From virtual meeting to couch

Definition couchsurfing: staying on a stranger’s couch free of charge, moving from one couch to the next over the course of travel, surfing as in sleeping or crashing when one needs a place to stay, that which provides budget accommodations, community-forming.

I’m not quite a newbie when it comes to couchsurfing–my first time surfing as we CSers fondly call it was in San Francisco in October 2008, and my second (albeit failed) attempt was in Shanghai in January 2009, and I’ve hosted surfers twice–but I’m no veteran either.

I’ve gone to exactly one CS event in NYC, and these types of events–bar parties, potluck dinners, picnics in the park, Bryant Park movie nights, RSVP-required shindigs, comedy club outings–occur frequently in the city and in its best borough, Brooklyn.

But I’m trying to get more involved.  I’m trying to be a regular surfer throughout South America.  Last night I quickly browsed the site for available couches, and if you’re interested in reading more about how this all works, check out Nomadic Matt’s excellent post on the subject.  I dashed off three brief but (I hoped) charming messages to potential hosts and changed my “availability” to “traveling at the moment” as the surfing requests had been inundating my inbox lately.

I woke up this morning to three positive replies: “Sure, Stacey, you can stay with me during those dates…”  “I can host you, Stacey.  Please confirm… “  “What time do you get in, Stacey?  I can probably pick you up from the airport…”

I read the entirety of the last reply to my sister, who also has a couchsurfing profile and good experiences to speak of, especially with the “meet for coffee or a drink” option that the site offers interested members who choose not to offer an actual couch.

“Go with Patrick,” Stephanie encouraged once I’d revealed the name of the possible airport pickup.

Now I’d been intending to take public transportation to my first in-city destination, be it a hostel or host’s place.  Budget travel doesn’t allow for cab rides just because they’re the easier option(at least not often, anyway).  Budget travel generally means opting for the more difficult option, which, in my past experiences, ends up becoming the story you tell over and over again, making it ironically the best option.

But this offer for the airport pickup was too much to refuse.  Plus, if I recalled correctly from my Sao Paolo couchsurfing profile-browsing, Patrick lived with his parents and siblings, which at least *sounded* safe.  I’d accept his offer and politely thanks but no thanks the others.

Initially, I was planning on staying in a hostel my first few nights.  Figuring it would be a good idea to give myself some time to get adjusted to the whole OMG-I’m-traveling-for-9-12-months-what-the-hell-am-I-doing? thing, a hostel, where I’d hook up with other like-minded travelers seemed like a wise first move.  Yet no one seems to embrace fully Sao Paolo as they do Rio di Janeiro or Salvador or Buenos Aires.  From what I’ve read, Sao Paolo is a huge metropolis, difficult to navigate, and not all that pretty.  Supposedly the nightlife scene was hopping, and it’s common to stay out until 6 AM no matter the night of the week, but I might want to ease into that lively scene.  Maybe with a local guide of some sort then, like a fellow CS member.

Cat, a lovely Canadian couchsurfer who stayed with me in early May, had just completed nearly a year of couchsurfing throughout South America, and she spoke highly of her stays, claiming that in South America the hosts were excited about taking you out and showing you around.  There’s no guarantee that a host will have time to point you to the cloest bus let alone take you clubbing.

Sure, couchsurfing is nice because at its most basic function, it provides you with a place to sleep; it saves you money.  But that’s not its purpose.  And it’s not what it’s all about.  When I hosted, although I had little time to entertain, I delighted in the giving.  Here I was, a person of little means financially, able to provide a towel, blankets, fresh, clean water, a rich cup of coffee in the morning, conversation, and a place to rest for a perfectly trustworthy stranger from a different city, country, or continent.

The community is growing in popularity, judging from the number of members–over one million–and it’s an excellent travel option for the backpacker.  Like most of my trip, I’m not sure when or where I’ll surf.  I don’t know when I’ll choose a hostel over a host, or why–until I’m in the decision-making moment, I assume–but that’s the idea, if you haven’t picked up on it yet.  I’ll go when I go.  Because I said go.