CouchSurfing

WHAT IS COUCHSURFING?


Couchsurfing is a non-profit, online travel network where you can find places to stay and host travelers in your home. There is no exchange of money. However, couchsurfing is not about finding a free place to crash. It’s about creating new experiences and meaningful connections. You can think of it as more like a cultural exchange.




SAFETY


Now the primary concern on everyone’s mind is, of course,  safety. Human nature always assumes the worst of people. The couchsurfing project’s mission is to cast aside this prejudice. Friends always ask me “what if he tries to rob you or beat you up?” Well, theoretically anyone could do that, but I don’t go around assuming every person I meet wants to rob me. One of the reasons why I like couchsurfing is that I think it helps to break this stereotype in our society. 



Couchsurfing has many safety measures in place. Here are a few:
  1. Everyone has a facebook-like profile page with a description of yourself, photos, type of accommodation available, interests, hobbies etc. You can get a pretty good idea of a person by reading their page.
  2. You can write references for members and they can write references about you. These can include members you’ve stayed with or hosted and your rating can be positive, neutral, or negative.
  3. There is a verification system that involves making a donation to couchsurfing via credit card and they will validate your name and address.



    When I’m couchsurfing, I always read their profile and references. Communicating needs to be consistent and I always try to talk with them on the phone just to confirm everything before I arrive. Following these few simple rules has worked well.



    If you’re not comfortable with sleeping in someone’s house or having someone sleep in your house, there’s an option to just meet someone for coffee/drink and show them around.


HOW I GOT STARTED


I admit that when I first heard about couchsurfing, I was not warm to the idea. I didn’t like the idea of sleeping in a complete stranger’s home or having complete strangers sleep on my couch! I thought about it some more over time and realized that there are many places on this planet that I would like visit, but didn’t know anyone in that city/country to stay with.


The more common form of accommodation is to stay in a hotel or hostel. I’ve only stayed in a hostel once and I did not enjoy the experience. There were 6 of us crammed into this tiny room. People were coming in and out of the room all day and all night. One guy snored like a chainsaw and kept everyone else awake. I barely slept a wink. Traveling and staying in a hotel is nice, but expensive, and it’s no fun staying in a hotel by youself. I thought wouldn’t it be nice to actually have someone to show you around? That’s when I chose to try out couchsurfing and I haven’t looked back since.


Ironically, I would rather sleep in a stranger’s house, than sleep in a room full of strangers.



WHY I COUCHSURF


As a couchsurfer, I have had many great experiences and I have met many great people. I’ve had hosts who were truly generous and kind. Some provided amazing hospitality like picking me up at the airport, preparing home-cooked meals, and taking me sight-seeing – all for someone they just met!


As a host I always get asked why I would be willing to do so much for someone I don’t even know. The honest answer is that I like meeting new people and I genuinely like showing people around my home city. I treat couchsurfers in my home like any normal guest. I give them blankets/towels, I let them eat my food and cook, I take them out and show them around. And I don’t ask for anything in return. Which brings me to another reason I host and that’s – karma. I do the same for travelers in my home as I would like hosts to do for me while traveling.


This is going to sound super cheesy, but couchsurfing has really changed my life. I have met the most amazing people who I have become friends for life and had a blast doing it. I can now visit any place in the world I want to and not only will I have a place to stay, but I’ll have friends wherever I go.








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