Wanted: A Life Less Ordinary: About the couches and surfing

It's surprising that half of the people I meet broadly know what CouchSurfing is, while the other half have never heard of it. Many people consider CouchSurfing as a "free accommodation", which is partly true, but there's also much more. Personally I consider it meeting new people and getting known our cultural differences in everyday life. It may sound like a cliché, but I can not describe the feeling when you know you have got a new friend and learned to understand his or her culture better.

Adorable german heavy-men in Savonlinna.

Achim from Ulm introduced his friends.

I joined the CouchSurfing community at the beginning of year 2010, because I had planned to try it on my becoming summer travels. Nowadays when I decide to travel somewhere, the first thing I do, is checking out some interesting and worth to visit CouchSurfers - and usually every city has at least one. Someone may wonder if staying at some unknown's place or hosting is safe, but it's all about the mutual trust. Surely at the beginning both are equally excited and charged. In every member's profile it's possible to see previous references left by other members, so it's easy to discover what kind of a person someone really is.

Starting CouchSurfing is no harder than joining any other online community. Making profile may take some time, but it's worth it. The more you know about the member you're going to host or surf with, the easier and more confortable it is for you both when you meet first time face to face. A photograph can not be underlined enough, because it will increase the reliability and brings out the writers personality. A picture is worth a thousand words. It's worth to tell honestly about yourself and about the things you whether like or not. You should remember certain etiquette rules while writing a request to the host. The host wants to know why do you want to stay by him/her and get to know especially him/her. Therefore you should show your host that you have red his/her profile. Think about yourself: you wouldn't like to feel like a temporary hostel - so wouldn't your host.

Brasilian atmosphere in Dublin.

On Rico's guided tour in Dresden.

For a host it's worth to describe "the couch" or the place where the surfer gets to sleep and how many people he/she is able to accommodate at the same time. You should also tell a bit about the environment, such as the distance to the city center or if there's any public transport. For example I have a couple of blankets, pillows and sheets that surfers can use. In that case they don't have to carry personal sleeping bags etc with. They'll get the same treatment as any other guests of mine. It's also good to mention if a surfer needs to buy his/her own meals, if they're eating with you or if you will share the dining costs. I tend to go shopping with the surfer and then we decide together what meal to prepare and share the costs.

CouchSurfing and especially hosting requires some dedication. Usually my surfers ask me to guide and show them around and just spend time with them. Personally I would feel embarrassed hostess if I didn't have time to get known with my surfers. So if I'm sure that I have no time to hang out with them, I whether politely refuse to host them or tell them that they need to entertain themselves till I'm ready f.ex. with a school day or my other works.

In various European cities organize CouchSurfing meetings, so if such a possibility is in offer, you should check it out. CS-members with more experiences can give you some tips and share their own experiences about hosting or surfing. In fact, I have took part to a CS coffee shop meeting in Savonlinna and a CS picnic in Dublin.

Cute mexican Angie got familiar with a finnish party-culture.

Pros:

New acquaintances or even friends.

You'll get a better understanding of a country's culture and local's everyday life if get to face it in the wild - and not just hang around the hotel's swimming pool with other tourists.

The host can be able to give you tips about the places you might not otherwise come across and ideally guide you there!
You have a chance to improve your language skills.

Travelers with a low budget can hardly turn down a free accommodation.

If you have hosted someone, you can certainly stay by him/her on your next journey.

Many surfers tell in their profile if there's something they are good at and can teach other CS-members. So if you're interested to learn how to play a guitar, you should look for a surfer, who's ready to give you advice.

If you don't want to stay overnight or host, it's always possible to meet people, have a cup of coffee, celebrate or travel with other members. I have tried all of those and it's just as fun!

Cons:

If personalities and ideas do not come across in any case at all - but usually person with an open mind avoids these kind of situations easily.

Writing to a host and finding one takes a bit time. Sometimes getting answer may take time or the member you have written to, doesn't answer you at all.

There's some individuals in CS community who may send you messages like "Hi, do you wanna be my special friend?", but you just need to answer nothing.