Free accommodations
Couchsurfing can help you travel cheaply
Those darn young people, always finding ways to travel the world without breaking the bank. As if student airfares and under-30 rates aren't enough, an increasingly popular approach is landing travelers free accommodations: couchsurfing.
The idea is pretty simple. You sign up on the main couchsurfing site, Couchsurfing.org, and you can get in touch with people in various countries willing to let you crash on their couches for free. The majority of people who've been at both ends of this new wave of free accommodations have reported pleasant experiences. No one seems to have been killed by a crazy couchsurfer or host, either. In fact, in reading some blog posts of travelers who've couchsurfed, like this woman who did it in France, many say the approach gave them a chance to connect with local culture in a way that staying in a hostel or hotel wouldn't.
This mode of snagging free accommodations doesn't seem much different from living with a host family as an exchange student or being "that guy" who just wants to hang out in a foreign country without paying his dues. It sounds like a good way to travel at the start, but doing it for an entire three-month trip backpacking through Europe might get a little old, even if it's budget-friendly. If you're literally on someone's couch, where's your privacy? What if you find one of the host residents standing over you with a creepy smile at 3 a.m.? Sometimes cost-savings are not worth forsaking some peace and quiet or, better yet, safety.
Would you couchsurf to get free accommodations?
"Couchsurfing.org melds travel and social media in a way that saves tourists money on accommodations while making new friends.The website allows people from all over the world to become members of the social networking site and to have interactive conversations about where they live or where they would like to travel..."
