Travel the world, one couch at a time
By Ewen Boey
The rising cost of travel has prompted people to find new and innovative ways to save money for their trips.
One such way that has been gaining popularity in the past several years is the use of travel-oriented social networking sites such as CouchSurfing..
The CouchSurfing Project (CS) connects travelers with locals in over 245 countries and territories. In Singapore, the organisation has 9,000 registered members.
The appeal of the site, which I've used myself, is simple. Users who sign up can tap on the power of the online community to avail of free accommodation, meet new people or get valuable travel tips, among others.
Members indicate whether they are willing to host travellers at their place (the couch) or simply meet up with travellers that are part of the community. Members who want to travel (the surfers) can send their requests to other members to avail of the accommodation or society offered.
Aside from helping reduce travel costs, the advantage of using the site over traditional backpacking, where one easily meets with fellow journeymen, is that it brings travellers together with locals who could provide insights to the destination that other visitors would probably not know about.
"What I love about CS is after living so closely with your host for a few days, you make a really good friend who you can trust and be comfortable with in a foreign land," said 22-year-old Singaporean public relations executive Teo Wei Qi.
How it all began
The idea behind CS was conceived in 1999, when a person by the name of Casey Fenton bought an inexpensive flight from Boston to Iceland.
Not wanting to stay in a hostel, Fenton e-mailed 1,500 random students from the University of Iceland, seeking free accommodation.
To his surprise, the enquiry turned out to be a rousing success as Fenton received more than 50 offers of accommodation, with some students even volunteering to show him "their" Reykjavik.
After an amazing weekend in Iceland, Fenton did not ever want to be trapped in a hotel or a marathon of a guided tour while travelling. Crashing on exotic couches around the world would be the way to go.
A place to learn
Through the site, you get to meet people from different cultures and backgrounds, go to places less visited and pick up a few foreign words.
You can also join regular meetups organised in different communities worldwide in order to network and share your experiences with like-minded travellers, perhaps setting you off in search of that stunning landscape or utopian beach you were told about.
Singaporean engineer Benjamin Ang, 27, described the site's value to him, "It's a great place to learn about people's way of life and sharing things not found in guidebooks."
37-year-old Australian nomad Kiza "Dingo" Lang, whom I met on a visit to Copenhagen, had, at that time, been 'couchsurfing' non-stop for a-year-and-a-half, and he survived on busking on the streets as a mime actor.
"I like the international communities that bring together amazing information and friendly open-minded feelings. It also allows us all to share our world, and anything we want to do in it, as it is now smaller and closer," said the former CS ambassador, who has been participating in the project since 2006.
Making connections
Freelance editor Caron Margarete, 29, my Australian host when I was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia simply enjoys hosting travellers.
"Taking care of travellers has been a way of life for me long before I knew about CS. That said, I joined in January 2009 while I lived in northern China. I've now hosted and met over 50 people from all over the world."
I had the opportunity to return Caron's hospitality just a month after we met in Cambodia, when I brought her around Singapore during her 8-hour transit here.
The whole point of CS is that it is a project to create an offline community from a virtual one, and not merely a means to find a place to stay. Meaning, while the online platform is there for members to post queries and interact, bringing together fellow surfers in real life is its ultimate aim.
I discovered the joys of CouchSurfing (CS) three years ago when I visited Copenhagen, Denmark with two friends. Through the service, I found a place to stay, sharing a room with four other CSers from Germany, USA, Australia and Taiwan.
Yes, that's seven people in a room! It wasn't too uncomfortable, but it was certainly no hotel.
That being said, CS does not promise comfort. What it does offer though, are "inspiring experiences through cross-cultural encounters that are fun, engaging and illuminating".
Similar site
One prominent service that is similar to CS is Hospitality Club, which also offers members a platform to interact, seek accommodation and meet up with the travelling community.
The differences in the two services centre on the features of their websites. CS offers a different way to present profiles and provides proximity searching (searching for couches within a certain distance of a specified location), security features and a way for members to associate themselves with others through groups.
CS also has a greater user base compared to Hospitality Club -- 2 million vs. 647,000.
Dangers of the services
As cool as 'couchsurfing' may sound, it does pose some risks, especially for ladies travelling alone.
In March 2009, a man named Abdelali Nachet raped a woman from Hong Kong after he offered her a place to sleep in Leeds, UK, over the CS website.
Teo can attest to the potential dangers, having met a host who crossed the line.
"My couch host in Morocco was very touchy with me. Once, it went too far. He insisted that I hug him because he lost a business and was upset. He ended up kissing my neck. I left his place after that incident," she said.
However, that was the only black spot in more than 10 CS experiences for her.
"The rest (of the times) were just amazing. It's a great way to meet local people and get out of the usual tourist clichés. My couch hosts usually bring me to meet and party with their friends at their favourite haunts which you may not know of and visit as a tourist," added Teo.
Hosts are not spared from bad encounters either.
Caron told me, "There was one guy who lived his life like it was a free ride and looked for every opportunity imaginable to get stuff for free, including asking if he could have the extra tube of vegemite I had, irrespective of the fact that I had it shipped over from my mother to northern China because it was not sold there."
This form of travel is definitely not for everyone. Though some hosts may actually offer a bed, most don't, so you shouldn't expect any hotel treatment and be prepared to make do with a sleeping bag or a mattress on the floor.
However, as Caron plainly puts it, "There is a lot to love about CS… I now have amazing connections, true friendships and unique experiences all because I opened my home to strangers. It takes away the faceless tourist, two-minute wonder experiences from visiting a new country and replaces them with heart, generosity and local insights."
So if you're up for a trip that deviates from the usual packaged and organised tours, be sure to check out the CouchSurfing project and make it one of the most fabulous and interesting ways to travel in 2011!
Do's and Don'ts of CouchSurfing
Do read a person's profile carefully before requesting for a place to stay. It's basic etiquette to read their profile and to know their requests/requirements before making any inquiries.
Do show your appreciation to your host with a gift or a meal. It doesn't have to be something expensive. A positive reference on his/her CS profile would be good too.
Do spend time chatting and hanging out with your host. Hosts love to meet people and you may be able to learn some interesting and useful stuff from them.
Do keep your host's place clean and tidy.
Do ask for permission before using anything, like cooking utensils or the internet, among others.
Don't treat the place like your own home, e.g. finishing all the food in your host's fridge, unless you've been encouraged to.
Don't overstay your welcome, you never know how much of an inconvenience you may be causing. Some hosts are too nice to chase you away.
Don't steal anything. Don't think I have to elaborate on this.
Don't leave your things lying around, you never know who else your host might be inviting over.
Don't stay on if you're feeling unsafe, e.g. if you find that the host may be harassing you. This will apply especially for females travelling alone.
You can learn more and get started with CouchSurfing here.
(Photos/Daphne Chui)
