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Published: September 1st 2014
Most of the blog readers are familiar with the ideas of surfing the web, and surfing waves, in Hawaii or New Zealand for instance, but how many people have heard of surfing a couch? The concept was born out of the idea that it is the people that make travel a truly meaningful and memorable experience. The
couchsurfing.orgcommunity offers members life-changing opportunities to explore more of their world.
I first heard of couchsurfing in 2007. After three years of confinement in the tense NYC business banking atmosphere, I was ready to break free and live out the motto - travel is the best cure for close-mindedness. However, having just paid off my college loans, I did not have much of a travel budget. Nonetheless, I was determined to get out to explore.
Admittedly, I was initially hesitant about the idea of being a guest and staying in a stranger’s home, in an unfamiliar land, where English was not a widely spoken language. Having taken the first step of creating an account, I quickly got over the reluctance. The idea, that as a traveler, I can curb my expenses AND tailor my experience by carefully screening member profiles and selecting
the individuals whom I would like to meet while abroad, quickly caught on. It amazed me how the meeting point of technology and ideas resulted in a social community that facilities encounters with individuals who share similar life experiences and interests, but who have different cultural backgrounds and who may be a world apart.
It takes a certain type of personality to freely offer your home to a total stranger, and a similar personality to graciously accept such hospitality. All of my hosts were caring and open minded individuals, who were not only sincerely interested in introducing and sharing their culture but also in learning more about my multi-cultural background in return. These encounters have led to greater understanding and appreciation of cultural differences. In both instances, my host and I have gained a deeper perspective of a foreign culture and built a relationship that is based on understanding, mutual respect, and appreciation of the individual with whom we shared a common experience, be it a conversation over coffee or dinner, or staying up late addressing each other’s questions and curiosities. In the process, we often cleared up misunderstandings, revealing stereotypes that misrepresent our true character. These encounters, facilitated
by technology, were opportunities to explore that I would not have had otherwise. All of the people whom I have encountered are similarly open minded, enthusiastic about forming new acquaintances, and motivated to learn about and explore the world around them.
In having the experience of surfing a number of couches, inflatable mattresses, sleeping bags, and in another memorable instance a threadbare mat in a cave in Wadi Musa, Jordan, I feel that the Internet and
couchsurfing.org in particular have been invaluable in helping me explore the Middle East and the various individuals that are characteristic of it, in a significantly meaningful way.
During my couchsurfing experience, I have grown as an individual, learned to get out of my comfort zone and got acquainted with amazing people who have deepened and even altered my world view. With the warm welcome of my hosts, I was able to not only explore new places, but to familiarise myself with and experience foreign cultures. Thanks to the coushsurfing social community, I have gained first hand knowledge and formed lasting impressions that I continue to share with others, years after returning home.
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Natalia
non-member comment
Thank you for this useful information! I've never heard about the concept of couch serfing before.