Couchsurfing.com
Once upon a time if you were a traveler and wanted to avoid paying the big bucks for a night in a hotel you could spend hours at a bar trying to sweet talk someone into letting you spend the night on his/her couch.
Not anymore. Now it's a matter of ten minutes.
While visiting my family in Colorado, Joshua and I decided to head to Steamboat Springs for a couple of nights... we just had to taste some of that world-famous champagne powder!
After asking around to no avail to see if anyone knew anyone who lived in Steamboat... and may let us stay... I turned to couchsurfing.com.
I first learned about this Web site when I was traveling in South America. I met a few people who were surfing the continent with a click of a button.
After filling out my own profile, I began "surfing." The search words "Steamboat Springs" brought up 10 people offering up a place to stay. As far as I could tell all of them seemed like good, decent people. I messaged two of them -- both with similar interests to my own -- and then waited.
Responses came within a couple of days... both offered Joshua and I a place to sleep.
We somewhat randomly picked one of them. Her name was Amy also! And I soon learned she's great! She's a snowboard instructor on the mountain and full of good energy.
Not only did we score a free place to sleep out of the deal, but we got to see a bit of the town through the eyes of locals. The first night Amy made us dinner. The second night we took her out to a favorite Mexican spot. Afterwards we sipped beers, played some pool and chatted the night away.
Long story short... how cool to have a Web site that connects people with people... a Web site that's built on the premise that the majority of people in the world are good and decent... a Web site that's ultimately a forum for travelers like myself!
Not anymore. Now it's a matter of ten minutes.
While visiting my family in Colorado, Joshua and I decided to head to Steamboat Springs for a couple of nights... we just had to taste some of that world-famous champagne powder!
After asking around to no avail to see if anyone knew anyone who lived in Steamboat... and may let us stay... I turned to couchsurfing.com.
I first learned about this Web site when I was traveling in South America. I met a few people who were surfing the continent with a click of a button.
After filling out my own profile, I began "surfing." The search words "Steamboat Springs" brought up 10 people offering up a place to stay. As far as I could tell all of them seemed like good, decent people. I messaged two of them -- both with similar interests to my own -- and then waited.
Responses came within a couple of days... both offered Joshua and I a place to sleep.
We somewhat randomly picked one of them. Her name was Amy also! And I soon learned she's great! She's a snowboard instructor on the mountain and full of good energy.
Not only did we score a free place to sleep out of the deal, but we got to see a bit of the town through the eyes of locals. The first night Amy made us dinner. The second night we took her out to a favorite Mexican spot. Afterwards we sipped beers, played some pool and chatted the night away.
Long story short... how cool to have a Web site that connects people with people... a Web site that's built on the premise that the majority of people in the world are good and decent... a Web site that's ultimately a forum for travelers like myself!
posted by Amy | 8:43 PM
1 Comments:
I'm a journalist who by sheer coincidence just found Amy on Couchsurfing a few minutes ago.
I want to go to Anchorage to write a story about one of the people doing the Iditarod.
Regardless if Amy can host me, I am very excited to be able to get in touch with a fellow journalist thousands of miles away, with similar interests.
Had I wanted to write this story before Couchsurfing, I would have certainly been coming to Anchorage without knowing a soul there.
Now (either through Amy or other Couchsurfing Anchorageans,) I will be able to meet some locals, which will make my experience much better, not to mention make my writing much better.
It's an amazing thing, isn't it?
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