Aton

 

 

 

By Trevor Doré, Opinions Editor

re you looking to get out
and see the world? How
about experiencing different

cultures? Do you have aspirations
to travel the world but don’t have
the cash? Looking for something
other than the “all-inclusive-see-the-
sights” kind of get away? Check out
couchsurfing.org

Couch Surfing is a non-profit
network that connects travelers
from around the world. The network
facilitates the coming together of
individuals for cultural exchanges,
to build friendships, and to learn
about and experience other cultures.
Staying with locals as guests in their
home allows travelers to achieve
the underlying goal of cultural
understanding. The best way to
experience a culture is through the
locals.

Being a Couch Surfing member
allows you to stay with others

 

during your travels as well as host
foreigners in your own home. If
you’ re looking to learn about other
cultures yet don’t have the time

to get out of town, why not let the
cultures come to you? Hosting is not
mandatory. If you don’t want people
staying with you, simply make your
couch unavailable.

So how does it all work? It’s
much like a social network. It allows
you to connect with potential hosts
from around the world without
leaving the comfort of your home.
You first have to make a profile and
then learn how to read other profiles.
Once you are all set up, you have
access to hospitable locals around
the world. According to the Couch
Surfing website, the United States
and Europe are the most popular,
but there are members in over
230 countries and territories (even
Antarctica!). Couch Surfers use over
302 different languages, and live in
over 67,000 different cities.

It’s also free. Couch Surfing is
a non-profit network and in keeping
with the theme, they forbid any
hosts from charging those who they
host. So not only do you get the
opportunity to indulge in a unique
cultural experience, you do not have
to foot the bill for an expensive
hotel.

Some might be thinking that
this sounds too good to be true. The
big question being, is it safe? If you
are worried about ending up in an
awkward or potentially dangerous
situation, don’t. The organization
emphasizes, “since 2004, over 1.7
million successful Couch Surfing
stays have been recorded, over 1.9
million new friendships have been
formed... and over 120,000 of
those are described as being close
friendships. Members have also
reported over 4.3 million positive
experiences, which is an incredible
99.7 per cent of all CS experiences.”

Couch Surfing is more than a

glorified, Internet era version of
hitchhiking. Before staying with

a host or hosting someone for that
matter, you have the opportunity to
view their profile and interact with
them. Profiles contain many safety
features. References for example,
are comments left by other Couch
Surfers on member’s profiles, poor
references cannot be deleted. Friends
can also vouch for each other.
Friends on Couch Surfing, unlike
on Facebook, are actually friends.
If you’re planning on staying with
someone, make sure they have
“friends” along with some good
references and you should be good
to go.

Overall, Couch Surfing gives
tourists the opportunity to break free
from the confines of conventional
tourism - to move from mere
observation to participation. The best
way to truly experience a culture is
to immerse your self. Couch Surfing
is your vessel.

15

 

es