My Couchsurfing Experiences

I returned from my South East Asia backpacking trip in April 2009. I had spent six months travelling around Thailand, Bali, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. I had been teaching English as a volunteer in various countries, which proved to be a highly interesting and rewarding experience. During this trip, I had stayed at a variety of backpacker’s hostels and budget hotels which ranked from comfortable to dire!

A GREAT FIND!

Having spent a few months back in the U.K, I started to get itchy feet and decided to plan my trip to India, which was next on my list. One day,whilst searching for budget hotels on the internet I, inadvertently, came across a site called Couchsurfing.com. I read through the site with great interest and was amazed to find a whole new concept in facilitating the travel experience of the budget traveller.

PROFILES

I navigated the site and explored the various locations where I would,potentially, be able to couch surf. Next, I proceeded to set up my profile. This entailed posting my personal information as well as my interests, philosophy and travel experiences. I added a recent photograph and also indicated that I would have a couch available for either male or female travellers, but not immediately.

I then began looking through profiles pertaining to my criteria. As I was a female travelling alone, I looked for a potential female host in India starting in the New Delhi area. I found three and proceeded to send each one a “couch request”. I had already planned my route through India, and so, continued to send requests to people in the towns that I intended to visit. The site was very easy to navigate and because each potential host had references written by previous surfers, posted on their profile, I could ascertain their reliability and integrity.

RESPONSES

A few days later, I started to receive replies. Most of them were positive. Any negative replies, were from people who would themselves be travelling, at that time, or were too busy due to work or family commitments. Overall, the response was good. I had my first “couch” offer in New Delhi from an Indian woman, a teacher, who lived with her husband and elderly mother. The second, was from a young couple in Jaipur. The third, from a couple in Varanasi and the final one in Hampi. In some of the areas I had applied to, I had no joy, but then you can’t win them all!

SURFING

Travelling alone in a foreign country can be a daunting experience and sitting alone in a hotel room, not knowing anyone, can be a pretty lonely experience. However, when couch surfing, the experience is totally transformed. As a surfer, you are welcomed with open arms, into someone’s home, given first hand information about the town you are in, have comfortable accommodation with the use of all facilities and offers of home-cooked food. Food, is not part of the deal, however, most people will invite a surfer to join them at meal times. As surfing is totally free, taking a small gift to your host is a nice gesture. I usually take something typically English, such as marmalade or shortbread.

Each of my couch surfs have exceeded my expectations. I was offered a comfortable bed, food and even a guided tour from most of my hosts, which is not mandatory either. In every case, they were kind, very generous people. I stayed, on average, for two nights. My last couch surfs, to date, were in Turkey and in Edinburgh, during the Edinburgh festival.

RECIPROCATING

The philosophy of surfing is to reciprocate whenever possible. However, nine times out of ten you will not host the people you have surfed with. I have not been travelling recently and so have been hosting surfers who are new to me. I have hosted mostly single females, two single males and two couples. We have spent pleasant evenings discussing our travel experiences and exchanging information and ideas. I try to give my surfers a cultural experience of some sort, so if it’s a weekend, we generally go to the pub for a Sunday roast or go to visit historical sites in the area. Due to work commitments, I have not always had time to give a guided tour but we have still managed to spend quality time together.

VIGILANCE

Couch surfing can be an interesting and rewarding experience but it is always a good idea to be vigilant. It is advisable to read all references left on a prospective host’s / surfer’s profile. For extra caution, choose only hosts/surfers who have been verified. It is always advisable to lay down any ground rules prior to accepting a surfer. Indicate precisely what will be offered in terms of accommodation, food and socializing time. Personally, in my couch surfing experience I have only met people who have been genuine, caring, generous and open-minded. A wonderful concept, in my opinion!

My name is Marie Maille and I am a teacher of English as a foreign language. I have had a lot of experience with foreign students both as a formal teacher and as a volunteer. If you would like to know more about me and what I can offer, please have a look at my site http://www.homestayenglish.uk.com

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