PACIFIC NORTHWEST ESCAPES
CouchSurfing
Alternative Travel as Affordable as “Staycations” By Dana Greyson Ever felt lonely or lost when traveling, holed up in your hotel room or uncomfortably solo dining? Find your experiences connecting with others are what you treasure most in your travels? Heard or said, “You went to (fill in the blank) and you didn’t (fill in the blank)!”? Enter www.couchsurfing.org. Imagine a www.match. com of sorts for travelers, a free, Internet-based, international hospitality network. With over 1.3 million members, Couchsurfing is the largest hosting service in the world. It opens the door with ease to true insider travel tips. In these fiscally challenging times, when the biggest travel expense is often the roof over one’s head (heck, even most national parks are a $25 entry fee and a minimum of $12 for a place to pitch a tent), “couchsurfing” offers a refreshingly affordable alternative, ironically a much richer experience… for free!
currently playing, when to avoid peak commute traffic, how the local mass transit system works and if it’s a good option…. Granted, not every host will know all the answers, but you’re likely to get a different experience that a random pick or being at the mercy of your guidebook and will likely trust it more than an anonymous internet surfing expedition. Just as alternative music isn’t for everyone, neither is alternative travel or couchsurfing. If you have a hard time adapting to whatever comes with someone else’s lifestyle (tiny spaces, domiciles that will not pass the white glove test, fuzzy four-footers and loud little ones, well, sometimes couches… the list of prospective challenges is a long one!), are distrustful and socially challenged, and lack an enthusiastic sense of adventure, couchsurfing is probably not for you. Like www.Match.com you do have the ability to pick through profiles that typically give you a good sense of not only your host’s location and “couch”, but also their personality, age, gender and lifestyle. Referrals with ratings (positive, negative, neutral) further build your sense of your prospective host’s character. Also like www.Match.com your real name, email, address and phone number are private until you decide you want to reveal them to a connection. Hosts too, have the same levels of information about you, as well as the same levels of privacy. A bit of Couchsurfing etiquette….
Wonder no more where the nearest indie neighborhood coffee shop with Wi-Fi is, or what local pub to really relax in (and which to avoid), where the best hiking trail is for your ability, who is the coolest local band 18
If you’re a guest and send a request, hosts appreciate it you are selective and let them know why you picked them as opposed to sending an impersonalized query out to the universe, and then leave them wondering if they’re hosting you or not. Make it as convenient as possible for your hosts in terms of working with their schedule, respecting their space and privacy, giving them a sense for when you’re arriving and leaving. Be open and curious about them, PLEASE MENTION SNAPSHOT WHEN RESPONDING TO ADS