Couchsurfing around the world

 

If you’ve ever thought of backpacking, or you have backpacked, or are currently backpacking, you most likely have heard of Couchsurfing. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about – Couchsurfing is a travel community of sorts where people all around the world, in many different countries, open up their homes, couches and spare beds, to travelers at no cost. Travelers can set up their itinerary on the site allowing hosts in the area to view and invite them to their homes. Travelers can also review profiles of hosts and send personal requests. Yes, you are staying with a “stranger” but almost all hosts are travelers themselves and use it as a way to meet people of different cultures and learn about different parts of the world.

You should use it this way too!

I’m a traveler and so I know the expenses that we have while traveling. I know living on a tight budget and thinking, “if I just have half a sandwich for lunch, I can eat the rest for dinner and therefore don’t have to pay for two meals.” So I get the lure of a “free place to stay”, but Couchsurfing should be about so much more than that. It should be about learning from a local and creating a lasting friendship with the perk being that the traveler has a free place to stay – not the other way around.

Right now I am staying with a friend and cannot host, but I do seek out those coming through the Boston area, hoping that I can meet up with them for a coffee, beer, dinner, a walk in the park, etc. I cannot tell you how many of these people don’t have a full profile or have no references or friends. To me, that says that they’re using it only to have a free place to sleep. I could be wrong, but these two things are VERY important to hosts. I’ve heard that from everyone who has ever hosted anyone on Couchsurfing. Full profiles and references are what hosts generally go by. Hosts are not just going to welcome someone into their home who is looking for a free ride.

Some of my closest friends while traveling I’ve made through Couchsurfing. It’s a very special thing for someone to open their home to someone they don’t know. Think about it! How trusting is that?! Different hosts work in different ways – some want to spend every moment showing you around, invite you out with his/her friends, sharing their life with you, and some may just want to have a dinner or beer with you. Either way – these hosts are OPENING THEIR HOME to you!

Seriously, let this sink in for a minute!

It’s a big deal and I hate that this thought is being lost in the idea of just a free place to crash. I know not everyone uses it this way, but there does seem to be a lot of people who go off traveling, setting up an account a week before they leave, not knowing a single person in the community and just hoping to stay somewhere for free, sending out requests without even reading profiles of the hosts. This kills the spirit of Couchsurfing. The more people do this, the less hosts are willing to host. The less the hosts are willing to host the less likely it is for travelers to find a host, to have a cultural exchange, and potentially a lifelong friendship.

I haven’t surfed a whole lot but all my experiences have been positive ones. I am still in contact with my hosts and those I’ve met at Couchsurfing meetups along the way. I consider my host in Singapore one of my very good friends. We message each other on whatsapp almost daily – talking about life, travel, dreams, etc. just like you would with a friend from home. I feel very fortunate that she accepted my couch request, because now I have a friend for life.

And that, to me, is more important than the money I saved.

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