Exploring the World One Couch at a Time
What I learned from sleeping on strangers’ couches (and letting them sleep on mine)
For as long as I’ve been reading travel blogs, I’ve held solo travelers in high esteem. Especially solo female travelers.
Their independence and sense of adventure inspire me.
Since I graduated from college, my boyfriend has accompanied me for the majority of my adventures. I have also done several trips with friends and various family members.
This summer though, I was on my own.
When I decided to travel solo, I knew I wanted to go all in. Completely embrace adventure!
To me, that meant using Couchsurfing.
What is Couchsurfing?
Couchsurfing is a social networking site which primarily serves to connect travelers with hosts in cities around the world. Unlike Airbnb, there is no momentary exchange between hosts and guests.
That’s right. You stay for free!
For me, it wasn’t a matter of money though. I wanted the chance to discover a city from a local’s point of view. Since I was traveling solo, I thought it would be a good opportunity to make new friends.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous though. I get scared walking home at night, and here I was about to trust a total stranger! To say couch surfing was outside my comfort zone would have been an understatement.
In May, I was at home at my apartment in Madrid when I received an email notification.
I hadn’t used Couchsurfing for several years but had recently updated my profile in preparation for my upcoming solo venture. While I’d used Couchsurfing as a guest on a couple of occasions, I had never been a host.
The notification said Arina from Moscow had requested to stay with me. She was a solo female traveler who had come to Madrid for a music festival. It was almost 7 p.m., and Arina wrote that she had yet to book a hostel for the night.
Well, it’s not like you have anything else going on, I thought. I took the opportunity to help out a fellow traveler and accepted the request.
An hour later, I met Arina at the metro stop near my apartment.
“Thank you for letting me stay with you,” she said. “This is my first time couch surfing, and I was nervous.”
We spent the evening wandering from terrace to terrace and drinking wine. I couldn’t believe how much we had in common! Even though we had only known each other for a couple of hours, Arina and I talked like old friends.
We’re still in touch, and I hope our paths cross again someday.
Hosting Arina solidified my decision to couch surf during my solo trip. In the weeks leading up to my departure, I messaged potential hosts in Krakow, Poland.
Although we had never met, I planned to stay with Maja for two nights. We agreed to meet at Krakow’s central train station.
But when I walked out into the terminal, I couldn’t see her anywhere. I tried to recall the few pictures I’d seen on her Couchsurfing profile.
Could that be her in front of the McDonald’s?
Before long, the doubt started to seep in. I wondered if I had made a mistake.
What was I thinking trusting a total stranger?!
Then, a voice behind me said my name.
“Are you Alex?”
It was Maja. She was smiling and opened her arms to embrace me.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” she said. “I just know you’re going to love Krakow.”
I did love Krakow. My first night, Maja took me to an old factory-turned-beer garden and introduced me to her friends. We ate cow tongue sandwiches and traded travel stories until well after midnight.
Meeting Arina and Maja reminded me that travel is so much more than the places we see. It’s also about the people we meet and the connections we make.
Until you travel, you think the world is full of strangers. But really, if you open your heart (and maybe your home) you realize many of those strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet.
Hi, I’m Alex! After living in Madrid, Spain, for two years, I recently moved to Mexico. Tacos and sunshine, baby! When I’m not writing, I’m reading, running or drinking red wine. For more of my writing, check out my blog: Backpacking Brunette.
