By JENNIFER HABABAG Â
Discover the world with one backpack, one couch at a time, as seen from the wandering eyes of this ‘travelist’ — a hybrid between ‘traveler’ and ‘tourist.’
What is it with traveling that makes it so deliciously fascinating and inviting? Is it the promise and charm of a new adventure, or the break from our monotonous routine, not to mention a quick escape from all the paperwork piling up on our desks?
Recently, I noticed how everyone seems to be putting their Columbus pants on, as they thirst and hunger for some isolated paradise and personal oasis away from home. I should know. I have been wearing my traveling pants for almost two years now.
I like to call myself a “travelist,†a hybrid between a “traveler†and a “tourist.â€
Downsized and livin’ largeÂ
I fit my entire life in one backpack when I travel. Immediately after that, I find myself hopping on the next bus, driven to reach new destinations that tickle my curiosity. Even in the absence of an itinerary, I still end up having the most memorable and exciting trips of my life. I have always connected with interesting groups of people and made fast friendships with locals of outstanding characteristics and personalities. All thanks to this new-age touristic idea of CouchSurfing.
Simply put, CouchSurfing is when you go on a trip and stay on a host’s couch for an agreed duration of time, carrying the promise of meaningful cultural exchanges and travel stories waiting to be told and heard.
Some of you might find CouchSurfing a novel idea. In fact, I can already imagine that look on your face that screams “risqué!†You would rather be confined to your safe route and stick to the city walls.
Before you decide to come up with a five-page itinerary for your next travel, try to have a look at www.couchsurfing.org. I consider it the best resource for any destination. It is an online community for like-minded travelers who breathe the same passion for wanderlust. It is your Atlas, Lonely Planet and Expedia in just one click.
((Northern Lights above Thingvellir, Iceland) | Photo from RAJAH TRAVEL)
I understand the hesitation of inviting a total stranger into your house.With CouchSurfing though, such scary possibilities are curbed as administrators, ambassadors and bonafide members do their best to make sure that the experience stays as authentic and safe as possible. They are always there to help and remind you to do your homework before agreeing to host someone or surf at someone else’s place. Read your guest’s or host’s profile. Have a feel of their person. Read the essential testimonials from previous hosts and surfers and see what it says about that particular member. Clearly, you will not bother meeting someone with an empty profile or reading a CouchSurfing request that is, no doubt, generically written.
As for me, and the more than three million CouchSurfers (or CSers, as we like to call ourselves) all over the world, CouchSurfing is a concept as mundane as getting our usual cup of coffee in the morning. We can call the bluff of flakers and opportunists. We can tell travel enthusiasts apart from nuisance members who only joined the community, confusing it for a dating site.
(Patuxai in Vientiane, LaosSin | Photo from SINGAPORE AIRLINES)
Host with the most
Back when I was still living in the Philippines, I have opened my doors and hosted about 60 people from different countries — Belgium, France, Canada, the US, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil, you name it!
All in all, that amounts to 60 people who have spent at least a night sleeping on my couch. That also means 60 lives that have made the world cozier, yet far more exciting for me. That is 60 people I got lost with and the same 60 people I had the chance to discover my own country with. That is 60 people that made sure my life, in this little corner of the planet, will never be the same again. It also successfully lit up a fire in me to want to explore other countries and experience the different faces of their realities when I eventually become their guests.
With hosting comes the friendship and connection you make with all the guests who knock at your door. It overflows with the intrigue of witnessing the raw, unedited everyday life of a person in a completely foreign city. That, to me, is the purest form of tasting the unadulterated sweetness of life — in every language, in every color.
(The breathtaking view from the rooftop of the 11th- century Santiago de Compostela cathedral in Northwest Spain | Photo from TURISMO DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA)
“Guesting†game
I find that whenever I am traveling, I meet people that I have crossed paths with me before. I even have a number of chances to have been hosted by some guests I have hosted in the past. Even when I start traveling on my own, I always end up in the company of great people who want nothing more than to surprise me with exotic food and unmapped locations — something that my well-planned and profoundly Googled itinerary would never be able to do.
With my fellow CouchSurfers, I am able to take pleasure in going through all the dark alleyways for say, an unusual trinket that I would never have known of had I just confined myself to the hotel.
Indeed, nothing beats the gratifying feeling I get after a scrumptious three-dollar lunch at the busiest, most authentic area of a foreign city, especially in the company of people (tourists and locals alike) who have also decided to veer away from the mediocre, flavorless food in a hotel’s international buffet.
(Paradise found in the Twin Lagoons, Palawan | Photography by CHINO CORRALES)
Now, when I think about it, all the tuktuk rides, the heart-pounding camel rides and those six-hour layovers at the terminal would have been excruciatingly painful if not downright boring. But with fellow CouchSurfers, such inconveniences are best enjoyed, not endured. The company of like-hearted people made all the stops and gos worth my while.
Sure, most of the couches available couldn’t hold a candle to the sublime comforts of a five-star hotel room. But if there is anything I learned from traveling CS-style, it is that all the laughter, mutual experiences, blissful moments and life-changing encounters don’t always have to come with a hefty price tag.
So, next time you decide to file a vacation leave, go ahead and explore. Leap. Take a risk and be pleasantly surprised. Prepare for an all-out adventure with as much fun-loving people you can surround yourself with. As for the paperwork piling up on your desk, leave it to collect dust, at least until you get your happy tan.
(Cover photo from CHRISTINE S. DAYRIT | The full version of this article was originally published in PeopleAsia‘s April – May 2012 issue)Â
