CouchSurfing
Have you ever wanted to travel to exotic locations, but didn’t have the money to afford expensive hotel accommodations? If you enjoy meeting new people and you want to travel, then CouchSurfing may be the answer. CouchSurfing helps you make connections worldwide with people who are willing to host visitors in their homes. You can use the network to meet people and then go “surf” on their couches. They will provide you with some sort of accommodation, a penthouse apartment or maybe a back yard to pitch your tent in. Stays can be as short as a cup of coffee, a night or two, or even a few months or more.
The idea for CouchSurfing started when founder, Casey Fenton, got a cheap ticket to Iceland for a long weekend one April. With his ticket in hand, there was one problem: he had no place to stay and no desire to rot in a hotel all weekend and play Mr. Tourist. So, he came up with the ‘brilliant’ idea of spamming over 1500 Icelandic students in Reykjavik and asking them if he could crash on one of their couches. After exchanging emails with many of the students, he had several groups of friends offer to show him ‘their’ Reykjavik. So, after spending an amazing, crazy weekend just south of the Arctic Circle, Casey decided he would never again get trapped in a hotel and tourist marathon while traveling. From that point onward, it was all about crashing on exotic couches and cultural exchange. And, thus, the CouchSurfing Project was born.
The CouchSurfing Project boasts over 800,000 members from 230 countries, and they reportedly have over 1.5 million positive CouchSurfing experiences. They have implemented several safety measures for the benefit of their surfers, hosts, and community. Every user is linked to the other users he or she knows in the system through a network of references and friend links. In addition to the solid network with friend link-strength indicators and testimonials, they have vouching and verification systems to ensure the safety of travelers.
You can search the site and find hosts everywhere, even in Plano. I found a large number of people in Nice where we’ll be traveling in January. Some are willing to host people on their couch and others are just available to meet for coffee to share information and travel tips for their city.
I’m not sure how comfortable I would be surfing on someone’s couch, but it’s an interesting concept and from the looks of it, there are hundreds of thousands of people who are doing it. By staying with the locals, you get a feel for what life is really like in the areas you are visiting. You also get great tips from the people who know the city the best. Plus, it’s completely free.
I like the idea of meeting for coffee. It’s a great way to meet people, and it’s like getting a local tour guide for free.
To learn more, check out their website here.
Larua – you’re on a roll this week with useful information! This is so cool! I was a member of homeexchange.com for a year – but unfortunately not many people want to come to Dallas. Tracey and I want to tour around Italy next year and this would be so much fun! Hmmmm….a little riskier than I am used to, but might have to give it a try.
Thanks…I thought it was really cool too. At a minimum, you could meet people for coffee and get tips on thngs to do and places to see — it’s the less risky way to do it. One cool thing about the couchsurfing site is that you can read reviews from travelers and verify that other people have had good experiences with your potential host.
If you go to Italy next year, let me know. Depending on the area, we can give you lots of tips. We’ve been to Pisa, Florence, Pompeii/Naples, Venice and Rome. I LOVE Italy!!