Couch Surfing and Other
Hospitality Exchange Clubs

Everybody's talking about couch surfing these days. It's an organization that matches hosts and guests but has almost become a verb - to couch surf, or stay at someone's home when you travel, or to partake of their hospitality, at least in some way.

Whether you're hiking in Iceland, climbing Kili or kayaking in the Philippines, there's a local hostess (or host) waiting to welcome you. Most will share at least one thing with you: a love of travel. And most of these hospitality exchange sites were built by travelers themselves, touched by the kindness of strangers as they traveled or wishing they had a network of like-minded people with whom to share their joy of the road.

Hospitality Exchange 101

It's really all quite simple. First you join (many of them are free), search for members near where you're going, and get in touch with them, either directly or through the site. That's it.

The idea is reciprocity: you stay at someone's house, and you in turn provide someone else with hospitality when you get back home. You build a profile and provide information about yourself, and others do the same. Most people who use this or other hospitality services say there's more involved than just a bed - but an exchange, of conversation, of food, of information, of social contact.

The Couchsurfing Project is one of the most popular, especially among younger travelers, and highly user-friendly, with 350,000 members in 223 countries. Of particular interest is their forum for independent women travelers, to which any member can contribute.

A number of organizations focus on providing free accommodation, no strings attached. The Hospitality Club is one of the more popular. My friend Jose in Rio has used it extensively and raves about it. He and his wife recently hosted a couple from the US, and is about to host a Malaysian lawyer and her son. He is planning a trip to Morocco and has used the service to plan his trip. The hospitality doesn't have to be an overnight trip - it can be a city tour, transport from the airport, or a simple exchange of emails about local sights of interest. Hospitality Club is free and not-for-profit and seems to have members in every country imaginable. Its philosphy: that bringing people from different cultures together will increase understanding and strengthen peace.

Similarly, Servas, which means 'service' in Esperanto and may well be the first service of this kind, offers hospitality to promote world peace and understanding. It doesn't see itself as simply a free accommodation service though - hosts expect to have a meaningful exchange with guests and part ways with a better sense of each other's worlds. And that makes perfect sense to me. There's little point in having someone I don't know stay in my house if we don't have a chance to discuss the world just a bit.

The Friendship Force International, founded by former US President Jimmy Carter, is another group that tries to overcome differences among people by bringing them together through hospitality.

I can't recommend this type of travel enough. Rather than hanging out in tourist spots and hotels owned by multinational conglomerates, staying with people in their homes often takes us off the beaten path into people's everyday lives. Just think of it... you could stay with a dancer in Ghana, a chef in Bangkok or a farmer in New Zealand. Not only will you see a new world - she or they will too. Imagine how much richer both your lives will be.

I haven't hosted anyone yet (I'm either on the road or in the middle of renovations with no heating or hot water) but I have taken advantage of couch surfing types of exchanges a few times - but not enough. I do have friends who rave about them. My friends who have wouldn't travel any other way.

The downside of hospitality exchanges

There aren't too many downsides, but there are some, like in everything.

For example, if your free accommodation doesn't work out, if your hosts turn out to be different than expected, there's no one you can turn to. Of course you can give the person a negative review (several services offer a rating scheme) and make sure others are alerted, but since it's free, you can't claim a thing.

Most also a have a built-in safety mechanism which for us women is essential. The last thing I want is to wander into a dicey situation in someone's home. Of course there is never a guarantee of safety but here are some of the safeguards: since people have to register as members, they can be tracked; reviews and testimonials provide information about members and their hospitality; the organization provides a verification system that ensures your name and address are correct and valid. Make sure you take advantage of these!

If a few inappropriate emails slip through, report them.

Still, it's important to go the extra mile. Don't make arrangements with hosts who haven't received extensive reviews. Be especially cautious if the home is out of town. Don't make your own way to a secluded location but meet your hosts in town or at the airport first. And make sure you exchange plenty of emails before deciding - with Skype these days, you might even be able to talk in person before you meet.

And remember - if you're a guest this time around, give something back by hosting travelers too. I'll walk the walk and do the same, as soon as I can provide hot water and heating!