If you have never been a River Rat before, and are in the position of being offered a River Angel’s generosity, please keep our reputation alive: that of being amazing strangers to host. What your River Angel wants: to know that their offer means something to you (THANK THEM! You can’t thank people enough.)
Ways to be excellent guests: it should go without saying, but leave a house better than you found it. You may bring in sandy piles of gear, but when you leave, make sure you take everything with you, and that you clean your space up. Offer to do dishes or sweep/vacuum the floor or whatever chore you like best. River Rats should not be thought of by River Angels as free maids, but a good guest is one that people would be delighted to have back again sometime in the future. The most you can offer, though, is to tell your stories. What you’re doing is, to a River Angel, usually either unthinkable and exotic (they want to hear all the nitty gritty to hear what it’s like to live on a river), or something that they’re very familiar with themselves (they want to commiserate/connect with you about the experience). It can be really exhausting to tell the same stories over and over, but I promise it’s totally worth it. River Angels are people you have the opportunity to stay in contact with for the rest of your lives if you treat the relationship with dignity and gratitude. Carving some of your precious rest time out for conversation, you will find, is WELL worth the sacrifice of a bit of sleep!
Ways to be excellent guests: it should go without saying, but leave a house better than you found it. You may bring in sandy piles of gear, but when you leave, make sure you take everything with you, and that you clean your space up. Offer to do dishes or sweep/vacuum the floor or whatever chore you like best. River Rats should not be thought of by River Angels as free maids, but a good guest is one that people would be delighted to have back again sometime in the future. The most you can offer, though, is to tell your stories. What you’re doing is, to a River Angel, usually either unthinkable and exotic (they want to hear all the nitty gritty to hear what it’s like to live on a river), or something that they’re very familiar with themselves (they want to commiserate/connect with you about the experience). It can be really exhausting to tell the same stories over and over, but I promise it’s totally worth it. River Angels are people you have the opportunity to stay in contact with for the rest of your lives if you treat the relationship with dignity and gratitude. Carving some of your precious rest time out for conversation, you will find, is WELL worth the sacrifice of a bit of sleep!
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