April 22, 2011 at 10:28 am · Written by Michele · Filed under Socializing, Socially Responsible Tourism
If you’re in a college or a school, you might have stayed with your friends from high school in their college towns, or perhaps visited a friend from college who departed for a job or graduate program in another city. Despite lacking some of the comforts that come with having your own space in a hotel, the experience has always been fun and you didn’t have to spend a lot of money to see a new place. With CouchSurfing.net, a relatively new phenomenon utilizing online social networking to connect fellow travelers, you can make new friends throughout the world, surfing from couch to couch as you explore new places and cultures. Conceived by a former American college student who wanted to lower the cost of his trip to Iceland, the site was founded in 2003 and has grown rapidly over the last few years, attracting 2.5 million users. Searching for a new adventure this summer? Want to host someone else’s new adventure? Consider the following 10 reasons to couchsurf — you could be in for an experience of a lifetime.
- It’s free: CouchSurfing.net is a nonprofit organization funded by donations from its members. All commercial activity is forbidden from the site, which is entirely free to use. Hosts who attempt to charge couchsurfers essentially break the site’s moral code and are therefore removed.
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October 29, 2010 at 12:56 pm · Written by Christien · Filed under Going out
Are you a lonely tourist lost in Amsterdam and you don’t know where to go on a Saturday night? Fear no more, because you are probably not the only one!
Saturday night, 10 PM. Location: Cafe de D’oude Herbergh, within a stone’s throw from the long and famous shoppingstreet Kalverstraat. I am on my way to a Couchsurfing meeting.
Couchsurfing is a travel website where you can get in touch with people from all over the world. Members can decide to meet up, to exchange couches or to go travelling together.
When I enter the small and cozy bar I see a crowded place with a colourful mix of people from all over the world talking vividly to eachother.
Time for a beer. When I walk towards the bar to get myself a Heineken I start talking to this German girl who stands next to me. Within two seconds I am in the middle of a conversation with someone I barely know. She tells me that she just recently moved to the capital to do an internship. And like so many others in this town she is looking for a cheap place to stay.The darkhaired guy standing next to us overhears our conversation and joins in.
Three hours later I have spoken to at least ten people of ten different nationalities. From ‘locals’ to tourists just visiting town for a couple of days: The differences between those travellers seem endless. But what these bunch of young people do have in common is the fact that they are here, this Saturday night, to meet other people and to share stories, experiences, humour and…Heineken beer.
When I leave the bar to go dancing with my friends in the OT301 (another great place to go) I am happy to have met so many different people who all share one passion. Travelling.
Become a member of Couchsurfing and then click on this link to find out more about the Couchsurfing meetings. http://www.couchsurfing.org/meetings.html?mid=93192
Café D’Oude Herbergh
Handboogstraat 17-19
Amsterdam
CS Meeting: Every Saturday night
OT301
Overtoom 301
Amsterdam
http://ot301.nl/page=site.home
This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.
If you’re in a college or a school, you might have stayed with your friends from high school in their college towns, or perhaps visited a friend from college who departed for a job or graduate program in another city. Despite lacking some of the comforts that come with having your own space in a hotel, the experience has always been fun and you didn’t have to spend a lot of money to see a new place. With CouchSurfing.net, a relatively new phenomenon utilizing online social networking to connect fellow travelers, you can make new friends throughout the world, surfing from couch to couch as you explore new places and cultures. Conceived by a former American college student who wanted to lower the cost of his trip to Iceland, the site was founded in 2003 and has grown rapidly over the last few years, attracting 2.5 million users. Searching for a new adventure this summer? Want to host someone else’s new adventure? Consider the following 10 reasons to couchsurf — you could be in for an experience of a lifetime.
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