About CouchSurfing
When traveling it is most important to pack the perfect bathing suit, remember sunscreen, and have a couch to crash on. A non-profit social media website, CouchSurfing.com, connects travelers from Antarctica to Italy making the world a better place, “one couch at a time.” Transcending international borders, CouchSurfing is an easy to use website which enables its users to both host travelers in their own home, or journey abroad and couch surf in another member’s home. CouchSurfing is an inclusive organization, and even users without couches available for hosting are invited to join.
The Beginning
Couchsurfing began when creator Casey Fenton received a ticket for a weekend in Iceland with nowhere to stay. Not simply content to play the role of a typical tourist and stay in a hotel, Casey set out on a search for a couch to spend the night. He spammed over 1500 Icelandic students in Reykjavik looking for a place to stay. Following some email exchanges and a crazy weekend away, Casey vowed never to follow the tourist path again. From only one weekend in Iceland, CouchSurfing was born. Since, there have been over 1.25 million travelers who have followed in Casey's CouchSurfing shoes. In 2003, Fenton and several willing volunteers launched the site in beta. Version 1.0 was made live in 2004, with Version 2.0 following in 2006.
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Why it’s Exceptional
To date, the member supported and community driven global CouchSurfing.org community singlehandedly sustains the website. It is the work of volunteers who improve the website and spread the mission. There is no fee for membership or use of the social media network. Users wishing to give back to the service for their experiences are asked to donate their time to the site for a specific project or as an ambassador, or make a membership donation for site maintenance.There have been a reported 3.2 million positive experiences, which translates to 99.6 percent success rate.
Traveling abroad and rooming with a near stranger poses some potential risks. However, Couchsurfing works to take the risk out of travel with references, verification, vouching and ambassador status. For its safety procautions, Couchsurfing remains a means of trusted travel. The following icons appear on profiles of members deemed to be trusted CouchSurfers:
