Using Couchsurfing to See the World(1805b-6)

　　一沙发一世界——“沙发漫游”让无数充满梦想的人们走遍世界！

Using Couchsurfing to See the World

　　If you visit another country and hope to stay in someone’s home for a more authentic cultural experience, you either need to be in an exchange program or visiting  family/friends. What if there’s a different way to travel?

　　Launched in 2004, CouchSurfing.com allows travelers to see the world outside of the hotels and guidebooks. It’s a way to interact with some of the most hospitable locals you could possibly find. The idea arose in 2000 after American Casey Fenton found an inexpensive flight from Boston to Iceland. Rather than stay at a hostel, he emailed 1,500 students from the University of Iceland asking if he could stay. Fenton received more than fifty offers of accommodation. On the return flight to Boston he began to develop the website.

　　The Philosophy

　　Couchsurfing is like a “hospitality  exchange network.” It enables fellow travelers to connect, meet, and even host each other. And yes, it’s free. Couchsurfing capitalizes on people’s almost universal pride in their own culture. Hosting allows people to be tour guides in their own backyard. When the host travels, he/she will have the opportunity to benefit from others in the same way.

　　Signing Up

　　Becoming a member of Couchsurfing is as simple as taking ten minutes to sign up at networking sites, except for one unique question, “Do you have a couch available?” The  term “couch” is used liberally, as some people have entire spare bedrooms available, while others can only offer a humble space on the floor.

　　After that, you fill out a profile with personal information, hobbies, passions, beliefs, places you’ve traveled, etc. You then have the option of setting your profile to be “available for advice,” “meeting for coffee,” or “hosting others for a night or two.” If you are currently traveling or planning your next adventure, you can use a wide variety of filters to quickly search through available host profiles.