Some people have asked me about the CouchSurfing project, and I’m more than happy to tell them about my involvement with it. A Sydney Surfer just posted some questions on the Sydney CS forum. He’s writing an article and wanted some feedback on the project, so naturally I replied.

Here’s the Q&A:

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1. Why did you join couchsurfing?

The mission of the project (”Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch at a Time“) stood out for me, and a personal friend told me good things about his involvement with the project surfing through South America.

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2. If you were going to describe what couchsurfing was and how it worked to someone who had never heard of it, what would you say?

The way I explain it to people… Imagine that you are travelling somewhere. Now there’s the “traditional” way of travelling i.e. staying in a hotel/hostel, joining tours and doing the “tourist-y” stuff. Sure, you could do that.

Now what if it were possible for you to do it another way? What if you could be hosted by a local, for free on their couch, someone who could show you all the good spots where the locals go, or at the least educate you about their town/city and their culture and traditions? In exchange you can pay them respect (don’t trash their place!) and share your knowledge of your experiences and really connect on a personal level, and should your host be visiting your town in the future perhaps you could host them too. Now wouldn’t that be exciting?

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3. Do you think that the rapid rise of “couchsurfing” as a method of finding accommodation could potentially begin to affect (or is it even already affecting) business for youth hostels, which rely on a similar type of traveller to stay there? (this question is particularly important)

No I don’t think there is a major impact. Couchsurfing is not for everyone. There will always be a market for youth hostels.

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4. What are the potential dangers associated with couchsurfing, according to you? (particularly dangers to females, if you think so)

Dangers involve predators of society who may exploit the system to meet women whom they’d otherwise not get the chance to meet. Having said that, this “danger” is not any different to meeting a random stranger at a bar. I would encourage people to refer to the references and really check for authenticity and vouching before staying with someone. CS has a 3-tier system for safety. Use it, and ALWAYS trust your intuition.

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5. Please describe your best, worst and most weird couchsurfing experience (hosting OR surfing) - please include 3 different experiences, one for each

Best - My first hosting experience involved a couple from Germany. It really allowed me to get over unfounded fears/programming and open up to the possibility that this could work, and it did. The girl that I hosted is now one of my best friends.

Weird - can’t say that I’ve had any weird experiences.

Worst - have not had any. All of my experiences have been positive. I’d like to keep it that way ;)

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6. What age group/social class/clique/gender/lifestyle/whatever type of person
do you think that couchsurfing is targeting?

There is no discrimination here. That is not the CS way/mission.