Just because you’re out of a job doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t afford to travel. Simply join Couchsurfing.org and you can start enjoying free accommodations during your travels.
Couchsurfing.org is a nonprofit organization that matches travelers to hosts in thousands of cities across the globe. Their free online community currently has over 1 million users in 232 countries. Similar to social-networking giant Facebook, the concept is simple: create your free profile, browse others’ in cities you plan to visit, request a couch and surf away.
Beyond the free accommodations, couch surfing offers a unique opportunity for cultural exchanges that would often be missed staying in a hotel. I’ve personally hosted two groups of couch surfers (a Canadian and Italian couple and two Australians girls) and both experiences were great. Simona, the Italian, cooked a delicious risotto meal during his stay and the Australian girls were quite a laugh with their accent and suprisingly immense knowledge of American pop culture.
But is it safe? To that end, CouchSurfing has put into place “several precautionary measures for the benefit of its surfers, hosts, and community.” For instance, every participant is linked to each of the other users in the system through a network of references and friend links. In addition to the solid network with friend link-strength indicators and testimonials, there are vouching and verification systems.
Perhaps the best way to decide if couch surfing is right for you is to visit the organization’s website and check out the message board community. Get a feel for what other members are talking about and learn what it takes to couch surf. If you like what you find, register and take it from there.
Krishna Karanth
July 20th, 2009
Hi,
Just trying to figure out what this is all about….
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