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Cost/Day- 60 euros
After a few months on the road, it takes something fairly odd to catch a vagabonder off-guard, but seeing a man herding sheep from the back of a scooter certainly threw me for a loop. The sheep didn’t seem flustered by the portly man zipping in and out of the herd, hurrying them along the hilly roads of Mykonos in loud Greek, all the while … Read more »
When you think of places you’ve visited, do you remember the sights–or the people? In this article, it was the latter that made the lasting impression: I couch-surfed across America.
The vivid and quirky cast of Couchsurfing hosts the writer encounters provide enough fodder for its own TV sitcom. An excerpt:
Bill, our host in Duluth, described himself in his profile as a Zamboni operator and freelance detective. In … Read more »
One of the payoffs of the vagabonding lifestyle is that the more time you spend in an area, the more genuine your experience can be. While nothing will ever replace the tried and true method — stay longer and you’ll experience more — a new website aims to help short-term travelers find authentic local experiences.
Three years ago, I changed my travel plans in order to visit friends living in Croatia. The country was definitely on my list, however it didn’t happen to be in the top five “must go now” destinations at the time. What changed my mind? My friends were nearing retirement age, and would soon leave Croatia for their homes back in the United States and Honduras.
What … Read more »
Jordan Valley, Israel/Palestine
It’s not everyday that you stand on the side of a highway, a car pulls over, you get in, and moments later the driver says you’re an answer to prayer.
Up until this car stopped, the day had been full of disappointments. I had left Jerusalem that … Read more »
Fleur Britten’s “On The Couch” is the first travel memoir about couchsurfing I’ve seen; this doesn’t mean there aren’t any others, naturally, but it does mean that I picked it off the library shelf with a surge of excitement. “Ooh!” I thought to myself. “This is gonna be good!”
I was, unfortunately, wrong.
Couchsurfing is a practice that … Read more »
Who draws the line between “corporate travel” and “leisure travel”?
(My answer: The travel industry.)
Is this a good thing or a bad thing for travelers? Why?
Discuss.
Most travelers are familiar with Couchsurfing at this point. That great nonprofit initiative that connects travelers from all over the globe, providing them with a couch to crash on, some great company and events around the city, or simply a local’s advice. As someone with a decent number of couchsurfing experiences under her belt, I can attest to the organizations quality. I’ve had singularly amazing experiences … Read more »
It’s inevitable: Whether your choice places to stay when you travel are hostels or hotels, you’ll eventually end up couch surfing in the home of a friend or acquaintance. How do you know you’ll be a good guest? Lifehacker’s recent “Be a Perfect Guest in the 21st Century” points out that the best advice goes beyond merely being polite and focuses on not burdening … Read more »
One great part of travel is the thrill you get from the random and deliciously quirky places you find yourself. Just a few weeks ago I was thrilled to find myself sleeping on an 8×10 square foot floor with 2 other people on a tiny fishing island in the Yellow Sea. Why? Because it’s an 8×10 foot floor on a tiny island in the Yellow … Read more »