Couchsurfing (CS) is one of the travel world's great inventions. It is a hospitality exchange site meaning that you join the community and people exchange their sleeping space for the pleasure of your company.
As the name suggests, guests using CS often end up sleeping on the couch, but for those of us with red blood, not blue, that isn't a problem.
Once you are registered, this is how the CS experience goes.
1) Search the city of choice
2) Select one of the names that pop up
3) Read their profile
4) Send a message asking for hosting
5) Get a positive reply and go to their house
6) Stay at their house, chat, eat together, do things together
7) Leave with hugs and well wishes have had a great time
For the skeptics out there - yes this is actually free. Yes people really do believe in doing things without needing the exchange of money.
If you are one of those people so afflicted that you need to give something back, you may give your host a gift, buy them some food, cook them a meal (my favourite) or something else nice. However, it is against the rules for the host to ask for anything material.
Hosts have different rules - you might have to sleep on the couch, you might sleep on the floor, you may have to wash dishes, you might be required to spend time with the host (people want to get to know your culture) and many more rules. Some hosts have no rules at all. This is the beauty of CS - there are no set rules about hosting and you do whatever you feel like.
The website is the best hospitality exchange website out there (there are many, all of which I have tried). CS has the best security measures in place and it is the easiest website to use. It can be integrated with Facebook and other sites.
People from any walk of life can participate. I have been hosted by students, by rich people, by young people and by old people in their 60s. All of it has been a blast.
If you are skeptical, then just try it - the only thing you have to lose is your skeptopride. Yes I just made that word up. What you will gain however is a brilliant insight.
I personally rate the discovery of CS and other hospitality sites as the greatest thing that ever happened to me.
Give it a try. If you don't, you are REALLY losing out.
www.couchsurfing.org
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