{"id":1596,"date":"2010-05-05T18:35:06","date_gmt":"2010-05-05T10:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travelwithpaulie.com\/blog\/?p=181"},"modified":"2011-11-23T00:33:12","modified_gmt":"2011-11-23T00:33:12","slug":"couch-surfing-an-excellent-way-to-connect-with-locals-when-travelling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paulgoodchild.me\/blog\/couch-surfing-an-excellent-way-to-connect-with-locals-when-travelling\/","title":{"rendered":"Couch Surfing: an excellent way to connect with locals when travelling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Word count: ~1500.\u00a0 Approx. reading time: 10 minutes.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

I’ve been in Bali<\/a> for just over a month already and in that time I’ve met only a handful of local Indonesians, and none of which any sort of lasting relationship has developed – much to my frustration.\u00a0 So just over a week ago, I resolved to change that and shortly thereafter I remembered about an organisation\/service that I’d heard of a few times but never looked into very closely – Couch Surfing.<\/p>\n

I understood the principle as basically, sign-up if you have a couch and let people who contact you crash there as they travel through – the converse being that you will be hosted by equally generous people in other parts of the world.\u00a0 I’ve never really been in a position to host people so I never gave it much thought, but a week or so ago I decided to give a closer look and while much of what I thought was true, it does say that you don’t need to have a couch, but a willingness to host others when you can.\u00a0 Further, the definition of ‘host’ is slightly different to what I thought also.\u00a0 You don’t have to actually host people in your place, but can act as a point of contact, or guide, and meet with travellers as they pass through, and potentially in the future when you’re in a position to host, do so.<\/p>\n

Sign me up<\/em>!<\/p>\n

What is Couch Surfing (CS)?<\/h2>\n

It is described very succinctly in Wikipedia as a “hospitality exchange network”, but it’s probably best to take it straight from the Couch Surfing . org<\/a> website.\u00a0 CS is…<\/p>\n

\n

… is an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world. Since 2004, members have been using our system to come together for cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences. Today, over a million people who might otherwise never meet are able to share hospitality and cultural understanding.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And that’s it.\u00a0 Plain and simple.\u00a0 Granted, I’ve had only 10 days worth of exposure to the system, but so far I’m very impressed by it.\u00a0 Already it has afforded me an opportunity to befriend a significant number of Indonesians and travellers alike – more in the last week than in the whole of the last month.<\/p>\n

It’s facilitates the exchange and connection of international travellers and local individuals and at it’s core, offers a hugely\u00a0 viable alternative to the backpacker-hostel approach to travel.<\/p>\n

How does it work exactly and is it safe?<\/h2>\n

As a member of the network you provide your profile details as you wish, some of which you may optionally have officially confirmed through their verification system – such as your name & address.\u00a0 You can then immediately start searching for, and making contacting with, people (locals or otherwise) living in the area to which you are planning on travelling.\u00a0 The individuals (or couples etc.) can then, based on their own judgement, decide whether or not to host you in their home.\u00a0 And that’s it in a nutshell.<\/p>\n

As a member of CS you can set your ‘hosting’ status to one of several different levels, the main ones being that you have a couch, you’re travelling at the moment (so you don’t have a couch to offer), or that you don’t want to or cannot host but rather you’re prepared to meet people for a coffee in a ‘guide’ capacity or just as a friendly face on the road.\u00a0 When you search for a couch in a given region, you can specify several criteria to narrow down the particular people you’d like to meet.\u00a0 For example: male or female, age, couch or coffee, previous surfing experience, and whether they’re officially verified etc.\u00a0 It’s got all the bases covered.\u00a0 You then contact individuals that have satisfied these conditions based on the content of their profile and how much of a fit you see them as being to what you desire.<\/p>\n

Regarding safety, when you contact people through the site you use the internal messaging system provided by CS.\u00a0 You do not contact members directly on their email\/phone since that information is private and not provided, unless you personally do so on a case-by-case basis.\u00a0 The same goes for address details and location – no members on the site have access to these specifics unless you provide it for them.<\/p>\n

Another safety mechanism is ‘vouching’<\/em>.\u00a0 When you have met another member, you can vouch for that person and basically publicly give them a thumbs-up.\u00a0 You’re saying that after your experience, you believe them to be very trustworthy and would recommend them to others.\u00a0 You may use the vouches that they have received (or lack of) to come to a decision as to whether they’re appropriate for you.<\/p>\n

Then there is verification<\/em>.\u00a0 This is where you provide CS itself proof of your name & address through a credit-card based donation to the organisation.\u00a0 A donation is a good idea and the minimum amount is ~US$26 – not a lot considering what you get in return.\u00a0 After donation, they will send a postcard to your specified home address, upon which is written a verification code that you then input into the site, thereby confirming your place of residence.\u00a0 (I actually haven’t got my postcard yet, so I can’t comment on this particular procedure just yet)<\/p>\n

What couch surfing is not<\/h2>\n

It is not a dating site.\u00a0 They stress this in the sign-up page and you will probably see it mentioned here and there.\u00a0 Sure, I’ll bet there are people who have hooked up after meeting through CS, but that is not what the service is there for.\u00a0 You’ll have better luck on the thousands of online dating websites I’m sure.<\/p>\n

My thoughts on couch surfing<\/h2>\n

Do it.\u00a0 If you’re travelling and would prefer to engage and connect with locals in the places within which you’re exploring, would prefer to not go the back-packer-hostel route (only), this is perfect.\u00a0 Not only does it facilitate your making of local connections, but you remove one of the most costly components of any trip – accommodation.<\/p>\n

All that said however, I quickly became aware from profiles on the site and the few conversations I’ve had with other couch surfers that there are members who are derided for simply just looking for a free place to sleep.\u00a0 I didn’t understand this at first, until I thought it through and gained an understanding of the CS community as a whole.\u00a0 The members of this community are looking to foster friendships and connections throughout the world in the places they travel to, and with the people who travel to them.\u00a0 They are not looking purely to offer you a place to sleep.\u00a0 Sounds obvious?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 I don’t think so, since a great selling point of the system is free accommodation.\u00a0 Call me a heathen and a pilfering good-for-nothing, but that’s a huge draw to highly budget-conscious travellers.\u00a0 However, it seems to many hosts that that approach is missing the point entirely – which is networking, and relationship building.<\/p>\n

For me, it’s each to their own.\u00a0 If you’re prepared to simply host a traveller for a day or so and you don’t mind if he\/she is there for the free place to crash and not looking to build a lasting relationship with you, then no problem.\u00a0 If you would prefer people who lean more towards the networking and less focused on the financial payoff, then you’ll need to be much more discerning.\u00a0 And they are.\u00a0 Many people will embed a phrase, or a password, into their profile requesting that when you request them for couch availability you put this phrase in the subject header – this shows the host that you’ve at least taken the time to read about them and you’re choosing<\/em> them versus carpet bombing with CS requests in the city you’re looking to stay.\u00a0 Again, it makes sense.<\/p>\n

To me, there’s no harm in either approach, but of course as with anything there’s derision reserved for those who aren’t like you<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For me, I fall in middle of the road depending on what day of the week you ask me.\u00a0 I’ve already stated my travel plans and the volunteering<\/a> aspect of the journey.\u00a0 I’m not earning money and the more cash I can save along the way, the better, so couch surfing is a real bonus.\u00a0 However, the main thrust of my travels isn’t to lie on the beach and fill-in my farmer-tan, but instead to meet and connect with locals in the regions I travel… and again CS slots in perfectly with that aspiration.<\/p>\n

I intend to make CS an integral part of my journey, especially for places to which I’ve never travelled before.\u00a0 I will update of course on this site any significant events or experiences regarding CS.\u00a0 Have you ever tried Couch Surfing, or other similarly run programs?\u00a0 Please feel free to take a moment and share that in the comments section below – I’d be keen to hear about your experiences.<\/p>\n

Even if you haven’t had any CS experience, <\/em>but you have comments or further suggestions to add to this? Please feel free to contribute them below.\u00a0 Of course, if you found this amusing, interesting, or informative, and you\u2019d like to share it, please do so also using the “Share this Post” button.\u00a0 Thank you for visiting!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Couch Surfing it seems is a great way to travel the world and meet new people. 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