Since I started travelling, whether it comes from somebody that I just met or from the internet, I get this question quite often: “What (the hell) is Couchsurfing”?
This is what you will find on their official website (
www.couchsurfing.com):
Couchsurfing is a global community of 14 million people in more than 200,000 cities who share their life, their world, their journey. Couchsurfing connects travellers with a global network of people willing to share in profound and meaningful ways, making travel a truly social experience.
In other words, Couchsurfing is an alternative way of travelling where you will have the opportunity to be hosted by local people, or attend local events, without having to pay anything. Couchsurfing was indeed created to connect people without involving any charges, as it is based on a global community.
Couchsurfing = free accommodation?
If you ask people what they think that Couchsurfing is about, a lot of them will answer very clearly: Couchsurfing = free accommodation.
Well, this is not the point of Couchsurfing; or at least, not only. Being hosted and not having to pay is part of the concept, but if you think that this is the only reason, you are wrong. Let me explain.
When I heard about Couchsurfing a few years ago, I also thought that it was only a way to save money, and nothing else. But guess what? It’s way more than just that! I found out what Couchsurfing was really about during my first experience as a solo woman traveller. Right away, I felt people’s kindness, goodness, generosity, and altruism; a world that I was not used to live in to be honest.
I still remember the very first time someone talked to me about Couchsurfing, I was very sceptical: “Okay so, these people are going to host me, right? So that means that I will have to spend my entire time with them, right? Hmmm… thanks but, no thanks!” That is the kind of reaction I first got, or something similar. Well, I was wrong; Couchsurfing doesn’t imply that you will spend your entire time with your host, at least not if you don’t want to. There are millions of ways of being hosted by local people, you need to pick the one that fits you and your host the most, making sure that you both are on the same page.
Discover the area in a different way
There are two ways of travelling.
The first way consists in going to the hotel, stay with people you are travelling with, try popular restaurants and visit the most popular places; this is where you will find all the tourists from over the world taking selfies in every single corner. This is a very commun way of travelling, that most tourists use; because they are ‘tourists’. There is nothing wrong with that and I have been there too; this is an easy way to travel where you will mostly spend your time visiting touristic areas and go back home with lots of family or friends photos and souvenirs.
Then, there is another way to travel where the idea is to connect with local people, interact with them, get to understand their culture and spend quite some time among them. If you are this kind of traveller (yes, I said traveller and not tourist), Couchsurfing could be the perfect tool for you. Indeed, you will be hosted by local people, which means that they will share their knowledge of the area with you and they will give you personalized tips that no travel book will ever be able to share! Don’t get me wrong though, travel books are incredibly useful, but they will give you limited information where a local will customize their recommendation based on what you wish to see or do in the area.
Unique and different memories
One of the main reasons why I always try to travel while being hosted by local people, is because I am sure that I will continue my travels and go back home with very unique memories that no tourist would get to experience. For me, travelling is much more than just going from point A to point B and collect touristic photos or things; I enjoy collecting encounters and one-of-a-kind experiences. Let me give a couple of examples: one day, I asked to be hosted in a city but the people were not home so they offered me to spend the weekend with them, in a beautiful chalet by the lake – it was an amazing experience! Or this time when the person couldn’t host me that weekend because they were going camping with friends, so they offered me to join them because somebody had cancelled last minute, and we spent the weekend canoeing and camping in the middle of nowhere – incredible memories as well! Or another example where my host – a retired gentleman – made me visit the city and the area for an entire week and showed me his favourite places. These are just three of many unforgettable memories that I have gained thanks to Couchsurfing!
If I had to summarize what Couchsurfing is, I would say that it is an alternative way of travelling that mixes discovering the world with discovering other people and also yourself. When I started travelling that way, never I would have thought that I would become such an addict, or even that I would like it at all! Today, I have over 50 experiences with Couchsurfing (mainly as a traveller, some of them as a host) and I am not planning on stopping the experience anytime soon!
I would like to specify that Couchsurfing is not the only platform that connects travellers with local hosts, there are plenty of community websites that help travellers. There are also other kinds of hosting platforms such as WWOOF or HelpX, which offer accommodation to people in exchange for some labor or help around the house. Since I have never used these platforms myself, I will not give any personal feedback on them.
If you are still unsure about what Couchsurfing is about, or if you would like to know more about it, leave me a comment or send me an email – I will be happy to answer any questions you might have!
Fantastic site. A lot of useful info here. I’m sending it to a few buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you in your sweat!