Couchsurfing: It’s More than Just a Free Bed

Posted on: Jul 5, 2010

If you are like me, you might not understand the details behind many a’backpacker’s premier choice of accommodation while on the road-couchsurfing. Honestly, I thought it was nothing more than a “you scratch my back in Thailand, I’ll scratch yours in Italy” kind of thing.

But today, Andrea Perullo of My Beautiful Adventures is going to give us the scoop.

Welcome, Andi.

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My most useful and favorite travel tip, which is to join the Couchsurfing community, might be familiar to some and foreign to others. For me, it has become an integral part of not only my travels, but also my life. Couchsurfing’s mission statement succinctly sums the project up: Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch at a Time.

Unfortunately, many people mistake the community for simply free accommodation, when really the goal is to create an international network of friends with the common interest being the love of discovery and exploration. It is true that one of the many benefits of Couchsurfing is that it can make travel more affordable, however the most meaningful benefit is the connection you make with other Couchsurfers. The hope, according to the website, is that this cultural exchange will in some way make the world a better place through: “rais[ing] the collective consciousness, spread[ing] tolerance, and facilitat[ing] cultural understanding.”

Couchsurfing is not only about hospitably exchange. There are approximately 1.4 million members worldwide (even in places such as Antarctica!), thus most cities have a Couchsurfing group. These groups have regular local events that you can participate in and are excellent opportunities to share your travel stories and to make new friends and potential travel partners. Plus, it is a great way to get your travel fix when you are not able to travel!

Another way you can use Couchsurfing is by contacting other members in the city you will be traveling in to see if they can either offer advice on what to do and see or if they might be interested in meeting for a coffee/drink, as well as possibly offering their guide services. You will find that most Couchsurfers love helping you in any way they possibly can. Make sure to also search the online forums for even more invaluable advice.

I promise that if you choose to join this community your travels will be enriched in indescribable ways and I can guarantee you that you will make some of the best friends of your life.

Andrea Perullo is a Chinese Medicine Doctor by day, travel addict by night. When she is not treating patients, she is exploring the world or dreaming of the next place to visit. She also writes travel features for MNUI Travel Insurance and blogs at My Beautiful Adventures.

* Photos: Lab Iulm and Je-Rome.it.

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