Showing posts with label Couchsurfing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Couchsurfing. Show all posts
Friday, 17 September 2010
Couchsurfing : Testimonials
http://www.couchsurfing.org/testimonials.html
"I travel a lot for business and pleasure. I often visit the same places and I know many airports and hotels ... and I like it. With CouchSurfing I still do the same for now, but I have had the pleasure of traveling through the stories and enthusiasm of CouchSurfers that I have hosted in my house. Therefore, I travel more often, even when i'm at home, and so I hope to share this excitement as well. Couch Surfing may indeed be a formula for traveling, seeing new places, people and cultures."
"The paradox: when we do something for nothing, what we often obtain is something far greater... do not waste time for people that do not want to spend it with u... in life, you don't get the people you want. you get the people you need."
"I can't even begin to describe how amazing Couch Surfing is. We went on a HUGE cross-country road trip from California to Florida to Maine and back, and not only did we meet some amazing people, but we made some amazing friends that we will continue to be friends with for a long time to come. It has been amazing to see such a strong community built on just the idea of helping people and sharing stories, asking for absolutely nothing in return. If the world had the same mentality that couch surfers do, it would be a much better place, and for once, we would finally know peace."
"I am an active guy who meets alot of people. I signed up here just for hosting and being hosted while travelling. Much to my surprise, I have met great quality people, who have become close acqaintences, and friends. My COuchsurfing experiences have been much better than I expected!"
"Couchsurfing is like accelerated method for vagabonds, nomads and other type of travellers to meet different, crazy, funny and passionate people. It makes me smile. It makes you smile. It makes us smile. And it's good."
"Hosting visitors is like traveling with all the comforts of home."
"Traveling is one of the most interesting way to have the new experience and learn more from overseas. I heard this site from one of my friend that had succesful travel with her travel buddies from this site. Hope this site will give many advantages for me who love traveling as well."
"When you're too busy, to poor or to weary to travel, host someone and let the world come to you :)"
"In this age of racism, prejudice & terrorism, in which people are afraid of stepping out of their front door, roaming freely or talking to others, Couchsurfing has become a beacon of light in these dark times. Evident in the number of members on the site, its ideology proves that the world is not full of bad people & that many of us share the same hopes, dreams & aspirations, giving us all something in common. Through the meetings & interactions arranged daily on this site, its users are gaining valuable insights & cultural understanding, while spreading the spirit of peace through the sharing of time, possessions & experiences. All of these lead to open-mindedness & tolerance, the world could do with more Couchsurfers! ...Oh yeah and it's a great place to arrange a beer & a BBQ!"
"Trough Couschsurfing not only I met so much interesting people but now I know about the reality in their countries, told it by them whom live it! Those people gave me the great idea of to travel for to know the world, now I'm doing it! Even I found the love with CSers! Thanks Couchsurfing!"
""Thank you for have created this website. I would like to tell you just one thing that well impressed me. Today, before start surfing the couchsurfing site I filled up my profile that I didn't fill at the moment of my subscription. In my profile I mentioned the movie "Six grade of separation" to describe my idea of couching, and lately I read it in the site. It was a confirmation of our correspondence.""
On the couchsurfing website there are 2531 testimonials. A testimonial is where a member has taken the time to write about their positive experience on the Couchsurfing homepage, every one of the 2531 are positive testimonials to couchsurfing. These are seperate from references.
A selection of references:
"I travel a lot for business and pleasure. I often visit the same places and I know many airports and hotels ... and I like it. With CouchSurfing I still do the same for now, but I have had the pleasure of traveling through the stories and enthusiasm of CouchSurfers that I have hosted in my house. Therefore, I travel more often, even when i'm at home, and so I hope to share this excitement as well. Couch Surfing may indeed be a formula for traveling, seeing new places, people and cultures."
"The paradox: when we do something for nothing, what we often obtain is something far greater... do not waste time for people that do not want to spend it with u... in life, you don't get the people you want. you get the people you need."
"I can't even begin to describe how amazing Couch Surfing is. We went on a HUGE cross-country road trip from California to Florida to Maine and back, and not only did we meet some amazing people, but we made some amazing friends that we will continue to be friends with for a long time to come. It has been amazing to see such a strong community built on just the idea of helping people and sharing stories, asking for absolutely nothing in return. If the world had the same mentality that couch surfers do, it would be a much better place, and for once, we would finally know peace."
"I am an active guy who meets alot of people. I signed up here just for hosting and being hosted while travelling. Much to my surprise, I have met great quality people, who have become close acqaintences, and friends. My COuchsurfing experiences have been much better than I expected!"
"Couchsurfing is like accelerated method for vagabonds, nomads and other type of travellers to meet different, crazy, funny and passionate people. It makes me smile. It makes you smile. It makes us smile. And it's good."
"Hosting visitors is like traveling with all the comforts of home."
"Traveling is one of the most interesting way to have the new experience and learn more from overseas. I heard this site from one of my friend that had succesful travel with her travel buddies from this site. Hope this site will give many advantages for me who love traveling as well."
"When you're too busy, to poor or to weary to travel, host someone and let the world come to you :)"
"In this age of racism, prejudice & terrorism, in which people are afraid of stepping out of their front door, roaming freely or talking to others, Couchsurfing has become a beacon of light in these dark times. Evident in the number of members on the site, its ideology proves that the world is not full of bad people & that many of us share the same hopes, dreams & aspirations, giving us all something in common. Through the meetings & interactions arranged daily on this site, its users are gaining valuable insights & cultural understanding, while spreading the spirit of peace through the sharing of time, possessions & experiences. All of these lead to open-mindedness & tolerance, the world could do with more Couchsurfers! ...Oh yeah and it's a great place to arrange a beer & a BBQ!"
"Trough Couschsurfing not only I met so much interesting people but now I know about the reality in their countries, told it by them whom live it! Those people gave me the great idea of to travel for to know the world, now I'm doing it! Even I found the love with CSers! Thanks Couchsurfing!"
""Thank you for have created this website. I would like to tell you just one thing that well impressed me. Today, before start surfing the couchsurfing site I filled up my profile that I didn't fill at the moment of my subscription. In my profile I mentioned the movie "Six grade of separation" to describe my idea of couching, and lately I read it in the site. It was a confirmation of our correspondence.""
Couchsurfing : How To : Be a good host
Step One: Figure Out Your Expectations
As a host, you can (and should) set whatever guidelines you like for CouchSurfers who are staying in your home. Sit down with anyone you live with and decide what boundaries you'd like to set. How often do you want to host? For how many days at a time? How many CouchSurfers can you have at one time? Is it ok for them to use the kitchen? Are there any quiet hours, or times when CouchSurfers will need to be out of the house? How much time do you expect to spend with your guests? Write down the information that you decide on.
Step Two: Create Your Profile
It's time to fill out your profile. As a host, pay special attention to the "couch" section. This is where you should outline all of the expectations you figured out in Step One. By putting this information on your profile, you'll receive CouchRequests from CouchSurfers who are willing to follow your guidelines. As for the other sections of your profile, read these tips, then go ahead and tell us about yourself!
Step Three: Learn How to Read a CouchSurfing Profile
When you're choosing who to host, reading a member's profile carefully is one of the most important steps you should take. It helps keep you safe, and helps you have more positive experiences. Read these tips to learn more.
Step Four: Start Connecting
The more friends and references you have, the easier it is to meet more people. So even before you start hosting, it's a good idea to get out into the community.
A great way to get started is to contact your local Ambassador to ask for advice. Ambassadors are active CS members who have volunteered to act as community resources. To find your nearest Ambassador, set your location in CouchSearch, then filter the search for Ambassadors.
You can also contact a nearby traveler. Find someone you'd like to get to know and offer to show them around your city, or invite them for a coffee.
If you'd prefer to meet a lot of CouchSurfers at once, try a local event. You can find one by searching the events listings. Also, the discussion group for your city will often have event announcements.
Step Five: Read CouchRequests Carefully
Before long you'll begin receiving CouchRequests from members interested in staying on your couch. First, do a quick sort. CouchRequests shouldn't be copy-and-paste "can I crash with you?" messages, they should be thoughtful and personalized. Look for messages that use your name and make it clear that the member has read your profile. Once you've narrowed it down to these messages, read each note and the profile of the member who sent it.
Step Six: Be Selective
The best way to be sure to have positive experiences is to host who you want, when you want. Look for people who understand your guidelines, are coming at a time that is convenient for you, and most importantly -- people you're interested in learning more about!
Step Seven: Get Ready, Get Set, Host!
You've confirmed a time and meeting place with your CouchSurfer, and they're on their way. Read these tips about how to have a good experience during their stay!
Step Eight: Follow Up With a Reference
After your experience, the last thing to do is to write your CouchSurfer a reference. A reference is feedback you write that will appear on your CouchSurfer's profile, describing the interaction you had with them. Please read about what references are and how they work, then go to your CouchSurfer's profile and leave your reference.
Step Nine: Learn More
Read the rest of our tips to learn about how to get the most out of CouchSurfing!
And that's your first CouchSurfing experience! As you host more the process becomes second nature, but you should always follow this basic set of steps, all the way from reading profiles carefully to leaving a considered reference.
As a host, you can (and should) set whatever guidelines you like for CouchSurfers who are staying in your home. Sit down with anyone you live with and decide what boundaries you'd like to set. How often do you want to host? For how many days at a time? How many CouchSurfers can you have at one time? Is it ok for them to use the kitchen? Are there any quiet hours, or times when CouchSurfers will need to be out of the house? How much time do you expect to spend with your guests? Write down the information that you decide on.
Step Two: Create Your Profile
It's time to fill out your profile. As a host, pay special attention to the "couch" section. This is where you should outline all of the expectations you figured out in Step One. By putting this information on your profile, you'll receive CouchRequests from CouchSurfers who are willing to follow your guidelines. As for the other sections of your profile, read these tips, then go ahead and tell us about yourself!
Step Three: Learn How to Read a CouchSurfing Profile
When you're choosing who to host, reading a member's profile carefully is one of the most important steps you should take. It helps keep you safe, and helps you have more positive experiences. Read these tips to learn more.
Step Four: Start Connecting
The more friends and references you have, the easier it is to meet more people. So even before you start hosting, it's a good idea to get out into the community.
A great way to get started is to contact your local Ambassador to ask for advice. Ambassadors are active CS members who have volunteered to act as community resources. To find your nearest Ambassador, set your location in CouchSearch, then filter the search for Ambassadors.
You can also contact a nearby traveler. Find someone you'd like to get to know and offer to show them around your city, or invite them for a coffee.
If you'd prefer to meet a lot of CouchSurfers at once, try a local event. You can find one by searching the events listings. Also, the discussion group for your city will often have event announcements.
Step Five: Read CouchRequests Carefully
Before long you'll begin receiving CouchRequests from members interested in staying on your couch. First, do a quick sort. CouchRequests shouldn't be copy-and-paste "can I crash with you?" messages, they should be thoughtful and personalized. Look for messages that use your name and make it clear that the member has read your profile. Once you've narrowed it down to these messages, read each note and the profile of the member who sent it.
Step Six: Be Selective
The best way to be sure to have positive experiences is to host who you want, when you want. Look for people who understand your guidelines, are coming at a time that is convenient for you, and most importantly -- people you're interested in learning more about!
Step Seven: Get Ready, Get Set, Host!
You've confirmed a time and meeting place with your CouchSurfer, and they're on their way. Read these tips about how to have a good experience during their stay!
Step Eight: Follow Up With a Reference
After your experience, the last thing to do is to write your CouchSurfer a reference. A reference is feedback you write that will appear on your CouchSurfer's profile, describing the interaction you had with them. Please read about what references are and how they work, then go to your CouchSurfer's profile and leave your reference.
Step Nine: Learn More
Read the rest of our tips to learn about how to get the most out of CouchSurfing!
And that's your first CouchSurfing experience! As you host more the process becomes second nature, but you should always follow this basic set of steps, all the way from reading profiles carefully to leaving a considered reference.
Couchsurfing : How To : Be a good guest/host
Step One: Create Your Profile
If you haven't already, it's time to fill out your profile. First, read about how to make your profile as useful as possible. Then, go ahead and tell us about yourself !
Step Two: Learn How to Read a CouchSurfing Profile
When you're choosing to meet other members, reading their profile carefully is one of the most important steps you should take. It helps keep you safe, and helps you have more positive experiences. Read these tips to learn more.
Step Three: Start Connecting
You can hit the road right away, but it's a good idea to meet some CouchSurfers before you go. This will help you learn about the community, make friends, and get some references. It's a lot easier to find a couch when you have some feedback from other members on your profile.
A great way to get started is to contact your local Ambassador to ask for advice. Ambassadors are active CS members who have volunteered to act as community resources. To find your nearest Ambassador, set your location in CouchSearch, then filter the search for Ambassadors.
You can also contact a nearby traveler. Find someone you'd like to get to know and offer to show them around your city, or invite them for a coffee.
If you'd prefer to meet a lot of CouchSurfers at once, try a local event. You can find one by searching the events listings. Also, the discussion group for your city will often have event announcements.
Step Four: Start CouchSearching
Don't leave it to the last minute -- you should start looking for couches at least a week before you leave. CouchSurfing members expect a thoughtful, personalized CouchRequest, so it's a good idea to read these tips carefully about how to put your best foot forward.
Step Five: Plan for Flexibility
Members might not be able to host you for as long as you like, their schedules may not be what you're used to, and in some cities it may be difficult to find a couch at all. CouchSurfing can be unpredictable -- that's part of the fun! When you're staying with a host, remember to work out your schedule carefully so that you fit easily into their home. This may sometimes mean altering your plans a bit. Always have enough back-up money to stay in a hostel if you can't find a host, or if something unexpected comes up. Make sure you have a map and guide of the city.
Step Six: Communicate Clearly About Your Plans
Make sure to follow up with everyone who responds to your CouchRequests. When someone accepts your request, make sure you correspond with them and work out exactly when and how you'll meet. If more than one host accepts, be sure to send notes to the others, thanking them and letting them know that you have found another couch.
Step Seven: CouchSurf!
You've found a couch, you've set up a meeting time with your host, and you're on your way! Read these tips for how to have the best possible experience.
Step Eight: Follow Up With a Reference
After your experience, the last thing to do is to write your host a reference. A reference is feedback you write that will appear on your host's profile, describing the interaction you had with them. Please read about what references are and how they work, then go to your host's profile and leave your reference.
Step Nine: Learn More
Read the rest of our tips to learn about how to get the most out of CouchSurfing!
And that's your first CouchSurfing experience! As you CouchSurf more the process becomes second nature, but you should always follow this basic set of steps, all the way from reading profiles carefully to leaving a considered reference.
General Tips
Couchsurfing is not the same as a hotel. You should be looking for a host to stay with, and not just a couch to use. Couchsurfing is also about the experience of meeting and spending time with people, so try to choose compatible hosts. Don't forget that while you are traveling, your hosts have their own work, school, and daily schedules to keep.
"Spread the love around": Less days with more hosts is better than more days with less hosts. You get to meet more hosts, see more places, and don't become a burden or bore returning night after night to the same host. Try 'one night max per host' on your next trip and see if it makes your travel more lively. However this might have a greater carbon footprint.
- Appreciate the hospitality, time, and effort spent on your behalf.
- Communicate clearly. Be clear about the dates you are arriving and leaving. Use formats like "9 August", instead of "9/8" or "8/9".
- If possible, share your MSN messenger, personal e-mail addresses, Skype, additional phone numbers, as backups to the CouchSurfing message system.
- If you can, confirm your arrival the day before. Don't overstay; leave when you said you would.
- Plan to be self-sufficient for meals: either bring food with you (e.g. sandwich fixings, cereal for breakfast), or be prepared to eat out. Your hosts may invite you to share their meals, but are under no obligation to do so. (Hosts themselves may be on limited budgets, or have different dietary preferences.) If you're invited to join them for a meal, offer to help in some way: with the preparation, washing-up, or by buying some of the groceries for the meal.
- Be flexible. You may have to hang out for a few hours at a cafe until your host gets off work. Your host may not be able to give you a spare key, so you might have to be out of the house while they're at work or school. Arrange your schedule around theirs. Being flexible and having good communication with your host is critical for a positive experience.
- Gifts. The entire idea of CouchSurfing is that you can stay, for free, as a guest in a person's home. That being said, however, gifts from home are generally welcome and may even be culturally required. But try to do better than cheap, dollar-store souvenir trinkets. And be sensitive to individual and cultural differences: for example, some hosts don't drink (so don't bring them a bottle of wine); or certain flowers in some cultures are associated with mourning. Read your hosts' profiles to get a sense of what they may like; chocolates, fruit, pastries, or baked goods from a local bakery, are often good standbys. If you have the skill and time (and your hosts agree), you could even offer to cook a meal for them (see section below). MP3's shared, books left behind or lent, can cost you nothing to leave behind, but leave a nice lasting impression.
- Money. You should have funds to pay for travel-related expenses: budget for food, local transportation and other costs (museum entries, etc.). Hosts should not be expected to provide anything except a place to stay for the night. If your host provides you with meals, entertainment, or transportation, offer to compensate them: offer to buy groceries, pay for your share of the tickets, or re-imburse them for fuel costs. If your host will not accept payment, then a "thank you" in some other form - whether a gift, a cooked meal, a chore done (e.g. shovelling snow from the sidewalk) or shared skill (e.g. fixing their bicycle) - would be nice. Don't take advantage of the generosity of your hosts; don't be a freeloader.
- Local Information - Your host is a valuable source of information. You can find out how to get around (cheaply!), where the nightlife is, how to meet other local people, how to deal with the authorities, and what you should see in the area. Ask! However, be aware that your host is not a free tour guide or travel agent, and may be busy with work and other commitments, so don't bombard them with constant questions.
That said, try to have some idea of what you want to do in the area if possible by checking out a guidebook or the city's tourism site before you arrive. While hosts usually have many ideas, you shouldn't expect them to provide you with an itinerary.
- If a host is unable to offer you a couch at the time that you need it, please acknowledge their response with a "thanks anyway..." or something along those lines. You never know... maybe they will host you in the future.
- If a host offers you a couch, and you choose not to accept it, you have to let them know. At least send a polite note saying "thanks, but I've found another place to stay...". You might like to add, "..maybe we can meet for coffee or a drink?" - but do so only if you genuinely have the time and desire to meet.
Along the way
- Don't pick the fruit. It may seem to grow wild to you but it may very well be the hard work of your host's neighboring farmers. One or two such incidents is all it might take to get guests banned from the whole area.
During your stay
Appearances & Cleanliness:
- A whole division of the backpacker world seems to think looking dirty and being stinky is cool, but it does not make strangers want to share their living spaces with you. So shower: but also check with your host as to when it would be a good time to do so. Some hosts may live in areas with water-use restrictions; or have limited hot water; or have only one shared bathroom and several people who all need it at the same time in the morning.
- Toilets: Some sewage systems are not designed to take tampons; others may not take toilet paper (for example, you may be expected to clean yourself with water, or to put toilet paper in a special bin for other disposal). If in doubt, ask beforehand. (In some cultures, it may be polite to talk about such subjects only with a member of the same sex. Or not raise the topic at all. But it may be better to risk being rude, than to clog the only household toilet.)
- Keep your footprint small: Remember to be as tidy and use the least space possible - perhaps try to fit all your belongings in one square meter! Some couchsurfers suggest not leaving accessories in the bathroom. But, if you do so, keep them (makeup, shampoo, soaps) neatly bagged. This is especially important if your host's place is small (one-room 20 square meters flats are common in main European cities such as Paris or London)
- Adapt to your host's rhythm at home: Is the "couch" in a "high traffic" area for the household? If so, do people tend to stay up late, or wake up early? Be sensitive to your host's style, preferences, and schedule, and everyone will enjoy the experience. If you go to a party host, then sure, party on! (Only at their invitation, of course.) If you go to a family, take it easy.
- Schedules: Your hosts probably have fixed work or school schedules. Before or at the beginning of your stay, ask what schedule they keep. Allow time in your schedule to spend time with them. Even if you have a separate room, don't sleep all morning unless it is compatible with the household schedule. If you are badly jet-lagged, let your hosts know, and check if it's okay if you sleep in.
- Bringing guests back: It is never acceptable to bring back guests to the host's house without getting explicit permission first. You should not ask to bring back a guest that you have just met as the host may feel uneasy about having to refuse. Expecting to bring back a guest "to spend the night with you" is nearly always considered extremely inappropriate.
- Door keys: Hosts decide whether or not to lend a spare house key to their guests. Some do. Others prefer that guests be in the house only when someone else is at home. Yet others lend a house key, but request that guests be back by a certain hour (to avoid waking the household upon return). Respect your host's wishes. If he/she is gracious enough to lend you a spare door key, it is not a free ticket to stay out as long as you want, especially if you plan to go out at night without them. Check to see what would be a reasonable and convenient time for you to return. Call them if you are unexpectedly delayed.
- Door locks: Ask about the host's door-locking policy, and how the door lock works. You don't want to accidentally lock your host (or yourself) out of the apartment! (In some countries and communities, people don't lock the doors from inside, because it is not needed. In some rural areas, some houses might not even have doors.) Be sure to confirm with you host how you can leave early without him/her available to unlock an exit door!
- Cooking: If you have the skill and inclination, and the host would like enjoy it, offer to cook for your host. Making dinner is usually appreciated, but hard to pull off if you are only stopping for a night. If you are staying for a few nights, those later in your vist may be better ones for you to cook: by then, you'll have a chance to check if your host has the necessary spices, condiments and other ingredients; and if not, for you to buy them. Your hosts will also know at least a bit about you, and be comfortable with you in their space (since some people are very particular and picky in their own kitchens).
- Helping out: When you eat together, offer to wash dishes. Nothing is better for a couch surfer than doing the dishes. This is especially appreciated when you are staying at a shared house and you only know one of the renters, or if you have been hooked up with this couch by a 3rd party. Everyone likes to have a clean kitchen, even if they are too lazy to deal with it. And cleaning the kitchen is usually "safe": people are unlikely to be offended by your help there, and you can usually figure out where things go.
- If borrowing something from your host (with permission beforehand, of course), try to return it in better condition than you found it: e.g. re-fill the fuel tank of a motorbike, oil the chain and pump up the tire of a bicycle. At least return what you've used clean and in good condition.
- PC and Telephone: Don't use your host's computer or telephone unless he/she gives you explicit permission. Offer to pay for all phone calls. Don't download any programmes onto their computer. Check to see if they prefer the computer logged off, shut-down, or left on when you finish using it.
- Electrics: Check your host's preferences about having things like lights, fans, and air-conditioning left on or off.
Leave the house: It is expected that you are traveling to see the area you are visiting. Do venture outside, and be prepared for temperature extremes of the region you are in. Have an idea of what you can do in the area and don't expect to be in your host's home for most of the day or every day.
- Staying on longer: You should always ask permission, as far in advance as possible, if you want to stay on longer than initially agreed and not just assume it will be okay. If no agreement is made initially, try to let the host know as soon as possible when you are intending to leave and check that it is okay. Do not outstay your welcome, be conscious of signals that you may be staying too long even if your host doesn't explicitly say so. Never question or try to overturn a request by your host that you need to leave or that they can't host you for any longer.
- Clean up after yourself: If you bought food please take it with you when leaving, unless your hosts would like it.
Say "thank you" when you're with your host, but also after you leave.
After leaving
- CouchSurfing works because people can trust others. That's why it's important to leave comments (=references in CS talk :). If you have a bad experience, this is even more important, though might be more difficult. Just remember that other CouchSurfers depend on you leaving comments.
- Say "thank you". Either the old fashioned way, with a card, postcard, or letter from a later destination, or from back home. Or, if you're not into sending "snail mail" anymore, at least e-mail a "thank you" note.
Cultural Differences
- Violating customs can cause offense. Read ahead of time and find what is appropriate, and what are considered "local sensitivities". Ask your host what is expected, or assume the most conservative scenario. Be well-informed in advance, so that you do not inadvertently find yourself embarrassed. For instance:
- Remove your shoes outside the door in Japan, and you eat with your right hand only in some parts of the Middle East.
Avoid conversation topics that are taboo or poor taste to discuss. These subjects are things like: (homo) sexuality, religion, politics, war, genocide, minorities. These are probably not the best topics to discuss in casual or public environments. Save these conversations for your close friends, and not for people you have just met. This is a good social relation tip in general, actually.
- Hindus don't eat beef, as cows are considered sacred. Muslims generally do not eat pig related food products (as do some Jews).
- Sometimes, romantic couples may need to sleep separately.
Couchsurfing : FAQ
How can I use CouchSurfing?
CouchSurfing is your ticket to explore the world -- from the road or from your own home. Over a million members are out there waiting to learn about your culture and show you some of theirs. Eat borscht in Odessa. Watch kangaroos in Adelaide. Find the best noodles in Tokyo. Show travelers the best live music near your home, or your favorite hiking trail. Meet locals in your own city who share your interest in travel and the world.
How do you do it?
Is CouchSurfing free?
Absolutely. CouchSurfing is a non-profit organization dedicated to making it more accessible for all people to explore the world and share inspiring experiences. Not only will we never charge for members to use the site, CouchSurfing's terms of use also forbid any commercial activity from occurring on the site. Hosts should never charge their CouchSurfers; anyone who does will be removed from the site. Most CouchSurfers do like to thank their host with a small gift or an act of kindness (such as cleaning the house or cooking a meal), but this is not required and should not be requested by a host -- the only thing that's expected is an inspiring experience!
Is CouchSurfing safe?
When a lot of people hear about CouchSurfing, they wonder if it's OK to invite someone new into their home, or stay with someone they've never met. Our members think about safety, too -- and that's exactly why CouchSurfing is a safer way to meet people than you might think. As a tight knit community, CouchSurfers help protect themselves and each other by educating themselves and sharing information.
With CouchSurfing, you have a lot more information about new people than you do in most circumstances. Think about when you meet someone at a hostel or on a train. What information do you have? Just your own first impressions. Through CouchSurfing, it's more like meeting a friend of a friend. You have the chance to read all about other members' experiences with that person, whether positive or negative. You have a full profile's worth of information about their interests and perspectives. You can see who their friends are and how they know them. And you have the ability to correspond with them as much as you want before you meet them.
Go to our safety page for more information about the different types of information systems that help you make educated decisions while using CouchSurfing.
Where are CouchSurfing members located?
Our members are located all over the globe! The United States and Europe are where CouchSurfing is most popular, but we have members in over 230 countries and territories (even Antarctica!). CouchSurfers use over 302 different languages, and live in over 67,000 different cities. Learn more by looking at our statistics!
Do I have to let everyone stay at my house?
Not at all. You can -- and should -- pick and choose who you want to host, and when. When CouchSurfers contact you, read their message and profile carefully before making your decision. You can also meet people to hang out for a coffee or a drink only, or you can even make your couch completely unavailable. Don't offer your couch out of a feeling of obligation: that doesn't make a good experience for you or for your CouchSurfers. Offering your couch is all about increasing the number of interesting people and possibilities in your life experience, and learning about other cultures and perspectives.
Do I have to host someone first in order to surf?
No, CouchSurfing isn't a direct exchange of hosting for surfing. Instead, we ask all members to participate and add to the community in whichever way they enjoy most. People choose to host because they like the experience of meeting new people and sharing with them, not because they're trying to rack up imaginary points. Of course, it can be helpful to make friends and gain references before your trip. Hosting's a great way to do this, but there are a lot of other options, like attending an event or meeting nearby travelers for a coffee or a drink. Read our step-by-step guide to getting involved in the community for advice about meeting CouchSurfers!
How is the privacy of CouchSurfing members protected?
Members choose which information they wish to share with the CouchSurfing community by selectively filling in their profiles, and by customizing their privacy settings. Through these settings, members can choose which pieces of personal information to display, who can see their profile, who can search for their profile, and whether or not other members can see when they're online.
CouchSurfing's vision is to bring our spirit of exploration and connection to the world. In order to attain that vision, not only do members share inspiring experiences with each other, they also share their experiences with respected thinkers from accredited institutions. The findings that come from this collaboration help improve CouchSurfing's services for members while also bringing the world closer to our vision. When we facilitate this type of work, we are very careful to protect the privacy of our members. All information shared is anonymized and aggregated, and members who are interviewed for surveys are always given the right to decline. Check out our research page and privacy policy for all of the details.
CouchSurfing is your ticket to explore the world -- from the road or from your own home. Over a million members are out there waiting to learn about your culture and show you some of theirs. Eat borscht in Odessa. Watch kangaroos in Adelaide. Find the best noodles in Tokyo. Show travelers the best live music near your home, or your favorite hiking trail. Meet locals in your own city who share your interest in travel and the world.
How do you do it?
Check out these step-by-step guides to your first CouchSurfing experiences!
Getting Started: How to Travel with CouchSurfing
Getting Started: How to Host Travelers with CouchSurfing
Getting Started: Getting Involved in Your Local CouchSurfing Community
Getting Started: How to Travel with CouchSurfing
Getting Started: How to Host Travelers with CouchSurfing
Getting Started: Getting Involved in Your Local CouchSurfing Community
Is CouchSurfing free?
Absolutely. CouchSurfing is a non-profit organization dedicated to making it more accessible for all people to explore the world and share inspiring experiences. Not only will we never charge for members to use the site, CouchSurfing's terms of use also forbid any commercial activity from occurring on the site. Hosts should never charge their CouchSurfers; anyone who does will be removed from the site. Most CouchSurfers do like to thank their host with a small gift or an act of kindness (such as cleaning the house or cooking a meal), but this is not required and should not be requested by a host -- the only thing that's expected is an inspiring experience!
Is CouchSurfing safe?
When a lot of people hear about CouchSurfing, they wonder if it's OK to invite someone new into their home, or stay with someone they've never met. Our members think about safety, too -- and that's exactly why CouchSurfing is a safer way to meet people than you might think. As a tight knit community, CouchSurfers help protect themselves and each other by educating themselves and sharing information.
With CouchSurfing, you have a lot more information about new people than you do in most circumstances. Think about when you meet someone at a hostel or on a train. What information do you have? Just your own first impressions. Through CouchSurfing, it's more like meeting a friend of a friend. You have the chance to read all about other members' experiences with that person, whether positive or negative. You have a full profile's worth of information about their interests and perspectives. You can see who their friends are and how they know them. And you have the ability to correspond with them as much as you want before you meet them.
Go to our safety page for more information about the different types of information systems that help you make educated decisions while using CouchSurfing.
Where are CouchSurfing members located?
Our members are located all over the globe! The United States and Europe are where CouchSurfing is most popular, but we have members in over 230 countries and territories (even Antarctica!). CouchSurfers use over 302 different languages, and live in over 67,000 different cities. Learn more by looking at our statistics!
Do I have to let everyone stay at my house?
Not at all. You can -- and should -- pick and choose who you want to host, and when. When CouchSurfers contact you, read their message and profile carefully before making your decision. You can also meet people to hang out for a coffee or a drink only, or you can even make your couch completely unavailable. Don't offer your couch out of a feeling of obligation: that doesn't make a good experience for you or for your CouchSurfers. Offering your couch is all about increasing the number of interesting people and possibilities in your life experience, and learning about other cultures and perspectives.
Do I have to host someone first in order to surf?
No, CouchSurfing isn't a direct exchange of hosting for surfing. Instead, we ask all members to participate and add to the community in whichever way they enjoy most. People choose to host because they like the experience of meeting new people and sharing with them, not because they're trying to rack up imaginary points. Of course, it can be helpful to make friends and gain references before your trip. Hosting's a great way to do this, but there are a lot of other options, like attending an event or meeting nearby travelers for a coffee or a drink. Read our step-by-step guide to getting involved in the community for advice about meeting CouchSurfers!
How is the privacy of CouchSurfing members protected?
Members choose which information they wish to share with the CouchSurfing community by selectively filling in their profiles, and by customizing their privacy settings. Through these settings, members can choose which pieces of personal information to display, who can see their profile, who can search for their profile, and whether or not other members can see when they're online.
CouchSurfing's vision is to bring our spirit of exploration and connection to the world. In order to attain that vision, not only do members share inspiring experiences with each other, they also share their experiences with respected thinkers from accredited institutions. The findings that come from this collaboration help improve CouchSurfing's services for members while also bringing the world closer to our vision. When we facilitate this type of work, we are very careful to protect the privacy of our members. All information shared is anonymized and aggregated, and members who are interviewed for surveys are always given the right to decline. Check out our research page and privacy policy for all of the details.
Couchsurfing Camp
CouchSurfing Camp creates a space where weary wild and wondrous travelers are always welcome. Generosity and a shared world vision is the fundamental nature of CouchSurfers. This camp is by and for CouchSurfers around the world and every member of the camp is a member of CouchSurfing.org. CouchSurfing Camp was founded by James Lathrop for the playa in 2007 and is the place where CouchSurfers can come together to create a welcoming space within Black Rock City. Come sit, enjoy and surf the MutantSofa. For direct information about this year's CouchSurfing Camp contact SofaKing.
CouchSurfing Camp is a place for newbie burners, seasoned burners and the burner who wants to get seasoned. With cayenne! So come participate in creating a better greener world, one dusty mutant couch at a time! To join us in camp first PayPal your Camp Fee and we'll respond with a link for you to set up a profile. Note, however, that to to join this camp you must also be a member of CouchSurfing.org -- so if you are not already a member go there and set up a profile. It's free.
As a community we believe that we can use our individual and collective parts to create a better world and we believe that the surfing of couches is -- well it just is. At CouchSurfing Camp you will be welcomed and probably treated as an honored guest. This is a place to network people with their places, create educational and non-educational exchanges, raise the collective and dispersed consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural as well as non-cultural understandings. And likely a few cocktails and maybe some snacks. CouchSurfing Camp is not just about the playa coated furniture, not just about finding colorful accommodations in the desert; it's about making connections ... connect. We make the world a better place by opening our home (welcome home!), our hearts, and our neighbor's RV. At Black Rock City we will create deep and meaningful connections that cross playa dust storms, oceans, continents, meteor showers and solar flares! CouchSurfing Camp will change not only the way you travel, but how you relate. Come and surf the Mutant Sofa and we'll help you to understand how CouchSurfing is changing the world.
CouchSurfing Camp is a place for newbie burners, seasoned burners and the burner who wants to get seasoned. With cayenne! So come participate in creating a better greener world, one dusty mutant couch at a time! To join us in camp first PayPal your Camp Fee and we'll respond with a link for you to set up a profile. Note, however, that to to join this camp you must also be a member of CouchSurfing.org -- so if you are not already a member go there and set up a profile. It's free.
As a community we believe that we can use our individual and collective parts to create a better world and we believe that the surfing of couches is -- well it just is. At CouchSurfing Camp you will be welcomed and probably treated as an honored guest. This is a place to network people with their places, create educational and non-educational exchanges, raise the collective and dispersed consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural as well as non-cultural understandings. And likely a few cocktails and maybe some snacks. CouchSurfing Camp is not just about the playa coated furniture, not just about finding colorful accommodations in the desert; it's about making connections ... connect. We make the world a better place by opening our home (welcome home!), our hearts, and our neighbor's RV. At Black Rock City we will create deep and meaningful connections that cross playa dust storms, oceans, continents, meteor showers and solar flares! CouchSurfing Camp will change not only the way you travel, but how you relate. Come and surf the Mutant Sofa and we'll help you to understand how CouchSurfing is changing the world.
Couchsurfing : Opinions : Secondary
"CouchSurfing is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it's about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!
CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding."
There we were, three Canadian girls, trudging up six flights of stairs to a Paris apartment belonging to someone we had never met. We were about to spend five days as guests of Sebastien Bernier, a complete stranger.
What were we thinking?
We were doing what thousands of people around the world have started to do: we were going couch-surfing.
Essentially, we were bunking in Paris for free thanks to blind trust and a website called CouchSurfing.com.
The website is an online forum where people offer their couch, spare bedroom, floor-space or tent-ready backyard to other people wandering through their part of the world. Or, if they have no room to spare, they can offer to meet you for a coffee or drink and show you around their town.
Like many social networking websites, couch-surfing is free and anyone can join.
Put up a profile, wax poetic about your favourite hair metal band or upload bug-eyed pictures of yourself and you're good to go.
But CouchSurfing.com differs from sites like MySpace in one key way: it fosters real-life interaction, says Alex Goldman, a PhD student at the University of Florida and an administrator of the site.
"It's based in the real world; the main purpose of couch-surfing is leaving the online world," he said.
The website was created more than 21/2 years ago and now has more than 100,000 members spread across every continent in more than 200 countries. It touches many languages, cultures and religions. North America and Europe have the most couch-surfers, but even less-Internet-savvy places such as Kiribati and Djibouti have members willing to host a fellow surfer.
The average age of couch-surfers is 27, but the website draws a few octogenarians and a very active community of 50-somethings.
And Montreal is its mecca, with 2,100 members - more than any other city in the world. It is also the first city and only city with a couch-surfing office.
Montreal surfer Mathieu Groulx, who has more than 12 surfs under his belt, says his first surfing experience was the best because he dove head-first into the unexpected.
Initially, he had reservations about an offer to stay in the New York City home of a 56-year-old gay man with no picture uploaded to his online profile. But when Groulx and his companion arrived to a home-cooked meal and warm reception, his reservations disappeared.
Groulx had visited the Big Apple before, but surfing "felt like I was arriving at an old friend's," he said.
"Going as a couch-surfer was a very different experience than in past trips. You get to see places you might never know about if you stayed in a hotel or hostel," he added.
Couch-surfing lets you take the road less travelled and discover local gems in a less commercial manner, says Paula Bialski, a master's student from northern Ontario who is completing her studies at the University of Warsaw in Poland.
Both she and Goldman are sociology scholars and CouchSurfing members. They are so intrigued by the social experiment, they are writing their respective theses on the hows, whos and whys of couch-surfing.
After all, it's not everyday a person opens their door to someone they've never actually met.
Casey Fenton, a self-described nomad from Maine, founded CouchSurfing.com as a simple accommodation exchange.
But as its popularity grew, so did its features: online chat, bulletin boards, interest groups, city meet-ups, verifications and newsletters. Other projects are on the way, and Fenton commits roughly 100 hours a week to the website.
The idea behind couch-surfing, Fenton says, is to help people "create adventures they will remember while sitting on their porch in their rocking chairs."
The original couch-surfer, Fenton owes the idea to a whim. He scored some cheap tickets to Iceland but deplored the idea of bunking down in a hostel.
He wanted the real taste of Reykjavik; the one only locals truly experience.
In a gutsy move, Fenton emailed 1,500 students at the University of Reykjavik, asking if anyone would be willing to host him in their city.
It worked: between 50 and 100 replied, "yeah, come surf my couch," wrote Fenton in an e-mail. From then on, Fenton vowed never to live the tourist life again and instead started the CouchSurfing website.
Even his dad is a convert. "It's like immediately becoming a citizen of a place," Mark Fenton says.
Giancarlo Russo, an Italian native living in Wales, has surfed more than 20 couches in the past year.
"Couch-surfing is a lovely thing," said Russo. "When you surf with someone, you share a bit of your life; you move a step farther than sharing a house."
"It's a good chance to explore, to meet other people who really like to travel and to meet people around the world," he added.
On the grand scale of life, couch-surfing is about creating a world without discrimination, Groulx said.
For many couch-surfers, it's the late-night conversations with a stranger, the all-night partying with a new friend or the discovery that they're the only tourist at a neighbourhood hangout that creates long-lasting memories.
With couch-surfing, however, you take what you get - there's no complaining to the concierge.
At the apartment in Paris where my friends and I spent five nights, we had free wireless Internet, an offer to do our laundry, a beautiful view and a central location.
At our next surf in Rome, we spent three days in extremely close quarters sharing our host's tiny living room with a bevy of musical instruments and bookshelves.
In Florence, I had my own bed - and bed bugs - and in Pistoia, my host welcomed me into his home on a day's notice with a pasta dinner and homemade vino.
jlegatos@ thegazette.canwest.com
TO SURF, YOU HAVE TO TRUST - AND READ THE REVIEWS
So how safe is it to crash at the home of a complete stranger?
CouchSurfing.com tries to lessen the risk of bad experiences with safety measures like peer-vouching and a voluntary identity verification process via credit card.
"It's in your best interest to be a good host or surfer because otherwise people will give you a bad review," said member Paula Bialski.
The concept works on trust and social capital, she added.
As a site ambassador, Montreal surfer Mathieu Groulx fields emails from members around the world and has never heard of a surf where members' safety was compromised.
"You can tell so much about people from their profile and how they act on the site itself," says Alex Goldman, a site administrator.
Couch-surfing isn't for everyone, Bialski admitted, and said street smarts are key to safe surfing.
"If you don't have common sense and run into a shady character, it can blow up in your face," she said.
Heather O'Brien, a site administrator, says she has never had a bad experience - just "experiences."
The performance artist living in San Francisco had an email conversation with a Brazilian man who didn't impress her with generous use of words such as "baby."
But instead of cutting off contact with the man, she decided to learn about his machismo culture and teach him about hers.
The man wrote O'Brien saying he had never meant to offend and now she looks forward to one day hosting him in her home.
http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/story.html?id=99e28c3f-9d99-44e6-bc34-9a0ab913f712
CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding."
There we were, three Canadian girls, trudging up six flights of stairs to a Paris apartment belonging to someone we had never met. We were about to spend five days as guests of Sebastien Bernier, a complete stranger.
What were we thinking?
We were doing what thousands of people around the world have started to do: we were going couch-surfing.
Essentially, we were bunking in Paris for free thanks to blind trust and a website called CouchSurfing.com.
The website is an online forum where people offer their couch, spare bedroom, floor-space or tent-ready backyard to other people wandering through their part of the world. Or, if they have no room to spare, they can offer to meet you for a coffee or drink and show you around their town.
Like many social networking websites, couch-surfing is free and anyone can join.
Put up a profile, wax poetic about your favourite hair metal band or upload bug-eyed pictures of yourself and you're good to go.
But CouchSurfing.com differs from sites like MySpace in one key way: it fosters real-life interaction, says Alex Goldman, a PhD student at the University of Florida and an administrator of the site.
"It's based in the real world; the main purpose of couch-surfing is leaving the online world," he said.
The website was created more than 21/2 years ago and now has more than 100,000 members spread across every continent in more than 200 countries. It touches many languages, cultures and religions. North America and Europe have the most couch-surfers, but even less-Internet-savvy places such as Kiribati and Djibouti have members willing to host a fellow surfer.
The average age of couch-surfers is 27, but the website draws a few octogenarians and a very active community of 50-somethings.
And Montreal is its mecca, with 2,100 members - more than any other city in the world. It is also the first city and only city with a couch-surfing office.
Montreal surfer Mathieu Groulx, who has more than 12 surfs under his belt, says his first surfing experience was the best because he dove head-first into the unexpected.
Initially, he had reservations about an offer to stay in the New York City home of a 56-year-old gay man with no picture uploaded to his online profile. But when Groulx and his companion arrived to a home-cooked meal and warm reception, his reservations disappeared.
Groulx had visited the Big Apple before, but surfing "felt like I was arriving at an old friend's," he said.
"Going as a couch-surfer was a very different experience than in past trips. You get to see places you might never know about if you stayed in a hotel or hostel," he added.
Couch-surfing lets you take the road less travelled and discover local gems in a less commercial manner, says Paula Bialski, a master's student from northern Ontario who is completing her studies at the University of Warsaw in Poland.
Both she and Goldman are sociology scholars and CouchSurfing members. They are so intrigued by the social experiment, they are writing their respective theses on the hows, whos and whys of couch-surfing.
After all, it's not everyday a person opens their door to someone they've never actually met.
Casey Fenton, a self-described nomad from Maine, founded CouchSurfing.com as a simple accommodation exchange.
But as its popularity grew, so did its features: online chat, bulletin boards, interest groups, city meet-ups, verifications and newsletters. Other projects are on the way, and Fenton commits roughly 100 hours a week to the website.
The idea behind couch-surfing, Fenton says, is to help people "create adventures they will remember while sitting on their porch in their rocking chairs."
The original couch-surfer, Fenton owes the idea to a whim. He scored some cheap tickets to Iceland but deplored the idea of bunking down in a hostel.
He wanted the real taste of Reykjavik; the one only locals truly experience.
In a gutsy move, Fenton emailed 1,500 students at the University of Reykjavik, asking if anyone would be willing to host him in their city.
It worked: between 50 and 100 replied, "yeah, come surf my couch," wrote Fenton in an e-mail. From then on, Fenton vowed never to live the tourist life again and instead started the CouchSurfing website.
Even his dad is a convert. "It's like immediately becoming a citizen of a place," Mark Fenton says.
Giancarlo Russo, an Italian native living in Wales, has surfed more than 20 couches in the past year.
"Couch-surfing is a lovely thing," said Russo. "When you surf with someone, you share a bit of your life; you move a step farther than sharing a house."
"It's a good chance to explore, to meet other people who really like to travel and to meet people around the world," he added.
On the grand scale of life, couch-surfing is about creating a world without discrimination, Groulx said.
For many couch-surfers, it's the late-night conversations with a stranger, the all-night partying with a new friend or the discovery that they're the only tourist at a neighbourhood hangout that creates long-lasting memories.
With couch-surfing, however, you take what you get - there's no complaining to the concierge.
At the apartment in Paris where my friends and I spent five nights, we had free wireless Internet, an offer to do our laundry, a beautiful view and a central location.
At our next surf in Rome, we spent three days in extremely close quarters sharing our host's tiny living room with a bevy of musical instruments and bookshelves.
In Florence, I had my own bed - and bed bugs - and in Pistoia, my host welcomed me into his home on a day's notice with a pasta dinner and homemade vino.
jlegatos@ thegazette.canwest.com
TO SURF, YOU HAVE TO TRUST - AND READ THE REVIEWS
So how safe is it to crash at the home of a complete stranger?
CouchSurfing.com tries to lessen the risk of bad experiences with safety measures like peer-vouching and a voluntary identity verification process via credit card.
"It's in your best interest to be a good host or surfer because otherwise people will give you a bad review," said member Paula Bialski.
The concept works on trust and social capital, she added.
As a site ambassador, Montreal surfer Mathieu Groulx fields emails from members around the world and has never heard of a surf where members' safety was compromised.
"You can tell so much about people from their profile and how they act on the site itself," says Alex Goldman, a site administrator.
Couch-surfing isn't for everyone, Bialski admitted, and said street smarts are key to safe surfing.
"If you don't have common sense and run into a shady character, it can blow up in your face," she said.
Heather O'Brien, a site administrator, says she has never had a bad experience - just "experiences."
The performance artist living in San Francisco had an email conversation with a Brazilian man who didn't impress her with generous use of words such as "baby."
But instead of cutting off contact with the man, she decided to learn about his machismo culture and teach him about hers.
The man wrote O'Brien saying he had never meant to offend and now she looks forward to one day hosting him in her home.
http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/story.html?id=99e28c3f-9d99-44e6-bc34-9a0ab913f712
Couchsurfing : Newspaper article
A newspaper review of couchsurfing, alternative websites and the pros and cons of the organisation. This is a relevant piece of journalism as it comes from a sceptical or critical viewpoint so is looked upon with open eyes instead of someone, like myself, who has been there, used it, and had positive experiences.
April 8, 2007
The Top 5 couchsurfing websites
Cheap and sociable, but a stranger’s home? Sally Howard reports from a futon in New York
My friends and coworkers say I’m nuts having you here, of course,” laughs Elizabeth, the straight-talking, 26-year-old Californian stranger in horn-rimmed specs who’s my host for a spring city break in New York. “Inviting a complete unknown off the internet to stay in my small apartment... they say you’re out to rob me. But there would be much easier ways to do that, wouldn’t there?”
Hospitality networks — communities set up to enable travellers to share the home of a foreign host — are nothing new. Launched by the Denmark-based American Bob Luitweiler in 1949, the United Nations-recognised Servas (www.servas.org ) had the lofty aim of realising Gandhi’s maxim: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
But Servas, and its contemporary Pasporta Servo (www.tejo.org/eo/ps ), a hospitality community for speakers of Esperanto, functioning as something of a foreign-exchange programme for adults, required a lengthy registration process, membership fee and minimum four-week notice period of a home stay.
Then, networks like the Hospitality Club, which now has 250,000 members in 207 countries, found a happy home on the web. Less formal propositions, these sites were largely the purlieu of backpackers and gap-year travellers, attracted by the twin benefits of saving precious cash and “living like the locals”.
But it was in 2004, with the launch of The CouchSurfing Project, that a verb was coined and a mainstream travel trend born. Couchsurfing.com was the brainchild of Casey Fenton, an American web consultant who, after buying a bargain flight to Iceland, realised that he had no interest in spending his hard-earned greenbacks on “rotting in a hotel all weekend playing Mr Tourist”.
After a bout of beard-scratching, Fenton alighted on the idea of using the random networking potential of the internet to spam a couple of thousand Reykjavik students, asking whether they’d put him up on their sofas and show him around their home city.
The same year, Fenton launched the CouchSurfing Project. The website broadened its focus to online chat and a shared passion for travel, and with several thousand recruits joining the project’s 200,000 registered users each week, Couchsurfing.com is now an undisputed phenomenon.
“The people who come to stay with us come from all walks of life,” says Elizabeth later, as she hands me a cup of camomile tea. “We’ve had a gay German couple in their fifties, lots of thirtysomething couples, as well as younger travellers.
With the older surfers, it’s as if they’re looking for something a bit different to the anonymity of a hotel.” Elizabeth, a nurse, and her boyfriend, Alex, 28, a PhD student (pictured, left), typically house two or three couchsurfers a month, “although, being in New York, we get so many requests”.
I have the distinction of being their first couchsurfer to elicit a profuse round of apologies before even setting my knapsack down on the well-padded beige futon. It’s 11pm on the day of my arrival and for the previous three hours I had been left sitting in an overpriced Upper West Side Italian restaurant, pushing polenta around my plate and tipping back house merlot.
On the plus side, Elizabeth and Alex don’t inhabit the sagging Harlem tenement coloured in by my wild imagination beneath the cover of an airline blanket. My couch lives in a noble American townhouse on a tree-lined street in the shade of the monolithic American Museum of Natural History.
I also wonder, as I stare into the dazzle of Elizabeth and Alex’s mile-wide smiles, whether I should blame myself for my long spell battling the gaze of a rank of insistent waiters. True, there was no sign of the promised key waiting beneath the plastic plant pot on the stoop, but perhaps I shouldn’t have foolishly sent a text to announce my arrival.
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Texting an American, as I well knew, is only marginally more effective than attaching your message to the back of a baffled city pigeon. Americans simply don’t do texting.
So, what is the couchsurfing etiquette? “We’re super-flexible, but there are a few rules,” says Elizabeth. “We want surfers to be comfortable, but not too comfortable. It’s nice when there’s a gesture, like bringing us a gift from your home country, or taking us out to dinner.
“And staying two or three nights is cool; longer gets a bit awkward. We do get the eccentrics, of course, like the Austrian couple who said they were travelling to help each other through depression, then vomited out their entire life stories in 90 minutes. But mostly, it’s positive.”
What’s in it for Elizabeth and Alex? “Well, it’s always cool to meet people, especially Europeans — we see enough of Americans. And we’re hoping to go travelling next year, touring all of our couchsurfers.”
On the other side of the Atlantic, Jane and Phil Ballard of Ely, Cambridgeshire, also offered themselves as hosts in the hope of meeting “a few interesting souls”, but their experience was less positive. “We put up various surfers,” says Jane, 55, “and worked hard to give them a good time.
Some asked us to visit them (and some even meant it), and we have a gaudy collection of photographic calendars and plastic dolls to show for their visits. Then we had a bad experience with an American. She persuaded us to delay our own holiday to accommodate her, told us her time of arrival at the station and then failed to turn up.
She e-mailed a week later, saying she’d felt ‘a bit tired’ and had decided to stay in London. That did it for me.”
For the couchsurfing newbie, navigating the website in search of a potential couch can also be a darkly unpredictable business — profiles of seedy-looking, bare-chested gents go unpoliced, and introductory straplines such as “I have the ability to synthesise some compounds and I can separate drugs from bile, plasma and urine” can do unfortunate things to the browser’s own bile.
But the couchsurfing site does offer some safeguards, such as a system (similar to eBay’s) of users vouching for each other online and a higher verification level (for £13), where a letter is sent to the host’s home address requiring a postal reply.
The site also makes an effort to lessen the risk of surfing mishaps with its stern admonitions to book a hotel as backup and to avoid staying with unverified members or lone males if you’re a single female traveller.
None of this dissuades a growing number of Elizabeths and Alexes, though: “Even if you did end up peeing on the rug, I doubt I’ll be put off,” smiles Elizabeth. “The beauty of sites such as this is that they make the web world real, and make us take a leap of faith — you’re rewarded in finding out that human beings are generally a pretty cool bunch.”
www.couchsurfing.com A professional-looking site, with numerous functions, thataims to “create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures”.
www.globalfreeloaders.com An Australian hospitality network, with the antipodes particularly well represented.
www.hospitalityclub.org One of the web originals, aiming to “bring people together”. Duration of stay and specifics (such as food) are set out before your stay.
www.stay4free.com A global “free accommodation network” based in Holland.
www.travelhoo.com Another of the early web outfits. Also offers a travel partner-finding service. Sign up to surf
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Couchsurfing : How To: Requesting a place to stay
Seen as couchsurfing is an unheard of activity for so many people I felt it better than explaining it in words I would print screen how I would normally go about finding and requesting a couch. So, this is a five point step by step, screen by screen guide to finding someone in Leeds. I know you wouldnt stay in Leeds but you get the jist, Ciao
Although the number of surfers seems to be growing exponentially, hosts have to be particular when choosing who to allow in their homes.
During a brief stint in Thailand, I had the opportunity to meet up with various people from different backgrounds: an Australian who divided his time between home and Phuket province, a couple from Ireland doing a backpacking tour of Asia, a middle-aged German woman who owned a house near Chalong Beach.
Together we chartered a long boat and set out to snorkel in some of the bluest waters and relax on powdery sand beaches.
One of the best days of my life.
Oh, and the people? Couchsurfers.
I came across Stefanie’s profile while looking for a place to stay in Phuket Town over the weekend. What I’d stumbled upon, however, was more than just a couch to crash on, but a guided tour of Thailand’s best islands, some great conversation from a diverse group, and a delicious lunch (my stomach still not quite used to spicy chicken and rice).
Couchsurfing, a website that links travelers looking for convenient and free places to stay with willing locals, is one of the better resources on the web. If you’ve done any major traveling you’re probably familiar with Couchsurfing, but have you set up your own profile, offered to host international guests, or slept on floors half the world over?
Although the number of surfers seems to be growing exponentially, hosts have to be particular when choosing who to allow in their homes. If you wanted to arrange for a guest to stay at your home, where would your attention lie? What information would concern you the most? Shared language? Interests? Age?
How can you best present your Couchsurfing profile, as both surfer and host?
10. Get Verified
Yes, Couchsurfing does require you to pay $25 to get level three verification, but this is a small price to pay; you’re donating to an excellent cause and ensuring people know you’re genuine.
9. Post Plenty of Pictures
It’s always suspicious when your CSing (CouchSurfing) profile lacks any kind of personal touch; where are the pictures of you smiling with friends, family, coworkers? Let other travelers know you’re social, and capable of having fun when the occasion calls for it.
8. Couchsurf with Friends if you have no References
Plenty of people on Couchsurfing won’t take anyone who doesn’t have at least one glowing reference. Granted, we all have to start somewhere, so get your friends to show the world you are capable of crashing in unfamiliar surroundings without incident.
Ask people you know to sign up with CSing and add you to their friends list. An even better choice might be to try surfing locally. Although you certainly have a place to stay in your hometown, there’s no reason you cannot learn from the perspectives of other locals, and since you don’t live thousands of miles away, they might be more inclined to let you stay and build your reference list.
7. Allude to Exciting Travels Abroad
Sharing at least one preview of your travels on a CSing profile can go over well in finding a place to stay. Those offering to host may want to hear how the story goes.
Have you traveled where others have only dreamed of going? If not, do you know someone who has been there, or could share a story for you to tell in your first contact emails?
Photo by re-ality
6. Offer Your Couch at Home
Even if you don’t have a place for a fellow wanderer to stay the night, it’s important to make the offer; say you’re willing to meet someone for coffee and travel talk. Offer to connect them with your local CSing friends who do have decent floor space.
5. Don’t Use Couchsurfing to Hook Up
Maybe I’m off base here, but I just assumed that Couchsurfing was better than your average Match.com. Don’t post that you’re only willing to host members of the opposite sex and have only your single bed to share.
If you meet someone great by circumstance, that’s wonderful, but don’t actively seek it on a site like this.
4. Join and Follow Groups
True, you can just search for couches doing randomized searches under “Couchsurf!”, but another useful method to find or offer lodging is located in the local group listings. Each city should have its own official Couchsurfing group, assuming it doesn’t have ten.
3. Don’t Lie
Don’t want smokers to stay at your place? Say as much. Not gay-friendly? Be honest. Uncomfortable with people staying more than one night? You’d better tell them straight-away, or you could be stuck with The Man Who Came To Dinner.
Couchsurfing is about expanding your horizons, but, when you’re staying with someone, it’s also about compatibility. Don’t put someone out by saying you’re a morning person and then party till 3 AM. Be honest as to who you are and what you want in a CSing experience.
2. Tell People When You Leave the Country
I cannot count the number of CSers I’ve emailed who haven’t gotten back to me; although their profiles mention the possibility of leaving in the near future, they forget to update that they have already been gone six weeks and are unable to host.
And the number one tip…
1. Don’t be Afraid
Couchsurfing is about goodwill, bettering the lives of travelers, and international understanding; the people are not out to beat and rob you. I can understand some people being hesitant about staying in a stranger’s house in a foreign country (especially single ladies), but CSing is not the “Casual Encounters” section of Craigslist.
These people are real, and others will attest to them. Don’t let any fears you might have show through your profile words.
http://thetravelersnotebook.com/how-to/10-ways-to-improve-your-couchsurfing-odds/
Although the number of surfers seems to be growing exponentially, hosts have to be particular when choosing who to allow in their homes.
During a brief stint in Thailand, I had the opportunity to meet up with various people from different backgrounds: an Australian who divided his time between home and Phuket province, a couple from Ireland doing a backpacking tour of Asia, a middle-aged German woman who owned a house near Chalong Beach.
Together we chartered a long boat and set out to snorkel in some of the bluest waters and relax on powdery sand beaches.
One of the best days of my life.
Oh, and the people? Couchsurfers.
I came across Stefanie’s profile while looking for a place to stay in Phuket Town over the weekend. What I’d stumbled upon, however, was more than just a couch to crash on, but a guided tour of Thailand’s best islands, some great conversation from a diverse group, and a delicious lunch (my stomach still not quite used to spicy chicken and rice).
Couchsurfing, a website that links travelers looking for convenient and free places to stay with willing locals, is one of the better resources on the web. If you’ve done any major traveling you’re probably familiar with Couchsurfing, but have you set up your own profile, offered to host international guests, or slept on floors half the world over?
Although the number of surfers seems to be growing exponentially, hosts have to be particular when choosing who to allow in their homes. If you wanted to arrange for a guest to stay at your home, where would your attention lie? What information would concern you the most? Shared language? Interests? Age?
How can you best present your Couchsurfing profile, as both surfer and host?
10. Get Verified
Yes, Couchsurfing does require you to pay $25 to get level three verification, but this is a small price to pay; you’re donating to an excellent cause and ensuring people know you’re genuine.
9. Post Plenty of Pictures
It’s always suspicious when your CSing (CouchSurfing) profile lacks any kind of personal touch; where are the pictures of you smiling with friends, family, coworkers? Let other travelers know you’re social, and capable of having fun when the occasion calls for it.
8. Couchsurf with Friends if you have no References
Plenty of people on Couchsurfing won’t take anyone who doesn’t have at least one glowing reference. Granted, we all have to start somewhere, so get your friends to show the world you are capable of crashing in unfamiliar surroundings without incident.
Ask people you know to sign up with CSing and add you to their friends list. An even better choice might be to try surfing locally. Although you certainly have a place to stay in your hometown, there’s no reason you cannot learn from the perspectives of other locals, and since you don’t live thousands of miles away, they might be more inclined to let you stay and build your reference list.
7. Allude to Exciting Travels Abroad
Sharing at least one preview of your travels on a CSing profile can go over well in finding a place to stay. Those offering to host may want to hear how the story goes.
Have you traveled where others have only dreamed of going? If not, do you know someone who has been there, or could share a story for you to tell in your first contact emails?
Photo by re-ality
6. Offer Your Couch at Home
Even if you don’t have a place for a fellow wanderer to stay the night, it’s important to make the offer; say you’re willing to meet someone for coffee and travel talk. Offer to connect them with your local CSing friends who do have decent floor space.
5. Don’t Use Couchsurfing to Hook Up
Maybe I’m off base here, but I just assumed that Couchsurfing was better than your average Match.com. Don’t post that you’re only willing to host members of the opposite sex and have only your single bed to share.
If you meet someone great by circumstance, that’s wonderful, but don’t actively seek it on a site like this.
4. Join and Follow Groups
True, you can just search for couches doing randomized searches under “Couchsurf!”, but another useful method to find or offer lodging is located in the local group listings. Each city should have its own official Couchsurfing group, assuming it doesn’t have ten.
3. Don’t Lie
Don’t want smokers to stay at your place? Say as much. Not gay-friendly? Be honest. Uncomfortable with people staying more than one night? You’d better tell them straight-away, or you could be stuck with The Man Who Came To Dinner.
Couchsurfing is about expanding your horizons, but, when you’re staying with someone, it’s also about compatibility. Don’t put someone out by saying you’re a morning person and then party till 3 AM. Be honest as to who you are and what you want in a CSing experience.
2. Tell People When You Leave the Country
I cannot count the number of CSers I’ve emailed who haven’t gotten back to me; although their profiles mention the possibility of leaving in the near future, they forget to update that they have already been gone six weeks and are unable to host.
And the number one tip…
1. Don’t be Afraid
Couchsurfing is about goodwill, bettering the lives of travelers, and international understanding; the people are not out to beat and rob you. I can understand some people being hesitant about staying in a stranger’s house in a foreign country (especially single ladies), but CSing is not the “Casual Encounters” section of Craigslist.
These people are real, and others will attest to them. Don’t let any fears you might have show through your profile words.
http://thetravelersnotebook.com/how-to/10-ways-to-improve-your-couchsurfing-odds/
Monday, 13 September 2010
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Couchsurfing
CouchSurfing is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it's about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!
(www.couchsurfing.org)
CouchSurfing (sofa surfing in the UK) is a neologism referring to the practice of moving from one friend's house to another, sleeping in whatever spare space is available, floor or couch, generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house.
The term couchsurfing was adopted by The CouchSurfing Project in 1999 for what is now the world's largest hospitality exchange network. With over 2 million members in 237 countries and territories, CouchSurfing is the most visited hospitality service on the Internet, averaging around 40 million daily page views July-December 2009.
After free registration, members have the option of providing very detailed information and pictures of themselves and of the sleeping accommodation they offer, if any. More information provided by a member, and other members, improves the chances that someone will find the member trustworthy enough to be their host or guest. Security is often measured in the reference established by networking. Volunteers may verify names and addresses. Members looking for accommodation can search for hosts using several parameters such as age, location, gender and activity level. Homestays are entirely consensual between the host and guest, and the duration, nature, and terms of the guest's stay are generally worked out in advance to the convenience of both parties. No monetary exchange takes place except for compensation of incurred expenses (e.g. food). After using the service, members can leave a noticeable reference about their host or guest.
Instead of or in addition to accommodation, members also offer to provide guide services or travel-related advice. CouchSurfing provides editable travel guides and forums where members may seek travel partners or advice. CouchSurfing's main focus is "social networking" and members organize activities such as camping trips, bar crawls, meetings, and sporting events.
Their website features a searchable database of hundreds of upcoming events organized by CouchSurfing members, including the annual "Berlin Beach Camp" which draws over 1,000 attendees, the annual "WinterCamp," and a New Year's Eve party hosted in a different city in Europe every year.
[edit]
Security Verification
There are three methods to ensure security and trust, which are all visible on member profiles for potential hosts and surfers to see prior to arranging anything with each other:
Personal references, which hosts and surfers have the option to leave after having used the service.
An optional credit card verification system, allowing members to "lock in" their name and address by making a credit card payment and entering a code that CouchSurfing mails to the billing address. This also allows CouchSurfing to recoup some costs by requiring a fee for verification. For fairness, the verification fee is based on a sliding scale, taking into account the Purchasing Power Parity and Human Development Index of the country of residence.[4]
A personal vouching system, whereby a member that had been vouched for—originally starting with the founders of the site—might in turn vouch for any number of other members he or she knew or had met through CouchSurfing, and trusts.
Ambassadors
Members who wished to volunteer for various tasks on the site and help spread the word about CouchSurfing in general were able to become ambassadors. Ambassadors must be role-models and actively promote the CouchSurfing spirit among members and to the public. In addition to promoting use of the site, they greet new members, help with questions and perform other administrative tasks, all on a volunteer basis. No new ambassadors are being created at this time.
History
Casey Fenton
The CouchSurfing project was originally conceived by Casey Fenton in 1999. According to Fenton's own account, the idea arose after finding an inexpensive flight from Boston to Iceland. Rather than stay at a hostel, Fenton randomly e-mailed 1,500 students from the University of Iceland asking if he could stay. Fenton ultimately received more than 50 offers of accommodation. On the return flight to Boston, he began to develop the ideas that would underpin the CouchSurfing project.
Site launch
Fenton developed the code intermittently over the next few years. The site was launched with the cooperation of Dan Hoffer, Sebastien Le Tuan, and Leonardo Silveira as a beta in January, 2003. The project became a public website in January 2004.
Initial growth of the site was slow. By the end of 2004 the site had just over 6,000 members. In 2005, growth accelerated and by the end of the year, membership stood at just under 45,000.
2006 database loss and relaunch
In June of 2006, the project experienced a number of computer problems resulting in much of the database being irrevocably lost. Due to the volume of critical data that had been lost, Casey Fenton was of the opinion that the project could not be resurrected. On June 29, 2006, he sent an e-mail to all members: "It is with a heavy heart that I face the truth of this situation. CouchSurfing as we knew it doesn't exist anymore.
Fenton's e-mail was met with vocal opposition to the termination of the project and considerable support for its recreation. A CouchSurfing Collective was underway in Montreal at the time and those in attendance committed to fully recreating the original site, with users to re-enter their profile data. "CouchSurfing 2.0" was announced early in July of 2006, with the intent to be operational within 10 days. The initial implementation of CouchSurfing 2.0 actually launched after only four days with the current CouchSurfing slogan "Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch At A Time". Since the site relaunch, the project has received international media coverage.
2009 Leeds Incident
On March 5th 2009 in Leeds, UK, a Moroccan man named Abdelali Nachet raped a woman from Hong Kong who stayed at his place through the CouchSurfing project.[12] Nachet was sentenced to 10 years in prison.[13]
Organization
The mission statement of CouchSurfing is Create Inspiring Experiences:
"CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding. As a community we strive to do our individual and collective parts to create a better world, and we believe that the surfing of couches is a means to accomplish this goal. CouchSurfing is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it's about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!"[14]
CouchSurfing Collectives
Since June 2006, development of the website has been run in large part by CouchSurfing Collectives: events which may last days or weeks, bringing groups of CouchSurfers together in a chosen city, to develop and improve CouchSurfing. Previous Collectives took place in Montreal, Vienna, New Zealand, Thailand, Alaska, Costa Rica with the newest one upcoming in Istanbul from October 2009 to October 2010.
Tax status
CouchSurfing International Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation incorporated in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, where it also is a registered charitable organization. An application for the federal 501(c)(3) non-profit status was filed in November 2007. As of July 1 2009 CouchSurfing is not in the "list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions".
Software base
In contrast to some other non-profit entities, CouchSurfing uses their own closed source software, and closed bug tracker. User input is via the Contact Us help desk.
Statistics
- CouchSurfers: 2,181,943
- Successful Surfings (approx): 2,417,927
- Friendships Created (approx): 2,524,455
- Positive Experiences (approx): 4,031,099
- Unique Countries/Territories Represented: 237
- Unique States/Provinces Represented: 2,926
- Unique Cities Represented: 77,926
- Unique Languages Represented: 335
Top 10 Couchsurfing territories
- United States: 472,011 21.6%
- Germany: 208,944 9.6%
- France: 190,370 8.7%
- United Kingdom: 103,405 4.7%
- Canada: 101,060 4.6%
- Italy: 64,136 2.9%
- Spain: 60,693 2.8%
- Australia: 60,272 2.8%
- Brazil: 58,390 2.7%
- Poland : 44,359 2.0%
Top 10 Couchsurfing cities
France, Ile-de-France, Paris 39,177 1.8%
United Kingdom, England, London 32,912 1.5%
Germany, Berlin, Berlin 29,418 1.3%
Canada, Quebec, Montreal 21,766 1.0%
Turkey, Istanbul Province, Istanbul 20,445 0.9%
Austria, Vienna, Vienna 16,468 0.8%
Australia, Victoria, Melbourne 15,214 0.7%
United States, New York, New York 14,595 0.7%
Spain, Catalonia, Barcelona 14,032 0.6%
Argentina, Buenos Aires City, Buenos Aires 13,727 0.6%
Couchsurfers by World Region:
Europe 1,119,594 51.3%
North America 597,475 27.4%
South America 131,609 6.0%
Central Asia 121,714 5.6%
Oceania 77,210 3.5%
Southeast Asia 44,604 2.0%
Africa 38,753 1.8%
Middle East 32,450 1.5%
Central America and the Caribbean 10,502 0.5%
Antarctic Region 83 0.0%
Couches for surfing:
Yes 602,738 27.6%
Coffee or a drink 457,904 21.0%
Traveling at the moment 437,383 20.0%
Maybe 339,136 15.5%
No 268,777 12.3%
Definitely! 76,009 3.5%
Most spoken languages:
English 1,623,295 74.4%
French 438,142 20.1%
Spanish 381,767 17.5%
German 359,377 16.5%
Italian 113,740 5.2%
Portuguese 111,643 5.1%
Chinese (Mandarin) 78,204 3.6%
Russian 74,194 3.4%
Dutch 69,046 3.2%
Polish 55,790 2.6%
Couchsurfer ages:
Average Age 28
Ages 18 to 24 874,207 40.1%
Ages 25 to 29 683,451 31.3%
Ages 30 to 34 302,207 13.9%
Ages 35 to 39 131,743 6.0%
Ages 40 to 49 111,964 5.1%
Ages 50 to 59 47,643 2.2%
Ages 60 to 69 15,380 0.7%
Ages 70 to 79 2,001 0.1%
Ages 80 to 89 381 0.0%
Couchsurfing genders:
Male 1,093,495 50.1%
Female 919,205 42.1%
Several people 154,053 7.1%
Unknown 1 0.0%
Other info:
Surfers with Photos 1,276,308 58.5%
Vouched Users 146,386 6.7%
Verified Users 158,779 7.3%
Ambassadors 1,575 0.1%
Groups 28,845
Group Members 2,076,998
Quotes from members:
"CS is a highly superb idea! As honorary ambassador of our university I must confirm the peaceful and social effect CS has on the world: borders between countries and heads disapper and more and more people get friends. I loved to visit e.g. a CS host in Frankfurt who treated me and my girlfriend as his next friends and made a big farewell party for us the day before we left. About 30 people came and we grilled 5 kilogram of Shashlik. He never expected a consideration and was surprised by every present we made. - And there are thousands and thousands of more great CouchSurfers like him, priceless experiences and wonderful times waiting on this site! Enjoy! -HVA-"
- Viktor Fahramm (Germany)
http://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=861T0FK
"I got off the train and met a stranger...I got back on the train and said goodbye to a friend". CS has given me so much more than a different perspective on cities, its given me a different perspective on people. Through CS I have met people who have had the biggest influence on me ive ever known. I am the person I am today because of Couchsurfing! Thankyou!!"
- Kimmie Taylor (United Kingdom)
http://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=7AAO0QP
"I am relatively new to the website and was reading about how the volunteers are trying to keep couchsurfing safe and useful. The way it handles references, complaints and verifications is brilliant. The 'spirit of couchsurfing' is made clear on almost every page possible and that is what keeps the spirit alive and the website successful in its objectives. I shot a mail to one of the members seeking information on some local restaurants and I got a reply in 30 minutes with a huge list of the best eateries in his city, something you won't find anywhere on the internet."
- Yogesh Kaunita (India)
http://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=907LSCP
"Hey everyone, I've been using couchsurfing for 2 weeks and it's been brilliant. I've met some of the coolest, most interesting and kindest people in my life so I'm looking forward to every new adventure. I would just say if you're hesitant on whether to get involved in CS or not, then really have no fear - it's great!"
- Chris Davey (China)
http://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=30IVM1A
"I have never surfed a couch off of this sight until last night when I got into Vancouver. I was amazed by the generosity, kindness, and faith a complete stranger would have for and in me. Kristi Buckland is awesome. I was also invited to and attended a party with other couchsurfers and met people from all over the world. Hope this continues to be one of the best experiences of my life"
Scott Mitchell (United States)
"If you think you are global citizen then there is no limit to explore the world. In which global becomes local where great conversations, smiles, opinions and ideas are mingled together and shared to make better world through understandings and knowledge. This is a greatest thing for a global citizens. I met amazing people in different locations in the world. This comes without a price tag. Nowhere else you will find such organisation as Couch Surfing."
- Aleem Raheem (United Kingdom)
"My decision to join CouchSurfing in January of last year was possibly the most momentous decision of my life thus far. Since I started I've been happier with every passing day. I've hosted and surfed with some of the kindest, most hospitable and interesting people I've ever met and have made friends for life. In a turn of events I never could have foreseen, in May of last year I met my wife when she surfed my couch in Portland. I can't stress enough how incredible this organization is!"
- John Degner (Canada)
Article on couchsurfing safety
http://studenttravel.about.com/b/2008/05/11/couchsurfing-safety.htm
Life can be unsafe on the road. You could get robbed, shanghaied, or accidentally let a cockroach run up your nose. Warnings and safety tips are good things to read before you go in order to avoid those possible problems. However, there's a point (which each person must define for him/herself) when it's enough -- enough paranoia, enough warnings.
For me, that point sometimes comes when experts warn of dire consequences which haven't yet transpired (for anyone in the course of millions of experiences), and I thought about that point when reading an article from the UK's Sky News ("How Safe Are Travel Networking Sites? Travel Networking Sites Hit Record Levels But Experts Question How Safe They Are").
The article quotes Charlie McGrath of Objective Gap Safety, a company which offers a gap year safety course and which is run by folks who "...specialise in training journalists and industry professionals operating in war zones and other hazardous areas"*, in reference to the potential dangers of staying with strangers via Couchsurfing and Hospitality Club sorts of sites. The article quotes McGrath as saying, "Young backpackers especially who haven't been away much need to be wary and cautious of these sites because you don't really know who you're going to be staying with." True.
The very thing decried in the above quote, though, is what makes Couchsurfing special: you don't know the person with whom you'll be staying, but you'll know your host well by the time you leave his / her home with, possibly, a new friend for life. Couchsurfing has a system set up whereby members can be verified and / or vouched for -- in this modern version of a coconut telegraph, you can check out the person with whom you're crashing as well as possible prior to heading up to their house. That wouldn't weed out psychopath hosts who've carefully hidden their mass murderer aspirations, but that's where your discretion comes in.
McGrath says backpackers should seek out commercial lodging rather than using hospitality sites, and that's indeed the way the vast majority of travelers roll. Were I back on my first solo trip again, I'd pick hostels over Couchsurfing sheerly for the social value (mass numbers of new people in new places). Couchsurfing has some distinctively distinctive pros, though. What do you think? Have you Couchsurfed, and will you do it again, or host a fellow traveler yourself? Tell us in the comments below.
Comments about couchsurfing in response to the article:
'I’m a huge fan of Couchsurfing and after having many experiences hosting people and surfing couches I have never had a bad experience till now. I really trust the other members of this community. Off course before hosting and surfing I analyze carefully the member’s profile I’m hosting or staying with in advance but in my opinion Couchsurfing is a quite safe project.'
- Neima Guerra
'i’ve couchsurfed it is great and i email with a host now from chicago and she stays with me in madrid, very safe,, anyone should do it it is much less expensive than hotel tho that is not why.'
- Jackie
'I’ve never been couchsurfing before, but am definately up for it. i dont think many things can go wrong…why would people rob you when youre living in their house?…you know where they live..i’m not really worried about crazy people at all, as long as i communicate with them well in advance.'
- Anna
Another article on couchsurfing:
http://akshatrathi.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/wikipedia-story-of-the-travel-world-couch-surfing/
Just as Wikipedia became an unfathomable feat by providing a global platform to share knowledge, couch surfing has become another such epic success story by providing a service for travellers across the globe to see the world through a local’s eyes. In my opinion, couch surfing (like Wikipedia) is one of those few endeavours which celebrate the purity of the human spirit.
The concept is simple: if you are able to find someone to allow you in their home for a night (or more) when you are travelling in an unknown place, then you become a couch surfer. And vice-versa, if you have some space to spare in your home and some kindness in your heart to allow a traveller to spend a night (or more) then you can become a host to a couch surfer. Yes, these are strangers who you will live with or let live just for a short period of time. Sounds absurd, right? With an ever growing distrust amongst us, how is this going to work? Well, it does and 2 million members in 237 countries, a part of the strong couch surfing community is the proof.
My experience has been only as a couch surfer not as a host yet. But as it works, most people first start surfing, meet other surfers and hosts, and then develop the courage to become a host. Yes, of course one needs to be courageous to let a stranger enter their house and let someone sleep the night. There are ways to ensure that the person you are hosting is authentic. The profiles on the couchsurfing.org have a good way of providing enough information about someone to be able to trust them. A personal website/blog is a definite plus and a few references from well connected couch surfers will go some way to helping you find a host. But what I found plays the most important role is writing a personalised request.
A personalised request means that you read the complete profile of the prospective host, understand what that person is like, find some commonalities (interests) that you could perhaps pursue with your host when you meet (cooking, talking about a book/experience/drinking) and then write the request. Also don’t forget to answer some hidden question, if any. Smart hosts put those in there just to make sure that a couch surfer has read the profile before making a request.
When you are hosted by a person living in the city, you come to know more about the city but from a different perspective. Of course, the lonely planet guide is a good place to look for information while travelling but what better than local knowledge that can help a traveller. Not all couch surfer hosts need to provide a place to stay for the night, you can volunteer to show the couch surfer around the city or just to meet the traveller for a coffee.
In return a couch surfer is not required to do anything special. He may buy the host a drink or go have dinner at nice place but that’s only if the surfer wishes to. There is no obligation on the surfer or the host to do anything special. But as it usually happens, you do end up doing lots of interesting things with your host. It can be cooking a meal together, watching a game or a movie, going to the host’s favourite places in the city or best of all spending hours talking about random things. Amongst other obvious things the surfer has to be courteous while using someone else’s house but if one is a little careful, couch surfing can only be a lot of fun.
I was taken aback by the success of couch surfing. From a traveler’s perspective, it couldn’t get better: a place to stay and local guidance, and both for free! Stay tuned for more on my experience of couch surfing in Munich, Zurich & Bern.
'Couch surfing is definitely the best way to find acoomodation! The cousin of couch surfing is lift surfing. Best way to travel from city to city!
Combine couch/lift surfing, and you have the ultimate backpacker travel method!'
- Lift Surfer
(www.couchsurfing.org)
CouchSurfing (sofa surfing in the UK) is a neologism referring to the practice of moving from one friend's house to another, sleeping in whatever spare space is available, floor or couch, generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house.
The term couchsurfing was adopted by The CouchSurfing Project in 1999 for what is now the world's largest hospitality exchange network. With over 2 million members in 237 countries and territories, CouchSurfing is the most visited hospitality service on the Internet, averaging around 40 million daily page views July-December 2009.
After free registration, members have the option of providing very detailed information and pictures of themselves and of the sleeping accommodation they offer, if any. More information provided by a member, and other members, improves the chances that someone will find the member trustworthy enough to be their host or guest. Security is often measured in the reference established by networking. Volunteers may verify names and addresses. Members looking for accommodation can search for hosts using several parameters such as age, location, gender and activity level. Homestays are entirely consensual between the host and guest, and the duration, nature, and terms of the guest's stay are generally worked out in advance to the convenience of both parties. No monetary exchange takes place except for compensation of incurred expenses (e.g. food). After using the service, members can leave a noticeable reference about their host or guest.
Instead of or in addition to accommodation, members also offer to provide guide services or travel-related advice. CouchSurfing provides editable travel guides and forums where members may seek travel partners or advice. CouchSurfing's main focus is "social networking" and members organize activities such as camping trips, bar crawls, meetings, and sporting events.
Their website features a searchable database of hundreds of upcoming events organized by CouchSurfing members, including the annual "Berlin Beach Camp" which draws over 1,000 attendees, the annual "WinterCamp," and a New Year's Eve party hosted in a different city in Europe every year.
[edit]
Security Verification
There are three methods to ensure security and trust, which are all visible on member profiles for potential hosts and surfers to see prior to arranging anything with each other:
Personal references, which hosts and surfers have the option to leave after having used the service.
An optional credit card verification system, allowing members to "lock in" their name and address by making a credit card payment and entering a code that CouchSurfing mails to the billing address. This also allows CouchSurfing to recoup some costs by requiring a fee for verification. For fairness, the verification fee is based on a sliding scale, taking into account the Purchasing Power Parity and Human Development Index of the country of residence.[4]
A personal vouching system, whereby a member that had been vouched for—originally starting with the founders of the site—might in turn vouch for any number of other members he or she knew or had met through CouchSurfing, and trusts.
Ambassadors
Members who wished to volunteer for various tasks on the site and help spread the word about CouchSurfing in general were able to become ambassadors. Ambassadors must be role-models and actively promote the CouchSurfing spirit among members and to the public. In addition to promoting use of the site, they greet new members, help with questions and perform other administrative tasks, all on a volunteer basis. No new ambassadors are being created at this time.
History
Casey Fenton
The CouchSurfing project was originally conceived by Casey Fenton in 1999. According to Fenton's own account, the idea arose after finding an inexpensive flight from Boston to Iceland. Rather than stay at a hostel, Fenton randomly e-mailed 1,500 students from the University of Iceland asking if he could stay. Fenton ultimately received more than 50 offers of accommodation. On the return flight to Boston, he began to develop the ideas that would underpin the CouchSurfing project.
Site launch
Fenton developed the code intermittently over the next few years. The site was launched with the cooperation of Dan Hoffer, Sebastien Le Tuan, and Leonardo Silveira as a beta in January, 2003. The project became a public website in January 2004.
Initial growth of the site was slow. By the end of 2004 the site had just over 6,000 members. In 2005, growth accelerated and by the end of the year, membership stood at just under 45,000.
2006 database loss and relaunch
In June of 2006, the project experienced a number of computer problems resulting in much of the database being irrevocably lost. Due to the volume of critical data that had been lost, Casey Fenton was of the opinion that the project could not be resurrected. On June 29, 2006, he sent an e-mail to all members: "It is with a heavy heart that I face the truth of this situation. CouchSurfing as we knew it doesn't exist anymore.
Fenton's e-mail was met with vocal opposition to the termination of the project and considerable support for its recreation. A CouchSurfing Collective was underway in Montreal at the time and those in attendance committed to fully recreating the original site, with users to re-enter their profile data. "CouchSurfing 2.0" was announced early in July of 2006, with the intent to be operational within 10 days. The initial implementation of CouchSurfing 2.0 actually launched after only four days with the current CouchSurfing slogan "Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch At A Time". Since the site relaunch, the project has received international media coverage.
2009 Leeds Incident
On March 5th 2009 in Leeds, UK, a Moroccan man named Abdelali Nachet raped a woman from Hong Kong who stayed at his place through the CouchSurfing project.[12] Nachet was sentenced to 10 years in prison.[13]
Organization
The mission statement of CouchSurfing is Create Inspiring Experiences:
"CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding. As a community we strive to do our individual and collective parts to create a better world, and we believe that the surfing of couches is a means to accomplish this goal. CouchSurfing is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it's about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!"[14]
CouchSurfing Collectives
Since June 2006, development of the website has been run in large part by CouchSurfing Collectives: events which may last days or weeks, bringing groups of CouchSurfers together in a chosen city, to develop and improve CouchSurfing. Previous Collectives took place in Montreal, Vienna, New Zealand, Thailand, Alaska, Costa Rica with the newest one upcoming in Istanbul from October 2009 to October 2010.
Tax status
CouchSurfing International Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation incorporated in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, where it also is a registered charitable organization. An application for the federal 501(c)(3) non-profit status was filed in November 2007. As of July 1 2009 CouchSurfing is not in the "list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions".
Software base
In contrast to some other non-profit entities, CouchSurfing uses their own closed source software, and closed bug tracker. User input is via the Contact Us help desk.
Statistics
- CouchSurfers: 2,181,943
- Successful Surfings (approx): 2,417,927
- Friendships Created (approx): 2,524,455
- Positive Experiences (approx): 4,031,099
- Unique Countries/Territories Represented: 237
- Unique States/Provinces Represented: 2,926
- Unique Cities Represented: 77,926
- Unique Languages Represented: 335
Top 10 Couchsurfing territories
- United States: 472,011 21.6%
- Germany: 208,944 9.6%
- France: 190,370 8.7%
- United Kingdom: 103,405 4.7%
- Canada: 101,060 4.6%
- Italy: 64,136 2.9%
- Spain: 60,693 2.8%
- Australia: 60,272 2.8%
- Brazil: 58,390 2.7%
- Poland : 44,359 2.0%
Top 10 Couchsurfing cities
France, Ile-de-France, Paris 39,177 1.8%
United Kingdom, England, London 32,912 1.5%
Germany, Berlin, Berlin 29,418 1.3%
Canada, Quebec, Montreal 21,766 1.0%
Turkey, Istanbul Province, Istanbul 20,445 0.9%
Austria, Vienna, Vienna 16,468 0.8%
Australia, Victoria, Melbourne 15,214 0.7%
United States, New York, New York 14,595 0.7%
Spain, Catalonia, Barcelona 14,032 0.6%
Argentina, Buenos Aires City, Buenos Aires 13,727 0.6%
Couchsurfers by World Region:
Europe 1,119,594 51.3%
North America 597,475 27.4%
South America 131,609 6.0%
Central Asia 121,714 5.6%
Oceania 77,210 3.5%
Southeast Asia 44,604 2.0%
Africa 38,753 1.8%
Middle East 32,450 1.5%
Central America and the Caribbean 10,502 0.5%
Antarctic Region 83 0.0%
Couches for surfing:
Yes 602,738 27.6%
Coffee or a drink 457,904 21.0%
Traveling at the moment 437,383 20.0%
Maybe 339,136 15.5%
No 268,777 12.3%
Definitely! 76,009 3.5%
Most spoken languages:
English 1,623,295 74.4%
French 438,142 20.1%
Spanish 381,767 17.5%
German 359,377 16.5%
Italian 113,740 5.2%
Portuguese 111,643 5.1%
Chinese (Mandarin) 78,204 3.6%
Russian 74,194 3.4%
Dutch 69,046 3.2%
Polish 55,790 2.6%
Couchsurfer ages:
Average Age 28
Ages 18 to 24 874,207 40.1%
Ages 25 to 29 683,451 31.3%
Ages 30 to 34 302,207 13.9%
Ages 35 to 39 131,743 6.0%
Ages 40 to 49 111,964 5.1%
Ages 50 to 59 47,643 2.2%
Ages 60 to 69 15,380 0.7%
Ages 70 to 79 2,001 0.1%
Ages 80 to 89 381 0.0%
Couchsurfing genders:
Male 1,093,495 50.1%
Female 919,205 42.1%
Several people 154,053 7.1%
Unknown 1 0.0%
Other info:
Surfers with Photos 1,276,308 58.5%
Vouched Users 146,386 6.7%
Verified Users 158,779 7.3%
Ambassadors 1,575 0.1%
Groups 28,845
Group Members 2,076,998
Quotes from members:
"CS is a highly superb idea! As honorary ambassador of our university I must confirm the peaceful and social effect CS has on the world: borders between countries and heads disapper and more and more people get friends. I loved to visit e.g. a CS host in Frankfurt who treated me and my girlfriend as his next friends and made a big farewell party for us the day before we left. About 30 people came and we grilled 5 kilogram of Shashlik. He never expected a consideration and was surprised by every present we made. - And there are thousands and thousands of more great CouchSurfers like him, priceless experiences and wonderful times waiting on this site! Enjoy! -HVA-"
- Viktor Fahramm (Germany)
http://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=861T0FK
"I got off the train and met a stranger...I got back on the train and said goodbye to a friend". CS has given me so much more than a different perspective on cities, its given me a different perspective on people. Through CS I have met people who have had the biggest influence on me ive ever known. I am the person I am today because of Couchsurfing! Thankyou!!"
- Kimmie Taylor (United Kingdom)
http://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=7AAO0QP
"I am relatively new to the website and was reading about how the volunteers are trying to keep couchsurfing safe and useful. The way it handles references, complaints and verifications is brilliant. The 'spirit of couchsurfing' is made clear on almost every page possible and that is what keeps the spirit alive and the website successful in its objectives. I shot a mail to one of the members seeking information on some local restaurants and I got a reply in 30 minutes with a huge list of the best eateries in his city, something you won't find anywhere on the internet."
- Yogesh Kaunita (India)
http://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=907LSCP
"Hey everyone, I've been using couchsurfing for 2 weeks and it's been brilliant. I've met some of the coolest, most interesting and kindest people in my life so I'm looking forward to every new adventure. I would just say if you're hesitant on whether to get involved in CS or not, then really have no fear - it's great!"
- Chris Davey (China)
http://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=30IVM1A
"I have never surfed a couch off of this sight until last night when I got into Vancouver. I was amazed by the generosity, kindness, and faith a complete stranger would have for and in me. Kristi Buckland is awesome. I was also invited to and attended a party with other couchsurfers and met people from all over the world. Hope this continues to be one of the best experiences of my life"
Scott Mitchell (United States)
"If you think you are global citizen then there is no limit to explore the world. In which global becomes local where great conversations, smiles, opinions and ideas are mingled together and shared to make better world through understandings and knowledge. This is a greatest thing for a global citizens. I met amazing people in different locations in the world. This comes without a price tag. Nowhere else you will find such organisation as Couch Surfing."
- Aleem Raheem (United Kingdom)
"My decision to join CouchSurfing in January of last year was possibly the most momentous decision of my life thus far. Since I started I've been happier with every passing day. I've hosted and surfed with some of the kindest, most hospitable and interesting people I've ever met and have made friends for life. In a turn of events I never could have foreseen, in May of last year I met my wife when she surfed my couch in Portland. I can't stress enough how incredible this organization is!"
- John Degner (Canada)
Article on couchsurfing safety
http://studenttravel.about.com/b/2008/05/11/couchsurfing-safety.htm
Life can be unsafe on the road. You could get robbed, shanghaied, or accidentally let a cockroach run up your nose. Warnings and safety tips are good things to read before you go in order to avoid those possible problems. However, there's a point (which each person must define for him/herself) when it's enough -- enough paranoia, enough warnings.
For me, that point sometimes comes when experts warn of dire consequences which haven't yet transpired (for anyone in the course of millions of experiences), and I thought about that point when reading an article from the UK's Sky News ("How Safe Are Travel Networking Sites? Travel Networking Sites Hit Record Levels But Experts Question How Safe They Are").
The article quotes Charlie McGrath of Objective Gap Safety, a company which offers a gap year safety course and which is run by folks who "...specialise in training journalists and industry professionals operating in war zones and other hazardous areas"*, in reference to the potential dangers of staying with strangers via Couchsurfing and Hospitality Club sorts of sites. The article quotes McGrath as saying, "Young backpackers especially who haven't been away much need to be wary and cautious of these sites because you don't really know who you're going to be staying with." True.
The very thing decried in the above quote, though, is what makes Couchsurfing special: you don't know the person with whom you'll be staying, but you'll know your host well by the time you leave his / her home with, possibly, a new friend for life. Couchsurfing has a system set up whereby members can be verified and / or vouched for -- in this modern version of a coconut telegraph, you can check out the person with whom you're crashing as well as possible prior to heading up to their house. That wouldn't weed out psychopath hosts who've carefully hidden their mass murderer aspirations, but that's where your discretion comes in.
McGrath says backpackers should seek out commercial lodging rather than using hospitality sites, and that's indeed the way the vast majority of travelers roll. Were I back on my first solo trip again, I'd pick hostels over Couchsurfing sheerly for the social value (mass numbers of new people in new places). Couchsurfing has some distinctively distinctive pros, though. What do you think? Have you Couchsurfed, and will you do it again, or host a fellow traveler yourself? Tell us in the comments below.
Comments about couchsurfing in response to the article:
'I’m a huge fan of Couchsurfing and after having many experiences hosting people and surfing couches I have never had a bad experience till now. I really trust the other members of this community. Off course before hosting and surfing I analyze carefully the member’s profile I’m hosting or staying with in advance but in my opinion Couchsurfing is a quite safe project.'
- Neima Guerra
'i’ve couchsurfed it is great and i email with a host now from chicago and she stays with me in madrid, very safe,, anyone should do it it is much less expensive than hotel tho that is not why.'
- Jackie
'I’ve never been couchsurfing before, but am definately up for it. i dont think many things can go wrong…why would people rob you when youre living in their house?…you know where they live..i’m not really worried about crazy people at all, as long as i communicate with them well in advance.'
- Anna
Another article on couchsurfing:
http://akshatrathi.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/wikipedia-story-of-the-travel-world-couch-surfing/
Just as Wikipedia became an unfathomable feat by providing a global platform to share knowledge, couch surfing has become another such epic success story by providing a service for travellers across the globe to see the world through a local’s eyes. In my opinion, couch surfing (like Wikipedia) is one of those few endeavours which celebrate the purity of the human spirit.
The concept is simple: if you are able to find someone to allow you in their home for a night (or more) when you are travelling in an unknown place, then you become a couch surfer. And vice-versa, if you have some space to spare in your home and some kindness in your heart to allow a traveller to spend a night (or more) then you can become a host to a couch surfer. Yes, these are strangers who you will live with or let live just for a short period of time. Sounds absurd, right? With an ever growing distrust amongst us, how is this going to work? Well, it does and 2 million members in 237 countries, a part of the strong couch surfing community is the proof.
My experience has been only as a couch surfer not as a host yet. But as it works, most people first start surfing, meet other surfers and hosts, and then develop the courage to become a host. Yes, of course one needs to be courageous to let a stranger enter their house and let someone sleep the night. There are ways to ensure that the person you are hosting is authentic. The profiles on the couchsurfing.org have a good way of providing enough information about someone to be able to trust them. A personal website/blog is a definite plus and a few references from well connected couch surfers will go some way to helping you find a host. But what I found plays the most important role is writing a personalised request.
A personalised request means that you read the complete profile of the prospective host, understand what that person is like, find some commonalities (interests) that you could perhaps pursue with your host when you meet (cooking, talking about a book/experience/drinking) and then write the request. Also don’t forget to answer some hidden question, if any. Smart hosts put those in there just to make sure that a couch surfer has read the profile before making a request.
When you are hosted by a person living in the city, you come to know more about the city but from a different perspective. Of course, the lonely planet guide is a good place to look for information while travelling but what better than local knowledge that can help a traveller. Not all couch surfer hosts need to provide a place to stay for the night, you can volunteer to show the couch surfer around the city or just to meet the traveller for a coffee.
In return a couch surfer is not required to do anything special. He may buy the host a drink or go have dinner at nice place but that’s only if the surfer wishes to. There is no obligation on the surfer or the host to do anything special. But as it usually happens, you do end up doing lots of interesting things with your host. It can be cooking a meal together, watching a game or a movie, going to the host’s favourite places in the city or best of all spending hours talking about random things. Amongst other obvious things the surfer has to be courteous while using someone else’s house but if one is a little careful, couch surfing can only be a lot of fun.
I was taken aback by the success of couch surfing. From a traveler’s perspective, it couldn’t get better: a place to stay and local guidance, and both for free! Stay tuned for more on my experience of couch surfing in Munich, Zurich & Bern.
'Couch surfing is definitely the best way to find acoomodation! The cousin of couch surfing is lift surfing. Best way to travel from city to city!
Combine couch/lift surfing, and you have the ultimate backpacker travel method!'
- Lift Surfer
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