Traveling the world is something most of us dream about but struggle to actually make it happen. Fortunately, there are now online services such as Couchsurfing and World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, commonly abbreviated as WWOOF, that make traveling abroad easier and cheaper than ever before.
Couchsurfing is an online travel network that began in 2004 that has established a community of six million people in more than 100,000 cities. The premise is to connect locals with travelers in need of a place to crash or a friend to show them around. The mission statement says it best, “We envision a world made better by travel and travel made richer by connection.”
Couchsurfing is more than just a way to find a place to sleep. Users can indicate on their profiles if they have a vacant couch or just down to meet for a cup of coffee. Carolina Reid, a 21-year-old junior used Couchsurfing while traveling in Chile with her brother, a musician, not only for a place to stay, but a way to meet locals and other musicians. “He met a lot of people that couldn’t house him, but were excited to play music or get to know new people,” Reid said.
Although couch surfers aren’t expected to pay, Reid said there’s a sort of unspoken rule to contribute in some way that’s not monetary, like providing alcohol or making a meal.
Nicke Parks, 22, used Couchsurfer while traveling in Paris with two of her friends. More than just looking for a couch to sleep on, Parks was hoping to connect with others.
“We wanted to meet people to show us around Paris and teach us what the locals like to do,” she said.
Parks says couch surfing was one of the best experiences they had while abroad.
“Our hosts were some of the sweetest people. They even made me a cake for my birthday,” she said. “It’s a great way to meet people and having a place to stay is a bonus.”
Although she had a safe and comfortable experience, Parks says she wouldn’t do it alone, and Reid agrees.
“Traveling alone as a girl, you have to be cautious about everything, especially in other cultures like South America where there is a very male-dominant society,” Reid said.
The idea of staying with complete strangers, or as the site calls them, “friends you haven’t met yet,” might come as unsettling to some, and the company is aware of the skepticism. To ensure safety, users are encouraged to review their hosts, and vice versa, so other users can get a sense of what they’re getting into before they arrive at their destination.
“It’s such a friendly community. I’ve never had a bad experience and I haven’t heard of anyone else having a bad experience either,” Reid said.
While traveling in Argentina, Reid also participated in WWOOF, which has a similar concept to Couchsurfing. The difference is that users, known as WWOOFers, volunteer on organic farms in exchange for food and housing accommodations. Aside from a small fee, there is no monetary exchange between farmers and volunteers. Participants stay in a hut on the farm that was built by previous WWOOFers, and once they are finished with their work for the day, they can spend their night however they want.
Reid said there are more difficulties associated with WWOOF than with Couchsurfing.
“Some people have gone to farms in the middle of nowhere and felt like they were slaving away and didn’t have comfortable accommodations,” she said. Luckily this was not the case for Reid. “It was awesome, I got to meet other people from all over the world that were there for the same reason that I was.”