Couchsurfing around the world
This woman has hosted more than forty strangers on her couch in Latvia over the internet and has also couch surfed in Europe and the US. she says she got hooked her first time when she stayed with a young couple in Helsinki. It’s a tale of extreme hospitality that I can relate to. Couch surfing hosts get a lot out of it too. This woman and her boyfriend have played host to about twenty people in the last year. Of course it’s not always a great experience. This American Peace Corps volunteer in Macedonia says his guests don’t always make the best house guests. Couch surfing skeptics mention safety as their main concern but so far the worst stories concern the guest who scammed his host out of thousands of dollars. The website does offer an optional $25 verification process and online reviews provide some information. This woman says she never felt endangered although she did have to deal with a hygiene issue once. There are currently people offering couches in over 200 countries.
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