζόρι!”
UKplus (now part of the Daily Mail):
“Brother, can you spare me a bed”
Turkish newspaper Hurriyet:
“İnternetle bedava tatil 5 yıl sürecek”
German Academie.de:
“Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis der Netizens”
Russian Netoscope.ru:
“Голландский студент идет по миру”.
Dutch Journalist Gerben Hoetink in De Sassenpoorter:
“Gratis Globetrotten, the Jules Verne of the 21st century”
French website Infinit.com:
“Virtuous hitchhiking”
New Zealand Herald’s Daily Hotlinks!
The French LesInfos.com:
“Ramon passe du cybersquattage au squattage réel des internautes”
The Dutch daily newspaper De Telegraaf:
‘Student na internetactie in hele wereld welkom’
The Indian search-engine RediffSearch:
‘All Ramon Stoppelenburg wants to do is see the world, at your expenses’
Interview on Dutch tv-station RTL5’s “5 In Het Land”
Chile’s La Tercera:
‘Viajero holandès solicita alojamiento a travès de la red’
Guest starring on the Dutch RTL4 television show “Heb Ik Dat?”
Marta Centenara ‘Le invitas a tu casa?’
(‘Would you invite him in your house?’) for the Spanish news-site En.Red.Ando
The German computer-newssite ComputerBILD.de:
‘Ist noch ein Zimmer frei?’ (‘Is there any room left?’)
April 2001
The Yugoslavian newspaper Krstarica.com:
‘Put oko sveta uz malu pomoć prijatelja sa Interneta’
The Brazilian Cyberfam.cjb.net:
‘Viajando pera Internet’
Windesheim University newspaper HSK:
“Ramon mag overal blijven slapen” (Ramon can sleep over everywhere)
“Ik blijf nog wel een jaar of drie reizen” (I’ll travel for another three years)
Interview on Studio Brussels radio station in Brussels:
The French ComputerChannel.com:
‘Un internaute qui s’invite chez vous’
(‘A web user invites himself to your premises’)
Dutch Arnhemse Courant:
‘Zwolse student wil wereldreis voor een prikkie regelen via internet’
(Zwolle student wants to arrange worldtrip for less than a dime’)
The Italian newspaper LEGGO:
“Un giovane olandese ha creato un sito per girare il mondo senza spendere una lira”
Cherrymagic.com: ‘Ten Questions –
The Cherrymagic Interview with Ramon Stoppelenburg’
The British Independent newspaper:
‘Great Links from the WWW’
The Canadian newspaper La Presse:
‘Un gîte pour la nuit, s’il vous plaît’
The Zwolse Courant:
‘Zwolse student overstelpt met gratis overnachtingadressen’
(‘Zwolle student overwhelmed by free places to crash’).
The Financial Times Deutschland:
‘Virtuelles Schnorren’
The Dutch Financial and Economic weekly magazine FEM De Week:
‘Overdewereld.com’ (‘Aroundtheworld.com’)
Windesheim University newspaper HSK:
‘Wereld ligt aan voeten van Ramon’ (‘The World Is At Ramon’s Feet’)
The German Telepolis:
‘Romantic Worldwidewander-project of Ramon Stoppelenburg’
Miles Mendoza’s Website of the Day on BBC Radio 2’s
Steve Wrights in the Afternoon Show and the required radio talk that went with it:
The Spanish El Mundo :
“Sólo un día” (‘Only One Day’)
Whitney Matheson in her column Hip Clicks in USA TODAY.
German Bayern3.de in their Websites Of The Week:
“Entschuldigung, darf ich bei Ihnen wohnen?”
(Excuse me, can I live with you?)
The Catalan webportal LaMalla.Net:
“Convides en Ramon a casa teva?” (‘Do you invite Ramon at your home?’)
De Journalist, the Dutch professional journal for journalists:
“Gezocht: slaapplaatsen wereldwijd”
(‘Wanted: worldwide sleeping-accomodation’)
Guest in RTL Live on the Dutch tv station RTL4.
Dutch tv-guides Veronica:
“Gratis Reizen” (‘Free Travelling!’)
Utrechts Nieuwsblad:
“Wereldreis voor een habbekrats” (‘Worldtrip for the merest trifle’).
Belgian Tijd.be:
‘Wie wil een Nederlander in huis?’ (‘Who wants to have a Dutchman in the house?)
British Sunday Telegraph:
“Student looking for hospitality: Do you dare add your name to the list?”
Belgian portal Squirrel: Topsite of The Week.
Belgian 6Minutes.net:
‘Inviteer een wereldreiziger bij u thuis’
(Invite a worldtraveler in your house’)
Norwegian ABC Startsiden.no:
‘Den ultimate gratispassasjer!’
(‘The Ultimate Free Traveller’).
Radio interview with Dutch radio station Q The Beat.
And from when I started traveling after May 1, 2001
The Citizen (Johannesburg, South Africa):
“The Flying Dutchman: The whole world, it seems, wants to take Ramon home”
Reuters.com: “Around the world in 800 days – for free”
Austrian Der Standard:
“Online auf Schnorrer-Tour um die Erde”
Dartmouth Chronicle (Devon, England):
“See the world – for nothing!”
The Brazilian newspaper Notacias Popular:
“Homem cria site e viaja de graca pelo mundo”
The Daily Dispatch (Eastern Cape, South Africa):
“A crazy Dutch hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy”
Ananova.com: “Student’s free world trip could last five years”
Daily Mirror (UK): “Have Website, Will Travel…”
Interviewed by Arthur Black from Basic Black on Canadian CBC Radio 1.
Computerworld, New Zealand: “Online room and board”
USA’s WRAL.com: “Worldwide Freeloader Wants To Stay At Your House”
Spanish newspaper El Pais:
“Un holandés da la vuelta al mundo invitado por internautas de 67 países”
In Spain they give two kisses, I told him, and refused his outstretched hand. If her dream was to travel the world and meet people, now is the time.
El Clarin (Argentina):
“Un holandès da la vuelta al mundo gratis”
Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet:
“Travel around the world for nothing”
On December 24, 2001 the British Sunday Times declared me Web Personality of The Year.
Followed by The Guardian: “Net Personality of the Year”
Dutch Zwolse Courant:
“Zwolse wereldreiziger wordt ‘Web-personality'”
(Zwolle world traveler becomes web-personality of the Year)
HogeSchoolKrant (HSK), university newspaper in Zwolle:
“Verliefde Ramon terug in Zwolle” (Back in Zwolle: Ramon In Love)
Le Monde newspaper (France):
“Le coup d’Internet magique”
Interview with John & Ross on their breakfast show on Radio 4BC (Brisbane, Australia)
Terra Informática (Brazil):
“Caroneiro da Web, agora apaixonado, volta a estrada”
Zwolse Courant: “Columbus of the Internet packs up again”
Zwolse Courant”:
“TV-opnamen wereldreiziger” (TV-filming world traveller, about the Australian tv show A Current Affair visiting Ramon at home)
Australian television Channel 9 in A Current Affair:
“The Professional Freeloader”. Here is the video:
The Courier Mail (Australia): “A Night On The Net”.
‘Stoppelenburg travels around using the power of his thumb and the kindness of his hosts’
Tiscali.nl Netherlands: “Website of the Day”
Campus Magazine, Italy:
German radio Hr3: “Der Gratisreisende” (The Freeloader)
German RTL Television broadcast the Australian A Current Affair footage.
Daily News, Tweed Valley, Australia:
“‘Freeloader’ visits Tweed”
AT&T Worldnet Service:
“FREELOADING HITCHHIKER: Dutchman uses cyberspace to find free places to stay”
Dutch Panorama magazine: “Around the world for free thanks to the internet”
https://www.letmestayforaday.com/reports/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/pano1.jpg
https://www.letmestayforaday.com/reports/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/pano2.jpg
Denver Post (USA): “Dutch traveler a free spirit”
“Website’s links good as cash”
Minneapolis Star Tribune (USA): “Dutchman uses cyberspace to find free places to stay”
“It shows, even after Sept. 11, that people don’t need to be scared. There are so many good people out there,” Ramon says.
The Register Guard (Oregon, USA): “See the world for $35 a year”.
“Cyberspace puts the planet on a platter for freeloading backpacker”
The Miami Herald (Florida, USA): “No money, no problem for hitchhiking Web celeb”
San Francisco Examiner (USA): “Freeloading Dutchman makes good use of Web”
My Orange Country (MOC), South California, USA: “Freeloader’s guide to the galaxy”
The Indianapolis Star (USA): “Dutch traveler uses his Web site to see the world – for free”
The Boston Globe (USA): “He travels for free, courtesy of cyberspace”
Seattle Times (USA): “Man finds host of help freeloading around globe”
The Australian, national newspaper of Australia: “Webfreeloader travels the world”
Sunshine Coast Daily (Australia):
“He’s the world’s biggest freeloader”
Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia): “Travelling the world on the very cheap is one man’s goal”.
KataWeb Network (Italy): “Grazie a Internet intorno al mondo”
Italian La repubblica:
“Giro Il Mondo Con Lo Sponsor” (“Around the world on the sponsors”).
STERN (German magazine): “Eine Nacht Mit Ramon”
(One Night with Ramon)
Omaha World Herald (USA): “Your chance to download a freeloader”
AME Newsletter.de (Germany):
“Ein Jahr danach: “Let me stay for a day” hat funktioniert!” (“One year later … it works!”)
Mackay local newspaper (Australia):
“Dutchman makes free call on Mackay”
Houston Chronicle (Texas, USA): “Dutchman uses cyberspace to find free places to stay”
Ekstrabladet (Denmark newspaper): “Hvor skal jeg sove i nat?”
Australian tv station GWN about how the police helped me out after I got almost arrested for hitchhiking in the middle of nowhere.
Dutch Apeldoornse Courant: “Hackers kraken internetsite Zwolse reiziger” (Hackers hack website Zwolle traveller)
The Examiner (Tasmania):
“Going Dutch means he doesn’t pay”
CJAD Radio (Montreal, Canada) with Peter Anthony Holden on his show “Holden Overnight”
Stan & Henry on the breakfastshow of 98.3 CIFM in Canadian Kamloop.
Dutch newspaper Het Parool:
“Gratis de wereld rond; iedereen kent Ramon” (‘Around the world for free; everybody knows Ramon’)
Guest on Business Radio Netherlands (BNR).
Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant: “Portefeuille Ramon” (Ramon about money)
Dutch newspaper Spits:
“Heel de wereld wil Ramon in huis” (‘The whole world wants Ramon at home’)
Live on Weekend Morning & Noon News on Global Television in British Columbia (BCTV)
Canadian Television CTV, guest appearance on “Vicki Gabereau Live”.
The Whistler Question newspaper (Whistler-Pemberton, Canada):
“World traveller visits Whistler, for free”
Free Press Community Newspaper (100 Mile House, BC, Canada):
“Professional guest spends Cariboo time”
Quesnel Observer, Canada:
“Globe-trotting traveller gets others to pay the bills”
CBC TV in Ottowa featured a report by Paul Morisset about Letmestayforaday.com on “CANADA NOW”
Peter Anthony Holder invited me as a guest on the Holder Overnight radio show on CJAD 800 AM in Montreal.
Lucy van Oldenbarneveld interviewed me for CBC Radio One’s “Ottowa Morning”
Dutch Financial Dagblad in English:
“Going Dutch means not paying at all”
The Toronto Star:
“Global travel as a ‘freeloader'”
Dutch man’s Web site is calling card
Generosity gets him through the night
Dutch magazine VIVA:
“Profession: World Travel Writer”
FYI London (Ontario Newspaper, Canada): “Drifter just wants to stay for a day”
Canadian newspaper The National Post: “Globetrotter relies on strangers”
Contacts made online: Dutchman touring the world, without spending a dime
Newstalk 1010 CFRB (Toronto): On the air with “Randy Taylor” on CFRB
Dutch magazine TopSanté: “Ik ben met het reizen geboren”
Hot103 FM in Winnipeg: Guest on the Breakfast Show with Frankie Hollywood & Jojo in the Morning
CBC Radio Saskatchewan: Interviewed on Morning Edition
Erin Collins from Calgary interviewed me for CBC Radio. His report was broadcast on CBC Calgary and a shorter version was aired nationwide on CBC’s World Report. You can play both reports here:
the German magazine Die Welt has a good round-up of the adventure (in German)
“Virtuelle Weltreise”
(Virtual Worldtravelling)