Learn from the Locals
CouchSurfing.com Allows Users to Stay with Citizens
www.CouchSurfing.com gives users the opportunity to travel on the cheap by staying with locals. The people who house them also offer trip advice.
You’ve heard the story before-a fresh-faced college graduate sets out to explore the world. But technology is changing everything, including the ways in which we travel. Members of CouchSurfing.com are riding the wave.
CouchSurfing members create profiles and meet other surfers online. Then, when it’s time to travel within their own countries or abroad, they look for native citizens willing to offer them free places to stay and eat their meals. And, said surfer James Smith of Joelton, Tenn., unique travel experiences.
“I don’t spend as much time caught up in a guidebook,” Smith said. "I am a guest in somebody’s home. Instead of sorting out practical matters, like what I’m going to eat or how I’m going to get from point A to point B, I’m getting to know the people I’m staying with.”
A tourist may get many offers to stay in heavily populated cities. Smith said when this is the case, “self-filtering” occurs.
“You may not want to stay with someone who is older, or someone who snores or smokes. In terms of positive filtering, you may find people you really can’t wait to meet, people who are into the same stuff you are,” he said
Officials have put a number of safety measures in place. A user must include a picture and description of him or her self in his or her profile. There is also a reference system in place wherein surfers who have been involved with the program for longer periods of time vouch for new members. While the users do not have to display full names in their profiles, officials verify addresses through credit checks. The company also sends each user a verification letter to complete.
The paperwork is worth it for Smith, a student at Tennessee State University who joined about a year and a half ago. He was living in France and planning a trip to Barcelona for his spring break. He has since visited China, Mexico and Guatemala.
“I was very attracted to it from a practical standpoint,” Smith said. I can go all these amazing places without having to get a third job. It made me excited about meeting people, which was suddenly a big possibility.”
The ideals the company represents also mesh with Smith’s personal philosophy, he said.
“The idea of sharing is at the heart of everything I’ve experienced with CouchSurfing,” Smith said. “Our culture has shunned that idea for various reasons, but it’s very natural. Cultures convince us that we are powerless, isolated individuals. CouchSurfing represents the breakdown of that idea.”
Members are encouraged to reciprocate the generosity of their hosts. Smith does the dishes after meals or shares his favorite books.
“The person I’m staying with is always so generous to me that I don’t find it hard,” he said. “Sometimes we’ll get to talking about philosophy or politics and I’ll say. ‘Oh, there’s this book you’ve got to read!’ and I’ll buy the book for them before I leave.”
He also hosted a traveler for the first time recently.
“The guy was on a bike trip from Minnesota to Miami. He had just finished college, and as a gift to himself, he bought a bike. He was really open and we really connected. We don’t often have meaningful experiences with strangers,” he said.
The busiest months for couch surfing are July and August. In slow periods, members who live in the same areas meet and get to know one another. Smith is a country ambassador for the organization, which means he plans regional conventions and answers questions posted on the Web site.
CouchSurfing.com has no plans to expand and only three paid employees, said Crystal Murphy, the site’s public relations representative. Any monetary donations help maintain the site.
