Forum
You're looking for hotel roommates, lodging with local dancers, advanced workshop partners, or maybe even car-travel buddies, yes? We want you to connect with others who are also searching! Based on feedback from last year, we know that the numbers of people who are looking for roommates and partners and buddies are much higher than they appear, since many of them keep their search a secret. Please don't! Help us help all of you by using the options we provide below to fulfill your needs. The more people looking, the better the chances are that each one will find a good solution!
The Facebook Group
In the past year, hundreds of tango dancers have discovered the value of Facebook for keeping up with tango friends or getting in contact with people you danced with once in a milonga and you only know their first name and what they look like. If you're on Facebook, you've hopefully already joined the Tango de los Muertos Group! Once you've joined, "Start a New Topic" on the group's Discussion Board, or post to the Wall outlining your needs/desires. We'll monitor the group and will do our best to help out when we can.
If you're not on Facebook, and if you're not morally opposed to it (it seems similar to how many people felt about cell phones before they got one), you can join Facebook here. I know I sound like a Facebook advertiser (as Carlos, who's not on Facebook yet, tells me), but it's a great social networking tool and in this case social networking is what you're looking for! We anticipate that the Facebook group will get the majority of the searching-action, since so many tango dancers already use it on a daily basis.
The Forum
You can also post a message on the Forum outlining your needs and desires (just in relation to housing or transportation for TdlM, though!). Last year this was how all local host and hotel roomshare matches were arranged. We'll monitor it and will do our best to help out when we can.
Couchsurfing.com
If you travel a lot and are often looking for a place to crash and new friends to meet,
then join couchsurfing.com and
look for a host there. It takes a while to join, since you'll need to fill out a bunch
of information about yourself if you want people to seriously consider
hosting you. But, this site is extensive and full of possibilities, and not just for Tango de los
Muertos! There are over 700,000 Couchsurfers listed here worldwide, and in a quick search I found
that over 300 of them live in and around Boston. Most
of the members are not tango dancers, but there is a Tango group on the site that you can
join to connect yourself to some other dancers. It's already got 273 members from around the world,
some of whom you may know!
You must note, though, that Couchsurfing.com is not just
a free place to stay -- it's important to make time to get to know your hosts or cook them
dinner or otherwise let them know that you're not just looking for a free crash pad. Couchsurfing's
mission is "not just about finding free accommodations around the world [but] about making connections
worldwide".
(For you skeptics, this site recommendation doesn't come out of nowhere. Tova, TdlM's Director,
has had two positive experiences of her own with it so far.)
