If there was one thing in this world that could prove the true goodness of humanity and that could put trust back in one another it would have to be Couch Surfing.
Couch Surfing is an internet website in which a person can create a profile with the option to post pictures, describe their interests and even join groups. Through this profile, people let others know if they have a couch to offer in their house for travelers stopping through their city. For people searching for couches there is a search engine to easily find hosts that are offering couches in the city they will be visiting. It is completely free to join and to stay at a person’s house.
The mission of the organization is this:
“At Couch Surfing International, we envision a world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter. Building meaningful connections across cultures enables us to respond to diversity with curiosity, appreciation and respect. The appreciation of diversity spreads tolerance and creates a global community.”
People on the website are wholeheartedly opening up their house to complete strangers for a free stay. The people you stay with sometimes offer you a visit around the city, they may offer to cook for you, and take you out at night. It’s more than just spending the night. It’s also being in contact with a new person from a different part of the world and getting to know a city through that person’s eyes.
Couch Surfing benefits both the surfer and the host. It benefits the surfer in obvious ways: Saving money that would have been spent on a hotel/hostel room (possibly even on food), gaining insight into a new city through a true native, easier access to finding things in the city, ability to see the more “underground” scene of a city and of course making a new friend. The host can also benefit by meeting a new person, making a new friend, learning about a new culture and networking to have a place to stay when he or she visits the surfer’s city.
The best part about Couch Surfing and the reason why everyone should try it at least once is that it takes peoples’ stereotypes – that we should not trust strangers and should not welcome in someone that’s different – away. Couch Surfing opens up the doors to a world that is more intercultural, more trusting and more open to change.
It is not only about sharing an open couch, but also about supporting a community that wants change in this not always friendly or open world. With over millions of surfers in over 230 countries and thousands more joining each week, Couch Surfing is a revolution.
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