So here is the scenario: You found a cheap ticket off Travelocity.com, you have an itinerary but you don't have the cash. That's not the end of your travel dreams. With the latest trend in traveling, known as "couch surfing," you can forget about all the hotel charges and bump onto the road.
What is this "couch surfing" all about? To put it simply, you are crashing onto couches in random people's houses. Sounds sketchy, eh? With global online networks like CouchSurfing (http://www.couchsurfing.com/) and Hospitality Club (http://www.hospitalityclub.org), a traveler's life is made much easier and safer through these organized platform of social networking.
"The objective of Hospitality Club is to take travelers off the beaten track," said Valmi Dufour, one of the administrators of the Web site.
Over the winter break, I roamed through eight cities in East Canada and "couch surfed" in four different homes. Dufour was my generous host when I passed through Montréal. He was also one who had the most "couch surfing" experience among all my hosts.
Although these Web interfaces vary slightly with each other, they share the same basic idea. Whether you are interested in offering a couch or crashing on one, you first sign up as a member by filling in an online registration form. Once approved, you are free to browse through all the members' profiles.
Say you are planning a trip to Mexico City. You search through the list of members under Mexico City and choose a few that interest you. You send them e-mails telling them your plans. In no time you'll find yourself secured with a shelter in the foreign lands.
"I am overwhelmed with the opportunities out there. I can take more than a trip a year and I love to connect with the people in that place. I'd rather stay with somebody than be at a five-star hotel," said Ruth Henderson.
Henderson was my first host and my first "couch surfing" experience. She found out about the site in the fall of 2003, and since then she and her husband, Bill, have hosted four people including me. They also stayed with an old couple during their stay in Mexico.
While youth hostels offer budget-wise options, couch surfing eliminates accommodation costs and gives traveling a completely new meaning. The interaction you have with your hosts gives you an insider's view of local culture. Your host may not have time to take you around, but he or she definitely could point you to the little places that are often missed in guidebooks.
"I thought it was a very cool and a very nice way to travel and to meet people. When you're traveling along it's very nice to have someone who knows the area and help you out. Knowing that CouchSurfing exists, it will definitely make us travel more," said Suzie Yeo.
I was lucky enough to be hosted by Yeo and FrŽdŽric Boucher when I visited QuŽbec City. Not only did they offer me a comfortable bed in a private room, but they also brought me to a local bar with QuŽbecois music on my last night. Likewise, I was engaged in a most enjoyable conversation through midnight with John and Amy Garett, a young couple in St. John who hosted me for four nights.
"Hospitality Club or CouchSurfing was not the first of those sites. I first used the Hitchhiker's Home Base, which was much smaller and more targeted at hitchhikers," said Dufour.
The idea of "couch surfing" was not new. Even before the Internet, there were similar organizations aimed for cultural exchange. With developments in technology, Hospex and Hitchhiker's Home Base became some of the first sites that collaborated their efforts through the Internet. However, they were small-scale and are no longer running today.
Today, CouchSurfing and Hospitality Club exists as one of the platforms that allow poor travelers to see the world. Hospitality Club boasts of around 52,000 members in 159 countries as the Ôlargest hospitality exchange network' in the world. While CouchSurfing only has around 12,000 members representing 132 countries, it offers a fancy Web interface.
"We have grown very quickly. In 2002 there were barely 1,500 members,," said Annick Rodrigue, volunteer of the Hospitality Club chatroom.
Perhaps at this point your ultimate concern is safety. However, one thing you should realize is that while you are spending several nights at a stranger's home, your hosts are putting themselves at equal risk by hosting a complete stranger.
"Yes, problems happen anywhere in the world. While we cannot prevent bad occurrences, it is already pretty safe," said Dufour.
CouchSurfing and Hospitality Club both have special security features in order to tackle this central concern. CouchSurfing offers four levels of verification, and members will vouch for Ôtrustworthiness' for each other. Similarly, members can leave comments for each other in Hospitality Club. In addition, members are required to type in their passport numbers prior to membership approval. There are five administrators, 10 spam checkers and 300 volunteers who help regulate the Web site. In general, the tip is to look for members with long profiles and more positive comments.
"I have no doubts because if I doubt I don't have to do anything," said Rodrigue.
While these Web sites are equipped with a certain degree of security measures, users still need to use common sense. Before the Garretts welcomed me as their first guest, they had their doubts and considerations.
"John told me that some guy e-mailed us about Hospitality Club. I was so excited I just thought it was really cool," said Amy Garrett.
John Garrett added that it was essential to understand each other until a plan is confirmed after you have gone over the initial excitements. I communicated with the Garretts through e-mail several times on my way before we confirmed anything. The whole idea of "couch surfing" also involves other considerations, including the level of commitment, the schedules of the hosts, and the living habits of both parties.
"You could participate in our life and see how we live, or choose to do your own thing. We were kind of making plans but holding back at the same time, trying to figure out what [the guest] would be like," said John Garrett.
"Couch surfing" reintroduces trust among people and demonstrates the true meaning of hospitality.
Still thinking about summer plans? What are you waiting for? All you need is a backpack, an air-ticket, some courage, and you're set to be the ultimate couch potato!
