We've all taken our turn as the armchair traveler... Zipping thru countries with a flick of the remote. Jumping from one cross country adventure reality show to the next, voted someone off the island and gone under the sea... But have you ever thought of surfing the world one couch at a time?
That's something I've had a small taste of in my travels, and this week I'm lucky enough to be hosting two "surfers" from Germany.
My first time doing some serious traveling culminated with a cross Canada adventure sleeping on one couch to the next, Provence to Provence. Sometimes I got lucky and had a bed, sometimes I had a sleeping bag... Part of the experience was the uncertainty of where I'd be sleeping next- and the REAL adventure wasn't the travel, and it wasn't what I was doing while I traveled, it was the people I met along the way. Host families are incredible things.
I had my next taste of "the couch" while traveling West Africa, a family heard I was in the area and offered to put me up for a short stay. I had a chance to visit with them, learn some of their culture and see the world outside of the tourist traps. When I got home I was telling a friend about my chance visit and he got REALLY excited...
He started to tell me about this group he'd just joined called "couch surfers". A group of people networking across the world to provide places for travelers to stay. A group of people who love travel and adventure and who want to help enable people to live their adventures. So I checked out the site.
I read about their references and the series of ratings and comments that they could help to collect for you as a traveler and as a host. I read about some of the people who were currently couch surfing, and those still planning their trips. And I joined up. ......
more about the surfing tomorrow.....
1 comment:
I've heard about this...it sounds very cool, would try it myself...
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