We've been Warmshowers members for about a year and a half -- we've hosted well over a dozen tourers, stayed with one WS host and we're big fans of the network. We did have one guy stay with us who was a bit weird but really he was harmless enough. I spoke with Warmshowers about him and it seems they get very few reports of difficult situations. What I like most about being a WS host is the tourers I get to meet. I mean... I really enjoy reading what all you people have to say in the forums... but sitting down to dinner with tourers and hearing their stories, discussing bikes, places, problems, etc is just SO interesting. We've had tourers from Europe, Asia, Australia, USA and Canada stay with us -- each with fascinating, but distinctly different, stories. As others have said, it's a good idea to read the references and do a bit of homework but to miss out on meeting these fantastic people because of fear of strangers would be unfortunate. And of course, when you're touring, being a member gives you the opportunity to meet some great hosts too.

One other comment is that when someone travelling on a bike stays with you, they are much less threatening than someone arriving in a motor vehicle. The speed of the getaway vehicle doesn't encourage poor behaviour