Surfing Safety

As a young single women traveler, I think I have a very different view on the idea of Couchsurfing as a viable means of traveling around the world. Yes, its cheap and you get to meet great people, but what about that one in a million chance that you could stumble into someone's house who has less than innocent friendly motives? We are putting our faith, and even our lives to a certain extent, in the hands of strangers. We allow ourselves to be taken in by somebody we have no connection to apart from a few preliminary emails sent before we arrive. Our choice of 'couch host' is determined on an in-personal rating system that can tell us nothing more than a bunch of numbers as to another surfer's experience at their place. I think we need to take a step back at this culture, and look at the very essence that is couch surfing itself.

The recent jailing of  Abdelali Nachet in Leeds after he was found guilty of raping his women couchsurfer guest, has really got me wondering at how well this website and even the culture can function safely. Nachet, 34, reportedly raped the Hong Kong women two times during her one night stay in his home, threatening to kill her and himself if she resisted. Although this is an isolated incident, it is only a matter of time before more incidences like these are undoubtedly bound to occur. The Couchsurfing organization takes no responsibility for the actions of its users, and as such have no way of communicating potentially dangerous hosts to unsuspecting surfers.

The website in terms of safety, is quite obviously flawed. With no means of one surfer to communicate to another about bad incidences, with no such room for online chat through either blogs or forums, the average surfer has little to no means of protecting themselves beyond common sense.

Diary of a Couchsurfer #3

Hola chicos,

so i've now spent two nights down here on my voyage, and i've gotta say i've definitely learnt a lot about the whole couchsurfing experience that i otherwise wouldn't have if i hadn't actually done this. Little things, like the complete apprehension before meeting your host as well as the dawning realisation that although you're travelling the people whose house you're at actually isn't, and is still trying to live a normal life.

The other thing i've noticed is that the whole vibe of the house changes depending on who is around. The first night i was here was really chilled and low key, but then yesterday this really sociable english guy arrived as well as this other canadian girl and it got a lot rowdier. I ended up leaving to go meet an old mate from high school, but apparently an innocent game of fuck the dealer got out of hand and some alcohol-fuelled lip locking took place in my absence...

The whole place just feels like a really intensified version of a hostel. Because there are only a few people here, you end up getting a lot closer to each other. For example when i got home earlier this afternoon the english bloke and the canadian girl were making plans together about roadtripping across great ocean road and organising flights together to sydney - they've known each other less than 24 hours, and yet they're chatting and planning like old mates.

It's quite incredible really, the idea of opening up your house to travellers the way these guys have. I have absolutely no doubt that their day to day lives are a lot more interesting than mine, and their exposure to global culture is enviable really. I guess in a lot of ways it's the next best thing to travelling - they have their very own hub of backpacker culture and activity and they are always meeting interesting and different people.

But it does come at a cost. I asked one of the house mates - 'Fat Tom' - it was all worth it and his response was at least until the bills come... which they did today. For this quarter, they have to pay almost $900 in combined utilities. Each.

This house is obviously not your regular couchsurfing environment, but in some way every host would feel the cost of putting people up for a few nights. So what do they get in return? The chance to meet new and exciting people? The opportunity try and recapture that thrill of travelling? For some people i'm sure its as simple as the pride of showing people around their city.

anyway, everyone has just returned home and we're getting dinner started
i'm starving,
xx

Diary of a Couchsurfer #2

So it's the first morning of my couchsurfing experience, and i have to say it has been pretty interesting so far. Late on tuesday night i sent an email to the guy who i was supposed to be staying with, he replied the next morning - only hours before i was due to leave - "oh shit, i completely forgot". Yep. That happened.

He said that he wasn't really going to be home much the next few days, so i should just go to his mates' place instead. Right. So, nervously, i took his advice and headed out to Brunswick to stay with these people that i knew nothing about.

I arrived at the house - no one home. Great start. Luckily, i had bought a case of beer so at least i had something to do while i waited; I parked myself down on what appeared to be the back seat of a car and cracked my first beer.

I don't know how long i sat there for (it was only around three beers) before Liam, the organiser of couchsurfing at this house rocked up home. This was how our conversation went.

Me: Hi, I'm alex, did jeff tell you i was coming?
Liam: Oh yeah, i think he mentioned something about that
Me: I brought beer
Liam: Awesome, stay as long as you like

Stepping inside the house is like entering a CouchSurfing Mecca. Since opening their doors in December, the three housemates have not had a single night without a couchsurfer. The longest someone stayed here was three and a half months! The place has the feel of a mini hostel, with a communal computer area as well as a whiteboard detailing who is arriving and where they are from. Sitting on the front bench is a 'comments' book where people write their thanks etc. There is even a fridge with a coin tin selling carlton colds for $1.50!

Also staying here at the moment are Julien (from France), Xavier (Taiwan) and Britany (Canada). The latter two are relatively new to the house but Julien has been here for a couple of weeks now, and is currently trying to find work. This isn't an uncommon occurrence apparently, as Liam tells me that they now have many friends across Melbourne who they originally hosted when they first got to the city.

The three housemates have never tried out couchsurfing themselves, but absolutely love hosting - as Liam says "otherwise we'd just be sitting at home bored". The house has now hosted in excess of 100 travellers and, as they boast, they are now quite well connected for when they head off to europe at the end of the year. Germany, France, Sweden, New Zealand, England and even Madagascar - they have welcomed tourists from all across the world with an attitude of 'if there's room we'll take them'.

It really is like nothing else i have ever seen.

Anyway, I'm off to go do a bit more exploring of Melbourne - i think a couple of English guys are arriving here today as well so that should make things a bit more interesting.

until tomorrow x

Diary of a Couchsurfer #1

Okay! So tomorrow morning i set off on my couchsurfing odyssey, and to be honest i'm pretty excited. It's been a wild ride getting to this point, but i'm fairly sure i will have somewhere to sleep tomorrow night ... hopefully. maybe.

ahhh i'm sure i'll be fine? that's all part of it isn't it? I'm hopefully splitting my time between two different houses - the first one, an american student living and studying in melbourne for two nights, and then i think i'm moving across to his mates' place: a crazy couchsurfing party house. should be interesting.

I'm excited to see melbourne, as well as to maybe see a side of it that people don't usually see, maybe meet a few cool people along the way.

I'm going to try and document the whole thing on my trusty laptop, and turn it into some kind of amazing video diary.

anyway, i have to go pack!
until next time!

alex

International CouchSurfing Day!

It has just come to my attention that there is an International CouchSurfing Day! While perusing my favourite travel blog/website, Gadling (something I often do when I don't want to do my readings) I thought I might as well do a search for CouchSurfing and I stumbled across this article.

Sadly we've already missed it for the year, but what does this say about the extent to which the online couchsurfing world has infiltrated the physical world around us?

Australia Day, International Pirate Day, Christmas Day and now, CouchSurfing Day!?

the constant struggle of finding a host.

So I have now begun my search to find who will house me. its harder than i thought. First realisation: despite the external mantra of 'everyone's a family' i can't help but feel that isn't the case. Requesting a bed is kind of ... awkward - i feel as though the person on the other end is judging every syllable i've written. Also: i think people just 'ignore' the people that they don't want to be involved with, much in the same way that you might awkwardly 'remove from events' an invite on facebook.

Second realisation: beggars can't be choosers! A free bed is a free bed and needs to be viewed as such!

the search continues!

Site Map!

site map is done and ready to go! it's good to actually have a proper template that we can reference and build upon to work through all our ideas! check it out!