Joanne Tay, an intern at NCIV a few years back, told me about this concept awhile ago, but I’ve neglected to post on it until now. Couchsurfing is, as Joanne explains it, “a Web 2.0 magnum opus:” “The concept is simple: search for a host in a country you’re travelling to, live with them for a few days and learn the local culture, do what the locals do. I have been on Couchsurfing for only two weeks and have already met a wonderful array of people from Europe, Asia and Australia. Strangers became friends.”
More about couchsurfing and how to become a couchsurfer here. This seems like an adventurous way to travel on the cheap, and to find good people to drink local beer with along the way. It also might have a higher purpose, as Joanne explains on her blog:
I believe Couchsurfing represents an opportunity for shared and personal growth, not a promise for a perfect world. The little steps we as citizens and as everyday people take to befriend others both in our countries and those incoming has created possibilities of friendship. I do not wish to essentialise culture and i know that many users see themselves as nomads and citizens-of-the-world, but i also believe that we bring with us backgrounds shaped by our environments. Not every couch shared will be pleasant, not every relationship built will last, but the commitment to explore, experience and discover keeps our honest sense of wonder alive, and hopefully establishes a space where peace prevails.
[PS—thanks, Joanne, for the Working World shout-out.]
I think you have practiced this art very deftly in the US and gotten it down to a science. I can only imagine it’d translate well to other countries as well
phone ringing, Ryan picks up
Mark: hey Ryan I’m in Chicago
Ryan: Where?
Mark: I got dropped off at some gas station at the intersection of 3 busy streets, do you think you could pick me up?
Hi Mark,
Thanks for quoting me, grammatical errors and all! (I’ve made some changes)
Couchsurfing allows me to meet internationally-oriented people. The members – at least those i’ve met – don’t travel for street cred. They do so for the genuine interest in relationship building, which is why CS retains its community feel despite its burgeoning membership. In the last week alone, i’ve had lunch with American and European travellers. Later this week i’ll be attending a housewarming lunch hosted by a Norwegian expat.
I love how hosting in a Web 2.0 world is built on an informal network of trust, a bottom-up approach to international relations, unlike previously where guests found hosts through established exchange organizations. The latter still works of course, but the interweb provides plentiful means to experience the world.