A Sustainable Way to Travel: CouchSurfing.com
CouchSurfing saved my life.
Well, possibly. No one yet knows what role quality sleep plays in one’s life, or whether one could die from sleep deprivation.
But if it weren’t for the Couchsurfing.com network, I would be–more or less–homeless.
Since I gleefully waved goodbye to my soggy, moldy tent in mid-July, I’ve been faced with the dilemma of… well, now where do I sleep? For a week or so, I was wearing out my welcome at my friend’s houses and at my boyfriend’s place (whose sleep schedule is around 5 hours off of mine). Realizing that this was causing inordinate stress, both on me and on the parties involved, I knew I had to find a semi-permanent solution.
With no cash and no lease, where would I stay? Enter: Couchsurfing.
When I first heard about CouchSurfing, I had the same instant, emotional reaction I had when I heard about Free Ride: the oh, this is way too cool to be true! feeling. Of course, as with the other projects that I have blissfully filled my life with, it was true… and so cool I felt compelled to participate.
CouchSurfing is a website that connects travellers who need shelter for a brief stay, with hosts who wish to welcome them. It is rare that someone will CouchSurf within their own city–yet that was exactly my situation after my grimy tent became more like a prison sentence than a home.
