When I first informed my mother I was inviting a random person into my house to sleep she sounded a bit worried and asked me how I knew I'd be safe. Then I informed her a bit about couchsurfing. Since then, I have gained even more experience (still minimal) and I'd like to talk about how awesome this site it.
I was informed about couchsurfing last spring when me and my brother were trying to plan our trip around Europe. As we looked at hostels we noticed the prices were super expensive since it was around Christmas. Someone informed us of couch surfing and so I looked into it and signed up for an account. No one ever contacted me when I was in Minnesota, other than to invite me to play ultimate frisbee and out for a large group vegetarian dinner, but after arriving in Albania the site came alive for me. I talked first, to my friend Scott about his experiences and decided it was worth a shot.
I started small, by posting a discussion in the Tirana group about the film festival and inviting others to attend. To my great luck, Malwine responded saying she would like to come with and we planned a meeting place. Malwine easily adjusted to our group and became a fantastic friend. I have shared many delicious baked goods and a couple of deep discussions about my past and future with her. She also ended up moving in with my co-worker.
One night Scott invited a guy who contacted him on couch surfing out for a beer with us. And boom. Joe entered our group bringing a bit of a flare and a crazy/ silly side with him. I was beginning to miss sarcasm. I'm sad to say that he will soon be leaving our group to go back to England :(
Scott hosted quite a few people and I was lucky enough to meet them and learn about couchsurfing from them. I just loved talking to people about their travels and their countries of origin. And then, eventually with enough encouragement, I started hosting. I haven't had many experiences, but I've enjoyed them all. I've yet to have a single bad experience, and I feel as though with each couch surfer I've opened up a bit more. Over winter break I finally got to surf, both with my brother and alone. In Ghent we stayed with a very nice man who showed us out to a great bar. In Amsterdam we stayed with a guy who didn't care that my brother broke his glass (long story.) In Berlin we stayed with a guy who went out with us, offered us breakfast, helped us plan our day of sight seeing, found us a way to watch the packer game and let us stay an extra night. In Munich we ended up staying with a guy who had overbooked a bit. 11 people were crowded into his small 2 bedroom house. We slept on floors and took our turns showering. It was a new years eve party in and of itself, and it was great fun to try and listen to 4 conversations in 4 different languages. In Italy the man showed me how to get to the airport and treated me to a dinner out at a nice seafood restaurant.
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| The night me and my two best friends were all hosting people. |
How does couch surfing work you ask? Let me tell you: You create a profile(similar to facebook) including information about yourself, you experiences, your couch, and most importantly references. People will search for you in a database based on your location. If they want to come to the city you are in, and stay with you, they contact you with a message about why they want to stay. The more personal they make it (ie: I love bluegrass music as well! or something you can relate to) the better. I generally like the people who are very honest and open. After they message you, you can read about them on their profile. Most importantly you can read the references other people have left for them. Then you can accept or decline their request.
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| Out for beers in Ghent (I hadn't showered in a few days) |
The major benefits of couchsurfing? Mostly meeting new people. Often they will tell you awesome stories about their lives and sometimes it seems as though your friendship was written in the stars. Some people will cook for you, or bring you gifts, and others will offer you information about their culture. There is a lot to be learned from people. My favorite guests/hosts are the ones who create or share music with me. Also, as an aside, I guess it is free. And that can be cool.
The downfalls: sometimes it can restrict your life a bit as you have to plan around it. As a woman I have also noticed that many of the men can be a bit into "just meeting for a drink" in the wrong kind of way. I've been told I'm sexy way too many times, but this is why the reference system is great. No references, no way. I can simply decline your request and move on with my life.
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| About half of the group we stayed with in Munich |
Overall I recommend you look into it. If you are unable to host, don't fret. You can join a group in your city that will help you find ways to connect with other surfers. Usually you can find people with your same interest, or people who are want to meet up at various restaurants and bars to chat about life. It has been an amazing ride so far, and I'm looking forward to my future experiences.
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