TEJO | Tutmonda Esperantista Junulara Organizo

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Esperanto in practice

"Pasporta Servo" (Passport service) of TEJO, the World Organisation of Young Esperantists, is a unique service that was started more than 30 years ago, in 1974. While providing a service to Esperanto-speaking hosts and guests, at the same time it demonstrates, easily and clearly, to the outside public that Esperanto is useful and that it works in practice. Many people learn Esperanto only because they want to travel by means of Pasporta Servo. You've never heard of it? Let me explain.

Inexpensive travelling

With Pasporta Servo it is possible to travel inexpensively. It is an international hospitality network. You can stay at 1364 hosts in 89 countries that appear in the 2005 edition. At the beginning of every year a new list of host appears. If you buy the list, you may use the service. Very simple, isn't it? And if you hitch-hike, you only have to pay for food while you are travelling. This is an excellent way to get to know countries and people with the help of Esperanto. For example, we ourselves stayed at a Finn from Mikelli, who showed us the hospital where she worked, at the mayor of Kassel, where we camped in the garden, and we were allowed to use the sauna of a host from Helsinki.

See also Amanda Higley's travels with Pasporta Servo

Hosting according to your own conditions

It is even possible to save the cost of the list. If you become a host, you will receive the new list of hosts every year at no cost which means that you can use the service at no cost. And besides that, you will meet interesting guests. Of course, hosting takes place according to your own conditions that you publish in the list. For example, many hosts require a written request in advance, while others simply say 'come at your own risk, but I am away often'. Many say 'bring a sleeping bag, you will have to sleep on the floor, and I have only one room', but several offer a bed in a separate room. Almost all hosts mention a maximum number of guests and duration of stay. Often only one guest for one night, but sometimes 10 guests for as long as a month! Many hosts offer breakfast while others ask a small repayment for that. We, for example, hosted several hungarians who unfortunately left their (very tasty) sausage in our fridge, two koreans, who finished our spanish pepper in one breakfast, two germans, who wanted to dry out after several days of camping in the Dutch downpour, a family of Swedes, with who we juggled on the grass, a group from Tagikistan, with who we sang and played guitar, and an american, who was very amazed by the fact that the Dutch "turn every word into a diminuitive".

For all ages

Pasporta Servo is interesting for people of all ages. Young people host in their student rooms, and discover the world through hitchhiking or by train during the holiday months. Sometimes they stay at people who are four times their own age, but that does not hinder pleasant conversation and interesting interchange of experiences and ideas. Families are often willing to host several persons, and use the service in the same way. Older people have a lot of time for travelling and prefer the more comfortable host addresses. And when the age starts to make travelling more difficult, they can still receive interesting guests in their own homes.

All kinds of hosts

The list contains very diverse hosts. A host in Cotonou, Benin, willingly hosts 10 people for a month, but (rightly so) does not offer food. Go to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, only if you are an experienced Esperanto-speaker, or to rapidly master the language: 'Those who do not speak Esperanto well, will be taught using the stick method and a text book'. If you like islands, choose between Malta, Reunion, Samoa and Hawaii! Stay for 7 days in southern France with a pair of ecologists, if you help them with their work during the day, and help to make music during the night. A host in Santa Barbara, Phillipines, warns you to bring a mosquito net. In Hannover, Germany, it is possible to borrow or store a bicycle. A host in Cochabamba, Bolivia, writes that people carrying cocaine will be shot immediately. And a hostess in Russia writes 'Come if you like the tranquility of the woods, the beauty of the lakes, to collect berries and mushrooms, and if you are tired of the noise of the big cities.' And so on...

Practical booklet

Most importantly, the list is practical. It is a compact, light, A5-format booklet, which one can easily consult during travelling. The last edition crams 23 maps, 1364 addresses, an introduction and index into 224 pages, and only weighs 155 grammes (and you won't need a magnifying glass to read it). The list is available through the book service of the World Esperanto Association for 15 euros (2005 edition). This may seem like a lot, but keep in mind that, through sales of the list we have to cover all costs of Pasporta Servo, among which are publishing, and sending it at no cost to more than 1000 addresses world-wide!

Obtaining the booklet

If you want to use the service as a guest, you can buy the booklet through UEA, or another Esperanto book service. Each edition appears in February. Another option is to join the service as a host. In that case you will receive the booklet every year, and you may use the service - free of charge!

Learning Esperanto

Of course, you have to know Esperanto in order to use the information in the booklet. Fortunately, Esperanto is easy to learn. With a bit of work and some practice it can take as little as six months to a year to reach a usable level. There are free e-mail, computer and WWW (internet) courses, or perhaps there is a course in your area. Your local Esperanto organization can give you more information on all the options.

Pasporta Servo is unique, inexpensive, practical, enriching and fun. Join now and start to discover the real world!