by Sanja Stojanovic

Created on: August 16, 2007

Do you know that no matter where you want to go there's a
place where you can stay without paying a single cent for it? How can
you find out that someone from another part of the world is willing
to be your host? Type www.couchsurfing.com and you'll see that world
is smaller than you think, as the founder of the site suggests.
If you think the idea of staying overnight at stranger's place, or

hosting someone you've never met (outside the virtual world) seems
insane, couchsurfing is not for you. If you wonder why someone would
open the doors of his place, if you believe there's nothing free in
this world, or you don't see your own interest, if you ask what's in
it for me, this is not something you should read. However, if the
concept of the website that connects people willing to offer each
other a place to stay without paying sounds intriguing or you find it
great, keep on reading, it will pay.
Couchsurfing, non profit website, is idea of Casey Fenton (29). Like
many others, Casey was dreaming to tour the world. Employed as a
programmer, he had enough money to afford to travel in traditional
tourist's way. But Casey wanted to meet interesting people of local
cultures, to get to know their habits, customs, to hear their
stories, and classic tours could not provide that. As response, Casey
decide to start his own project Couchsurfing, which would bring him,
as well as to all other like-minded travelers, the real adventure of
traveling and challenge of discovering unknown, providing the
curious, wondering souls the chance to get familiar not just with
the famous landmarks, but above all, the most important landmark of
any place its habitants.
And how it all works? It's simple. You visit the website and
register for free. Among else you write if you can host or not, but
offering your own couch is not a prerequisite for surfing other
people's couches. Then one day, let's say you decide to go to
Jamaica, so you search users living at desired location, from the
list of the found members you select those you want to contact asking
hospitality and chances are that the very same day, or within a day
or two you will receive the mail from someone who will be happy to
host you. If it looks too simple, it's because it is. All you may
need to do during your stay is to wash the dishes and clean, but only
after yourself.
More than few days stay can be too much. While most of people are
willing to host for a couple of days, there are profiles saying that
one may stay for a month! In your profile you can state clearly

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