Free travel: CouchSurfing

Hi my friend! what's up?

This time our song for background while reading is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVr4m-fmosg

One guy from San Francisco decides to go Iceland in 1999. After found cheap flight ticket, he starts to write e-mail students from capital city Reykjavik. He asks to 1500 students that if anyone can host him in there. Then, he finds some volunteers to host and show their city to him. He jumps into directly to real life of Reykjavik. He realizes that it's much more than a normal touristic travel. Then he goes back to his home and creates couchsurfing.com website. His name is Casey Fenton. His website has more than 9 million travelers from 120 000 different cities now.

As you can easily understand from the story main idea of couchsurfing is free accommodation. Basically, through this website you are sending requests to people to stay in their places during your vacation or you are hosting them in your place or both whatever you want. First, you need to open a profile and the most important part is filling the profile well. It includes small description about you, why you are in CS, your interests, music, books, movie, experiences, things that you can provide, max number of guests you can host, preferred gender, shared room or seperate room, smoking allowed or not, pets are welcome or not, how access to place. You can put photos also. Then you can start to search someone to host or looking for accommodation for your travel. It is very easy and useful website, not complicated. After hosting or surfing you can write reference about that person as well. Important thing, you can't delete references in your profile even they are negative. It helps you to have idea before meeting with that people.

Mountain Biking with Thomas

I met with couchsurfing 3 years ago. Thomas from Switzerland was looking for a host in Izmir for 3 days. I invited him to stay my place. I was free at that weekend and it was my first experience, surprisingly it was his first as well. Normally, you should check references from member profile. I checked his profile, he had no references. But I saw it he is new member like me, I had no any reference as well. But, I had no any suspicion about him I don't know why, I just was sure that I really want to try this thing. We met in one centrally place close to my home. Then we started to talk on the way, getting know each other. At that time he just started to world tour and Turkey was the first point then he went towards Asia. We spent 3 wonderful days together. Visited touristic places and villages in İzmir, also I visited some places first time with him, went mountain bike (was best of that 3days), played basketball, ate Turkish foods, ahh I remember that my flatmates and I made fun of him a lot because he didn't know how to eat sunflower seed practically:) I had new friend anymore from different country and different culture. When he was leaving he invited me Zurich, I am sure that one day I will visit him. Thomas was my first couchsurfing story which I miss all time when I remember, now I have more stories like this hosting and surfing as well. I wish I had more time and more space to create more stories. I will continue my collection for sure as long as I can do.

Big Couch of Tiago From Lisbon

Carlo is cooking Italian pasta

The first questions comes to minds is why should I stay someone's house? Why should I trust them? Isn't it better if I stay hostel, isn't it also cheap? I can easily understand that people who has worries. All of them very normal questions for that people who had no experience about CS. Moreover, we are not living in the world where all people are peaceful and helpful. It is not easy to trust someone who you will sleep with under the same roof. So, what should you do for your worries. First of all, you should read carefully this person's profile, I say carefully, because sometimes even one sentence is enough to understand what type of people he or she is. Then, maybe the most important part of profile is "references" you should read. And you can check photos, it will help to understand this person's interests. After you decided that person is ok for you, you can to send request or invitation. On the other hand, okay you don't have to stay his or her place, but you just want to hang out, it's another perfect option of CS. You can write to that person that you just want to hang our, walk around the city or just grab a beer! In this way, you can talk about the city, experiences, culture as well.



CouchSurfing is more than visiting a country, it is being traveller instead of being tourist. I always think that how it gave me more than I expected, and I am really glad to aware it. It reminds you how humanity is big and deep, how sharing is important in life, how you can learn and teach culture in influential way, how easy to smile and communicate with strangers (or couchsurfers like to call them, friends you haven't met yet).

Dora's confortable bed in Budapest

10 Personal Recommendations about CS:
- Don't forget to buy a small specific present from your own country for your host.
- It's better if you cook traditional dinner for your host.
- Wash the dishes after dinner.
- Ask your host that will be provided sheets or you need your own sleeping bag.
- Read profiles carefully before met.
- If the person has more than 100 references, I would'nt choose. Because, probably he/she already lost the enthusiasm soul.
- Try to help your guest as much as you can about transportation.
- If you have time, try to be with your guest during walk around the city.
- Be open to share and learn.
- Keep smile!

"If I could start over my life,
I would make more mistakes in the new one.
Not trying to be perfect, I would just lie on my back.
... I would take more risks,
I would travel more,
... I would go see places where I didn't see.
... but now I am 85,
I know I am dying."

Jorge Luis Borges, Moments