Why I still believe in CouchSurfing, possibly now more than ever.

Part the First: A Little History


There are a few to whom I've told the partially-horrific story of my Couchsurfing experience in Warszawa. Please don't tell my mother. In fact, don't tell anyone who's skeptical, nervous or downright disparaging of the project; it will just confirm their fears. I suppose I ought to let this account speak for itself, but first, a preface, and an explanation of the Couchsurfing project for those who've never been exposed:

The Couchsurfing project was founded by a young gentleman who, upon deciding to world-travel, became aware first of its inevitable costs, the most consumptive of which is always lodging, and second, of the fact that he had had enough of paying them. So, before going to Iceland, he kicked out roughly 1,500 emails to local students and residents, asking if anyone had a spare bed/couch/piece of floor he might occupy. The return was plentiful: over 50 potential hosts. Casey Fenton was hooked and determined to launch a hospitality site devoted to making travel for young people (for any people, ultimately!) free, friendly and safe.

The 'safe' part is where most people have questions. To doubters, we appear as nothing but a travelers' MySpace, a giant collective of faceless, nameless and bodiless posters just running around waiting to be mugged, stabbed or raped. CS has been of late at the forefront of travel news, the center of a murder investigation. (Just Google Couchsurfing and murder and you'll see the result...)

Having hosted several surfers in my own home before I came to Europe, I remain without doubt as to the safety of CS. I've hosted only guys, young ones at that, one from Turkey, another from New York and so on and so forth. All were kind, polite, helpful, and harmless. I've met up for coffee and drinks with other CSers that I was unable to host, another pleasant experience. None of this, however, is a substitute for being the 'surfer' rather than the 'surfee' or host.

My first host was a woman, and she is fabulous (I say is, because at the time of this post, we're planning on meeting back up in Lisboa for another epic night of dancing). Clearly there are assets to surfing with only women, if you are a woman, first and foremost being the relative lack of risk to your person and personal boundaries. Having come from such a positive first surfing experience, and based on my experiences as a host for young guys, I didn't think twice about soliciting a couch in my next port of call, Warszawa, PL. I requested to surf with many people in that particular city, and received a reply from a man who was listed in the CS directory as the City Ambassador for all of Warszawa. He had over 200 guests boasted on his profile and the references were undeniably positive. ON PAPER, this guy looked like the man to meet if you were an avid surfer, and more so if you were just starting out. He said he was able to host me, and I accepted, little knowing that my own Couchsurfing nightmare was lying in wait.