(Couch) Surfin' Safari

I've been wanting to write about this for awhile, but figured I'd wait until I had a little more experience with it under my belt. Well, given the wine I drank last night, I'm feeling pretty lethargic, and quite honestly, I just want to spread the word to those who don't know about it.

About a week before I left, contemplating different options and resources one might have to travel, I finally looked up something that I'd only vaguely heard of before - Couch Surfing. Figuring it was pretty much a simple database of people in different places around the world offering their couch to travelers, I decided to check it out. I set up a profile and dug in. But not terribly deep at first. Originally, as I said, I thought it was just people with couches - but as I explored the site, it turned out to be much more than that. Within the basic structure, there are hundreds of forums and discussion groups. I've only barely scratched the surface, but it seems that practically every country, region, city or even interests has it's own forum, and sub-forums besides. This is a huge community of people, getting together essentially for the benefit and betterment of everyone who cares to join. All (well - mostly) done selflessly and with goodwill.

My practical experience with it so far is still a little slim. After about 2 weeks in Vancouver, (almost having given up on the thing because I was unsuccessful in finding a couch for when I arrived) I decided to look at it a little closer. I joined the Vancouver CS community and arranged to meet with 5 people (a German, an Italian, 2 Japanese, and an American) for a bite to eat before we went to a bar to attend the weekly local "meet" (around 40-or-so others showed up) for some cheap drinks. I also invited my good friend Pat to join us. We had a blast! Lots of local people as well as travelers from all over the globe.

My second, and more lasting experience, was with Ivan - whom I wrote a bit about in my last entry. I won't go into the details of our week and a half adventure together, but it was because I saw his request on the "Canada rideshare" community that I found myself, quite unexpectedly, about 1400 miles south of Vancouver, in San Diego. Recently I saw someone looking for a driving partner to go from here to Chicago. I wrote to him, but haven't heard back yet. I've always wanted to see Chicago. This may seem a little haphazard - but for me, the unexpected is probably the thing I most value in traveling. It keeps things exciting, and, like stretching one's muscles it keeps a person flexible.

Now, an astute observer will notice that I haven't actually slept on anyone's couch. It's true - I haven't had any success, as of yet. Mind you - the only time I tried was when I first went to Vancouver. I sent out approximately 20 requests, with no positive replies. Considering it is best policy to send personalized messages to each prospective host (after all, they generally don't want to be simply a free bed for a night or two - most are looking to actually be a bit of an ambassador to their city and are interested in actually meeting people) , this was very time-consuming. Of course, my first weekend there was during the Van marathon, as well as hockey play-offs - very busy time in the city. Later, when I finally met some locals, one told me that he gets about 100 requests a week! It's not a perfect system, and I haven't attempted to surf again, but will definitely give it another shot. The site also provides an option for people to leave feedback for those that they meet. As one builds feedback, likely their chances of success increase.

The point of this entry, however, is not to relate my experiences with the site, but to encourage everyone to try it for themselves. If you have even the slightest interest in traveling, getting to experience people of other cultures, or even just meeting people in general, this is an incredibly useful (and inspiring) resource. And you don't have to be traveling or have a couch to participate - there is an option to simply be willing to go and have a coffee/drink with someone who is traveling through your town. Who knows, maybe that person will have a place for you to crash if you happen to be on their side of the world.

My profile:

http://www.couchsurfing.org/people/clyfhull/