Couchsurfing, a way of living and traveling for free

Well, almost free. Couchsurfing.com "is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit." In short, it's facebook for people who want to sleep on your couch.

I joined this website while living in Rome in 2007, but never used it. I was not very keen on the idea of sleeping on some stranger's couch, no matter if it was in Turkey or Illinois. Nonetheless, I was talked into attending a Lviv Couchsurfing meeting this past Saturday, and I no wholeheartedly give the website my approval.

The goodwill of people is often underestimated. There are almost a million couchsurfers out there, from families in France looking to host traveling groups to college grads like myself looking for a safe, free place to say. Not surprisingly, there are a lot "open-minded" types in the network.

At the Saturday meeting alone, I met 10 Ukrainians, a mellow Belorussian, several chatty Poles, a wiry Romanian, an American who has lived all over the world and I somehow made it past the cover charge for the bar. I was surprised at how easy and generally nice the group was. In such a context, I would normally expect to find at least a few blonde bimbos and a couple of bachelors looking to host cute foreign girls. I'm sure they exist. 

The point is, this seems to be a reliable way to find people to stay with around the world. There are numerous people who have traveled all the way around and have only paid for food. 

You can find me on couchsurfing today.