jball – It’s not terribly time consuming or difficult. You simply have to apply in each town via their FB page or website or whatever tool they use for host home registration. While it is not difficult, you may not find a match in every town. Be prepared for that. If we happen to stay in any larger towns (ie Des Moines, Ames, Iowa City, etc you may be able to get a hotel room as well) Good luck. You should join the FB group/page RAGBRAI Newbies. There is tons of good info for new folks and it is a great place to ask questions like this. See you in July!