Why Couchsurfing is an amazing and crazy idea!

I have traveled the world a bit. I’ve seen things, observed things and tried many things. Some I liked some I didn’t. Couchsurfing has been an experience. I have couched surfed in a few countries. The majority of my couch surfing experiences have been good, some have been extraordinarily good and some have been experiences I would happily not have had. All of them have created memories though. I have chosen to share three of my best experiences with you and three of my worst. One thing I did learn from my trips is how important it is to make sure you are on the same page as your host. Are we going to party? How much time should we spend together? Are you expecting something in return (read sex), Buckle up and enjoy the ride?

View from a host in Wellington, NZ

1. My very first Couchsurfing experience – perfect first time!
My sister and I had decided to try that couch surfing thing that so many people had recommended us. I created a profile and filled out the stuff. I must admit that I was critical. Like who hosts people for free?
We were going to New Zealand and quite soon after making the profile we got an invitation to stay with this guy. We were so skeptical but the guy seemed very nice and he wanted to arrange to pick us up at the airport and everything. Sounded too good to be true right?

We arrived in Auckland and got picked up and saw where we were staying. He had made his garage livable and put in a bed there that we could sleep in. Everything about the experience was perfect. He and the rest of his household were amazing! They were kind and caring people. I learned so much about New Zealand's culture and history. They helped us with everything from renting a car to how to get around New Zealand, booking ferry tickets etc. They took us around Auckland and the outskirts and helped us create the best memories of the city. They were absolutely extraordinary people. Back then I thought it was exciting and amazing but the older I get the more I truly appreciate the kindness and selflessness of the people I met.  

Our host in Auckland arranging for us to see a Haka

2. Couchsurfing in Bali – did I just use my period as an excuse to leave?

In 2015 my sister and I traveled around in Indonesia. We couchsurfed a few times and met some great people through the site. Had a few drinks and a few chats and a good time. Then we got invited by this guy in Bali. We met up with him at the beach and watched the sunset and afterward we went to his place. He had a one-bedroom with just a mattress on the floor. He told us we would have the bed because his friend next door was out of town and he would be crashing there. All good! He was a bit odd, but nothing scary – yet. We reach midnight and we are getting a bit tired and tell him we would like to sleep soon. The guy says alright and we brush our teeth and get in our PJs and get in our sleeping back on the mattress. He is still sitting in his chair and looking at us. Then he gets up and moved over and sits on the floor right next to the mattress. “I like to watch people sleep,” he says. “Would you mind if I just watch you while you sleep for a while?”. My sister and I are looking at each other with a “this is kind of creepy look”. We have both watched CSI and Criminal Minds and have seen how people wake up tied to a pipe in a basement and disappears. Narh, we are not really comfortable with that. Okay he says, but he doesn’t move. The clock is ticking, nothing happens, no one says anything. This is so awkward. He is still just sitting there looking. Freaked out and panicking we decide that we will use a woman's time of the month to save us all face and go to a hotel. The guy tells us multiple times that it is no problem. We can still stay but we are quite insisting and ends up checking in to a hotel around 2 a.m. in the morning. The hotel asked us to pay upfront!

A sunset watched with some amazing hosts in Gili T

3. When family and kindness has no boundaries.

Back in New Zealand, we got ourselves invited to stay in Napier. An adorable little town on the east side of the North Island. We arrive and the lady is super helpful on the phone when we panic call her because we are lost and tired and have been almost running out of fuel for miles. We find her place and she lives in the most adorable house with a porch and a hammock. She and her housemate have made out beds. We are sleeping in the living room on yoga mats. In the morning we got introduced to poached eggs and avocado on toast. They invite us to come along and visit her family. They have a farm outside the town. We pick up a third friend on the way and spent the car trip playing childish and amazing car games. We stop at the friend's place to say hello to the family and see the uncles’ art collection before we arrive on the sheep farm. This was my first experience visiting a sheep farm. It was amazing. We drove around on quad bikes and checked on the sheep, saw the estate. Got welcomed by the entire family and met the 3 generations of family that all lived in different houses on the estate. We got a delicious cake recipe and spent the afternoon reading Kiwi gossip magazines and playing tennis. They made Napier another favorite in New Zealand.

Sheep from a visited sheep farm

the crew

4. Left alone on a boat all night!

Couch surfing puts you in contact with locals and gives you such a different experience. You get so many amazing memories and even my bad experiences have a lot of good memories hidden between the lines. One of the worst experiences I did have though was being left on a boat in the middle of the water all night. I was couch surfing with my mother, because my mother is awesome, and we had been invited to stay with this guy. He seemed nice and he invited us to stay on his boat. He had just forgotten to mention that his boat wasn’t docked in the marina but in the middle of the water. He had another couchsurfer too who would also be spending the night. We get to his boat and starts making dinner. He brings out the alcohol. None of us are very interested in getting totally pissed while being in the middle of the ocean. We all have a drink while cooking and eating dinner, but when we pass on continuing he becomes absolutely furious. Now at this point, he has already been drinking heavily. He starts insulting us and calling us names and then he gets in his rowing boats and leaves us with rewritten goodbye, where the greater meaning was:  I will find more fun people than you to party with. Alone on the boat, three women in the middle of the water, too far to swim to shore, no idea on how to operate a boat. So we wait. We expect that he will come back when he cools down. The clock strikes eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve… we go to sleep. The next morning around nine a.m. he comes back. He apologizes and drops us off at the shore. The event told me that I need to make sure that we are all on the same page before agreeing to get on a boat. I am sure he would have been the perfect host for a crew of people ready for a party.

A trip with host.

5. I wish we were actually related

I had the pleasure of being hosted by two senior men while staying in Australia with my mum. They came and picked us up from the train and were absolutely amazing. We stayed in their shed which was a wonderful experience. They told us about their lives and habits and everything they had done and knew about. We spend the evenings BBQ-ing on their grill and hearing stories from long lives lived. They took us around and showed us why they loved the place, and they lend us a couple of bikes so that we could stay young and fit.

I am still in contact with one of them today and I really hope to see him again. He is quirky and one of a kind. He knows a lot and is one of the kindest men I have ever met. We were only planning to stay there two nights but were invited to stay all week and have been invited back so many times since. I hope I have the chance to visit again soon.

Cooking for our lovely hosts

The granny flat we shared with our host

6. Well, I am happy I wasn’t traveling alone.
Happily, I have never had any horror stories happen to me. I have never been traumatized or felt so uncomfortable I couldn’t get myself out of a situation. I have also never Couch Surfed alone. I have collected a few sentences that people have said to me or us when we have stayed in people’s homes, or before coming to their places that have confirmed that I wouldn’t want that. But several times when we have met up with, messaged, gotten invited or stayed with someone has sexual payment been expected. “I had expected one of you to come into my bedroom last night”, “which one of you are going to be sleeping in my bed” “if you are not comfortable sleeping in the same bed one of you can climb in with me” “ I only host single women”, people getting angry and changing personalities completely after discovering that sex wasn’t on the table, trying to kiss me or my companion etc.  

These were my best and worst experiences that I chose to share. I have had a lot of encounters and meetings and sleepovers with couch surfing and luckily almost all of my stays have been with good, kind and exciting people. I love to couch surf because it gives you the chance to meet people that you will keep with you for your entire life. All the people I have stayed with and met through couch surfing has created memories and I have kept all of it dear. Some have been pleasant and all of it has helped me evolve and become more me. I would always encourage people to do it if they have the chance. You end up getting such a different experience than just staying in a hostel or hotel. And the memories are priceless.

When home is where you hang your hat and meet amazing people

Our host loved birds

*all photos are private and taken by me.