Dear Steemians :)
Today I would like to tell you about an idea that I find truly inspiring and indeed helpful. And about the community that emerged from this idea and became one of the kind. So let me present you “Couchsurfing”.
My first experience with this platform date back to January 2015. I had my “cheap” flight booked from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to San Jose in Costa Rica. But I couldn’t find a low-cost connection from Poland to Amsterdam for the same day. I decided to book a light 2 days before and try if Couchsurfing will work for me. I really hoped it will because I was about to travel for 4 months and I have two ideas on my mind: Firstly and most importantly, I wanted to avoid spending my time with other tourists and therefore be with locals as often as possible. :) Additionally, I was about to travel on a tight budget and one of my prerequisites was to spend as little as possible on accommodation. And you know what? I loved it! The girl I was staying with – Agnes – was a traveller as well, so we talked about our experiences the whole 2 days. We also went for jogging together, as we both are sports addicts! I couldn’t have a better welcoming experience!
Couchsurfing’s origins
This is what the founders write about their story:
Couchsurfing began in 2004 as a small passion project by founders Casey Fenton, Daniel Hoffer, Sebastian Le Tuan and Leonardo Bassani da Silveira. An email to a group of students in Iceland gave birth to the idea that people anywhere would want to share their homes with strangers (or, as we like to call them, friends you haven't met yet).
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The history of Couch surfing is truly unique, impressive and funny! In 1999 Fenton, back then 25 years old computer programmer flew to Island but didn’t book any accommodation in advance. He hacked into the database of local University! In order to get the students’ email addresses. He then contacted them and yes, he got responses from some of them! This is how the idea appeared. Couchsurfing International Inc. was founded in 2003 as a nonprofit organization (nevertheless in 2011 its status altered into a for-profit corporation), and a year later, in 2004, the website officially launched.
Nowadays you can not only connect to the platform via its internet site - www.couchsurfing.com. There is, obviously, the mobile application that you can find on both the App Store for iOS devices and on the Google Play.
The platform
Ok, its history is interesting, but what is truly important for you is to understand what the platform really is and how it can help you.
Couchsurfing at first was about so-called homestays (and later on it became bigger, with more features like official meetings for the communities etc.). It is a social network that gathers people who either offer to lodge (an entire room or, often, “a couch” i.e. a bed, a couch, a mattress, you get the idea:)) or who are seeking a place to stay for a night.
Couchsurfing is an example of a gift economy, which basically is:
a mode of exchange where valuables are not traded or sold, but rather given without an explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards. This contrasts with a barter economy or a market economy, where goods and services are primarily exchanged for value received. Social norms and custom govern gift exchange. Gifts are not given in an explicit exchange of goods or services for money or some other commodity.
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What does it mean in practice? Simple that hosts, i.e. people who offer lodging, cannot ask for money in exchange for lodging. Accordingly, the guests are not allowed to offer money. What became a custom though is that guests always offer a gift, usually from its home country, and, additionally, often take the hosts out for dinner or drinks. So you see, Couchsurfing doesn’t offer a free accommodation! But yes, it will be cheaper than what you would normally have to pay and you are offered the unique experience – to meet and spend time with a local person! And this, my dear travellers, cannot be stressed enough.
Tomorrow I will talk about Couchsurfing more in detail and will tell you more about my own experiences. :)
Sending joy! :)
Enjoy the travel &
Pura Vida!
Kasia
- More about me here :)
and here: You can travel without being wealthy aka a girl from a "struggling" family chasing her dreams!
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