Surfing for a Couch?


I have come across an excellent resource which I found out from another blogger living in Rome. Couchsurfing.com; Basically people from all around the world on this site offer travelers a couch. Of course each situation is different. The site is based on ratings of each person and a description of the area they have to offer the traveler. Some people offer a couch for two, three nights, some for up to a month. The amazing aspect is that it is all free. The surfer can offer the host a gift, but the website is based on offering a couch for free. Of course when I end up with a home (whenever that might be) I will do the same and offer a couch. Each person has a complete profile of information about themselves. The term “couch” means a place to stay for free. Most situations have beds to sleep in.

This is a key resource that will definitely point to long traveling adventure. I am the type to offer a gift, although taking into consideration culture when gift giving is very important. One thought that might stream into a person’s mind is safety. Within the site a person can verify oneself and they have three different levels of verification. Plus people vouch and write reviews on the people that surfed a couch and hosted.

The statistics are 202,822 couches around the world. 203,747 positive experiences and 0.1% negative experiences. 218 countries represented.

An excellent resource for the long term traveler.