When looking for a place to live, it is not uncommon to try and find a property that has more bedrooms than you need to comfortably house your family. There is nothing nicer than having friends and family come to visit, and having a dedicated spare room is one way to shoe that you love having them there and that you want them to stay. There are going to be plenty of times when that extra space sits empty, but it doesn’t have to be that way, as you could put it to very good use, making it available to people immersed in the world of couchsurfing.
People have always tried to travel the world on a shoestring budget, spending time in hostels and budget hotels in an effort to find accommodations that allow them to extend their travel. The internet has now made it possible for those people to find a place to sleep for a night or two without having to spend any money for a comfortable bed and some warm shelter. This is where you and your spare bedroom can come into play, as it can be made available to those travelers. There are plenty of networks to be found online where you can offer up your space to people passing through your home town.
It is perhaps a little normal to be concerned about allowing a stranger into your home, but there really is not reason to feel that way. We live in a word where people from different parts of the globe become friends through social media, and while some never meet in person, many more are now taking the time to get to know those friends a little better. That is the principle behind couchsurfing, as it allows you to offer a helping hand to someone who could use it, while potentially making a whole bunch of new friends in the process.
There are now plenty of people who have foregone the opportunity to make some money via Airbnb, or some similar site, by renting out their space, choosing instead to become part of the couchsurfing phenomenon. When you become part of this world, you will get a real sense of doing something big, and of extending a hand of friendship out to people who may be setting foot in your country for the first time. Sure, you may just be offering up a bed or couch for a night or two, but in doing so, you become an unofficial ambassador of sorts for your country.
It always feels good to help and perform selfless acts, but the reality here is that you get more out of the couchsurfing experience than just a good feeling. You will get to meet a wide variety of people from a host of different places, and you will get to hear stories about their life and their culture. When we take time to embrace and accept other cultures, we become richer in the process, and all through the simple act of opening your door to a friend you haven’t made yet.