And Then There Is CouchSurfing!

I had read about CouchSurfing but finally signed up for it last spring before I left for three months in Italy and Spain. Becoming a Couch Surfer really made my wonderful trip even more wonderful! Thanks to CouchSurfing, I met and made seven new and most interesting friends along the way! The following are just four of the hosts I met. I had a delicious lunch with Rita, a retired school teacher,  in her home near the Vatican in Rome. On a hot Sunday morning last August, Gianni (pictured)  invited me to see the biggest flea sale in Rome; then he helped me figue out how to get tickets for theBorghese. Monica, who has a weaving business,http://www.textilesoleil.com/ invited me for a gellato in Rome. Francesca asked me to spend a Sunday with her and her exchange student, as all of them spent day learning about and touring beautiful Sassari, Sardinia. (The picture show a Monarch butterfly on a bougainvillea in her yard, where she also has sixteen different fruit trees.) I spent three nights with Anne from Manchester, England, who has "retired" to a delightful sixth floor apartment over looking the ocean in Palma, Mallorca. 

Their website defines CouchSurfing as “an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world. Since 2004, members have been using our system to come together for cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences. Today, over a million people who might otherwise never meet are able to share hospitality and cultural understanding.”

CouchSurfing members share hospitality with one another. The hosts get to meet people from all over the world without leaving home. "Surfers," or travelers, stay with the host for no money and can experience the host’s life. Or, if you have a “couch”, as I did for most of my trip, you can meet for coffee or a drink. Many are put off by the name; I would guess that the majority of hosts have separate rooms for the surfers, rather than couches!

EVERY couchsurfer that I met was interesting and open to sharing their home, their city, and their story with me. They added an extraordinary dimension to my trip! Oh, I heartily recommend exploring couchsurfing to see how you might enjoy this experience! 

My next post will talk about Clothing and Dress Matters from the Exchange Point of view.

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