Couchsurfing.com

For those of you who don’t know (and shame on you), Couchsurfing rocks!   Couchsurfing is a community seeking to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding.  It is a huge inspiration to Everlater.

More 411 on CS’ing (know the lingo). People from all over the world have created profiles on Couchsurfing, opening up their couches to fellow travelers for nothing more than stimulating conversation and cross cultural exchanges.  Yes, you can Couchsurf from Angola to Afghanistan, and Antarctica to Aruba.  There are no fees or rules, just a commitment from all members to honor the values set forth by Couchsurfing, a communal desire to unite the world and expand cultural awareness and the kindness of anonymous people knowing that a home is better than a hotel and a friend is better than a tour guide.

Nate and I have Couchsurfed all over the world, from Stockholm to Delhi, Buenos Aires to Bogota and even New York to San Diego.  We have met amazing and inspiring people, and more than anything, been overwhelmed at the incredible openness with which people have embraced us, complete strangers, into their homes and told us their stories.  Couchsurfing communities around the world gave us personalized tours and experiences never found in guide books, helped us travel on a budget by reducing accommodation expenses, connected us with local traditions, enabled us to build a global friend network and broke down cultural barriers and stereotypes helping us repair a negative American image around the world.

Couchsurfing is an amazing movement exhibiting the beauty of humanity.  Barriers are nothing but human creations to separate, Couchsurfing ignores barriers and builds bridges.  We are inspired by Couchsurfing and amazed by the community.  Couchsurfing is a non-profit, check them out and if you believe, think about supporting this incredible movement.