Brock Press

Issue date: 3/14/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Katie Friesen

Travel gurus all over the world are being welcomed into countries with open arms and free accommodations, on the comfy couches of complete strangers.
The Couch Surfing Project (CSP) is one of the latest ways to plan a trip, where networking on the Internet will get you a couch to crash on for the duration of your stay in over 21,000 cities across the globe. The idea was put into works a little over four years ago, by 28-year-old travel enthusiast, Casey Fenton, a self-taught computer programmer from New Hampshire.
Before embarking on a trip to Iceland several years ago, Fenton emailed approximately 1,500 University of Iceland students, in the hopes of receiving travel tips from locals. Instead, he got an unexpected and overwhelming response from people inviting him to stay with them during his visit. After taking one student up on their offer, Fenton was inspired to create a service that would give others a similar positive experience.
Along with friends Sebastien Tuan from France, Leonardo da Silveira from Brazil and Dan Hoffer from Massachusetts, the CSP was officially launched in 2002 with the intentions of uniting cultures and to, "locate the most interesting people and situations the world has to offer".
To date, Couch Surfing boasts nearly 200,000 members, and is full of testimonials from users who preach its benefits, like Nadja from the United Kingdom, who posted: "It's a wonderful way to show that we can all enjoy life together, no matter where we're from or which religion we belong to. I've met absolutely incredible people and experienced wonderful things that I would have never been able to as a 'normal' traveller".
The idea of hospitality exchanges is nothing new - the concept came into the works sometime after World War II, when Bob Luitweiler founded the peace organization Servas Open Doors. He aimed to foster intercultural understanding and paved the way for a number of hospitality exchange networks years later.
However, it was not until the arrival of the Internet as a main mode of communication that these hospitality exchanges could really get off the ground. Now, Couch Surfing is one of the latest projects among many that aim to break down cultural barriers by having strangers open their doors to the trekkers of the world.
Of course, the common reaction to a project such as Couch Surfing is: Is it safe? Sleeping at strangers' houses in foreign countries certainly seems like somewhat of a breach of personal safety, and can have its share of potential risks that might seem worse than spending the night on an uncomfortable couch.
CSP member and project ambassador, Steve Savage, signed up with the service when it was initiated four years ago. He stresses that steps are taken to ensure users are not stepping into something blindly. With an advanced system of references and friend links, one is able to do some research before jumping into the process.
Much like employers calling references from an applicant's resume, Couch Surfing members can read referrals and comments from a couch surfer's friend list or people who have stayed at their house previously during their travels. The site also has a verification process, which basically confirms that the person is who they say they are.

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"I am privileged to a lot of internal discussion, and I have not heard of any violent incidents within the Couch Surfing community," said Savage. "Sure, there have been a number of instances of guests and hosts not getting along, having vastly differing views from each other, or just simply not liking each other. That's just life. If someone requests to stay at your home, and you see on their profile that they have 50 positive references from others who they have stayed with or hosted, it would be incredibly unlikely that that member would cause any problems while at your home."
The Couch Surfing Project is a non-profit organization whose main goals are not only to save travellers a couple hundred bucks on accommodations, but also to create international friendships. The CSP works to give people the ultimate travelling experience, through the realization that visiting a country does not simply mean making stops at all of the tourist attractions, but connecting with people and understanding different cultures along the way. The intentions are clear from Couch Surfing's original mission statement, "Couch Surfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding".
It is almost shocking to realize how many people are actually willing to open their doors to complete strangers from places they may have never visited. As more people continue to see the benefits of networking while planning a trip, Savage looks toward more significant changes that may be on the horizon besides the obvious cash that is saved.
"Would an American (or British, or Australian ...) be so enthusiastic to have their government drop bombs all over Iraq if they actually had friends in that country? If they had hosted a number of wonderful, kind, funny and interesting guests from other countries around the world, would it help to break down any stereotypes they may have held?" he said.
"I think the biggest benefit to society as a whole is the breakdown of the barriers - of fear, mistrust and misunderstanding between cultures. Couch Surfing also opens the door to international travel for those who may not have otherwise been able to afford it, allowing them to broaden their experiences and to meet all sorts of people from all over the world."
Savage believes that the act of hosting strangers throughout their travels is something that is completely normal, and basically a guaranteed way of making new friends and having the best experience possible while on vacation.
"I feel it's quite unnatural that anyone would not want to open their door to interesting strangers. Who among us has enough friends already? Whose life is so rich and so interesting that they wouldn't want to share some experiences with a traveller from another country? And of course, there is always the reverse ... if you are a member of the community, you will be welcomed into other people's homes when you travel. Better than sitting in your hotel room, staring out the window at a strange city, no?"
An organization very similar to Couch Surfing, Hospitality Club, contains about 60,000 more members, making it the world's largest hospitality exchange network. The Hospitality Club project took off in 2002, with the idea having been in the works long before.
Hospitality Club member, Lucie Delers, joined the organization when she decided to move to Iceland. Along with meeting several new friends throughout her experience thus far, Delers also notes that meeting fellow travellers can inspire an unexpected trip.
"I met a guy from New Orleans a few weeks ago," she said. "We had a fun weekend and we both were talking about our countries and little by little I felt attracted by his city and its area I hadn't thought of going before. Now I'm looking for flights tickets to Louisiana and he is looking for some to Belgium."
Many people are members of both the Couch Surfing and Hospitality Club communities, and most of the members share similar interests and attitudes - dozens of profiles suggest an open-mindedness and adventurous outlook that can often be lacking in others.
While there is no set hospitality exchange etiquette, it is generally understood that if you are hosted by someone, then you should be willing to welcome them if they travel in your area in the future - yet there is no obligation. Guests are not asked to contribute anything during their stay, only to respect their host's lifestyle and schedule.
There are hundreds of lasting friendships made through hospitality exchange networks, who continue correspondence after hosting or being hosted. Couch Surfing member, Angie, stayed in Libson, Portugal for her first couch surfing experience, and found herself making close friends and putting more travel plans into the works that she had never considered before.
"[My Couch Surfing host's] house was Europe with a total of four guests, all first-timers, who by mistake ended up there at the same time," she said. "It's funny how people with common interests bond in such short time. Due to his working hours, he couldn't spend so much time with us, but he was always there if we needed anything. He, together with the other guests, became a very good friend of mine. And that's not only a figure of speech - half of us celebrated New Year's Eve together in Turkey and this summer I'm expecting them all here."
Hospitality exchanges play an important role in motivating people to travel and travel more often - since expenses tend to be one of the major concerns with visiting any country, these exchanges can relieve much of the stress. As any hospitality exchange member will gladly tell you, travelling is a crucial part of experiencing the world.
"[Travelling is important] for the open-mindedness - by this I mean to open up to new people [and] new cultures," said Angie. "For the fun to move around the world to see what it looks like thousands of kilometers from home. For experiences, both of life and of people. For yourself - I'm convinced that travels do help people to know themselves better."
After visiting Couch Surfing and Hospitality Club's Web sites, and reading through the member profiles and testimonials, it quickly becomes clear that these organizations are more than just a way of scoring a free temporary residence.
These people are passionate about travelling, fostering international relationships and increasing cultural awareness. The founders and participants want to spread the word that the world is smaller than people think, and encourage people to join who may want a more meaningful interaction out of their next voyage.
As proposed in Couch Surfing founder da Silveira's profile: "I welcome you and challenge you, to help us spread peace around the world, one couch at a time."
For more information on these hospitality exchange services, visit couchsurfing.com and/or hospitalityclub.org.

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