Rookie Vagabonders

Hey Vagabonders, so I hope all of you were inspired by my sweet road trip I’m taking this summer and have started making plans of your own. But before you become one with the road and dive into your first rousing game of eye spy, you might want to figure out where you’re staying upon reaching your various destinations.

While doing some research this past weekend, I came across a great website that I think any road tripper (and vagabonder for that matter), needs to know about. It’s called CouchSurfing, and yes, it is as cool as it sounds. According to founder, Casey Fenton, the basic mission of CouchSurfing is to connect world travelers with the communities they visit. And how do they do this exactly? Well, by creating a social networking site where people can offer their couch to travelers as a place to stay and set up plans to stay at other couches in exchange. Founded in 2003, CouchSurfing is now operating in more than 170 countries worldwide! Plus, it’s completely FREE, although it runs exclusively on donations, so if you guys start using this, I would definitely suggest dropping some cash money into the tip jar.

A map showing where all the current Couch Surfers are located (represented by red dots)

To start using CouchSurfing, you need to first create a detailed personal profile with photos, interests etc, kind of like Facebook or MySpace. Then, once you’ve decided on a place to visit, you start browsing through profiles of people who live in or near that particular destination. From there, it’s simply a matter of contacting some prospective people you think you might like to stay with (there is a request form and instructions to make this easier) and confirm with them the details of your stay. There is a lot of opportunity to talk with fellow travelers through discussion boards, so you can start making contacts even before you embark on your adventures. If you’re still a little confused about how CouchSurfers works, check out their FAQ.

Now I’m sure the issue of safety has crossed your mind (and if not yours, your mothers’). CouchSurfing has several safety precautions in place to protect their surfers, including a fairly rigorous verification system that checks the validity of all user profiles. In addition, the site runs on user referrals and “friend links,” whereby your verification is strengthened by the number of fellow surfers linking to you profile. The more links you have, the more people you have vouching for you as a valid user, effectively creating what CouchSurfing likes to call their “circle of trust.” So, I would definitely talk to other surfers and browse a few profiles to find people with high verification, just to make sure you’re as safe as possible.

If you check out the website, you’ll quickly realize that this site goes way beyond helping travelers find a comfy place for the night. I though there mission statement was really great and kind of sums up the whole purpose of my little blog here (at least parts of it does):

As a community we strive to do our individual and collective parts to make the world a better place, and we believe that the surfing of couches is a means to accomplish this goal. CouchSurfing isn’t about the furniture- it’s not just about finding free accommodations around the world- it’s about participating in creating a better world. We strive to make a better world by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!

I don’t know about you guys but I can’t WAIT to try out this website when I embark on my next global excursion (which will hopefully be soon). So keep an eye out for me, because I may be coming to a couch near you in the not-so-distant future…

P.S I just wanted to let you guys know that this is technically my last required post (I think I mentioned it, but I write this blog as part of a class). This does NOT mean that the road ends here. I definitely plan to continue growing into an Intermediate and maybe even Expert Vagabonder, and I hope you will join me in this adventure. Let’s promise to keep in touch, OK?!