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Published: August 11th 2015
Tim and I will be couchsurfing for a portion of trip, staying with eight different hosts throughout Canada. Couchsurfing.com is a social site which helps travelers meet hosts in their own or different countries. Hosts, who are often travelers themselves and want to meet and interact with other travelers, sign up on the site to share their homes. Free accommodation ranges from simple couches to spare bedrooms and guest cottages. Not only is your place to sleep free, you often make friends for life, experience your destination from a local perspective, and take part in a truly social experience.
You can choose the kind of host you wish to stay with (e.g., gender, single, couple, age, etc.) and can get a feel for their personalities based on their profiles. You can see reviews left by other travelers whom they have hosted before you and ask questions before you make a decision.
Tim and I have participated as hosts twice. Last year we hosted two sisters in their 30’s from the Czech Republic and this year we hosted a 59 year old man from New Delhi, India. Both experiences were interesting, educational and most importantly, a lot of fun! We have found that couchsurfers are adventurous, entertaining, open-minded people. As hosts, we got to experience and learn about the world without leaving our homes.
This is our first time staying with other couchsurfing hosts. Among others, we will stay with a 36 year old French Canadian lady near Quebec City who is happy to be able to practice her English with us and “is ready to show us around the city of Quebec, and to bring you in small bars really typical and funny”, a 50 year old man and his girlfriend in Moncton who “like to smoke the herb a bit and drink a bit but in all things with balance”, and a 61 year old lady with 113 positive references whose kids describe her as “eccentric, outrageous and unique”.
It is our hope that Couchsurfing can enhance our trip far beyond simple accommodation. Are we crazy? Maybe. But just think of the wonderful people we could meet, the places they might show us, and the stories we’ll have to tell. We’re ready to give it a go.
Our first couchsurfing stay? Claude and Ginette’s private backyard cabin in Winnipeg. Claude is 50 and “skates on the Mighty Red River 12km round trip to keep in shape”. Sounds like a fun guy to us! Stay tuned.
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Stuart and Sarah
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From the McClellands Down Under
Hi Eileen. been sending comments on your blogs entry, but me thinks you are not receiving them as they don't turn up on the comments page. Are you receiving?