Posts tagged couchsurfing

Join Couchsurfing.org.

1. Join some groups, add people you already know.
2. Get verified. You will have more people accept you AND, just as important, you’ll show up in more search results and get more people who want to stay with you.
3. Host people! Meet travelers, learn the pain and pleasure of being a host.
4. Join local groups when you start traveling. There are tons of meetups all over the world where you can meet other travelers and locals who want to socialize with you.

I LOL everytime somebody gasps, gawks, pauses or is otherwise astonished by the fact that I meet people in person who I’ve “only talked to on the internet”. I thought we got over this as a society long ago, but apparently not.

I met:
- one long term romantic partner (7 years)
- 3 girls I dated for long periods of time (several months)
- countless friends (ok, actually countable, but like.. 10+ that I regularly still talk to)
- the recruiter who got me my first big ‘career’ job
- a martial arts instructor
- many of the people I know from the film scene in Austin, TX
- Arbie, the first person I stayed with on my trip to the Philippines

…all on the internet.

My last post reminded me of some of the reactions I’ve encountered from people lately about meeting people “from the internet”. The asker, walkingbase, is couchsurfer and traveler who of course understands the value of such interactions. Many other people still don’t get it though.

I understand the need for caution. I understand that I’m now traveling in places that are not familiar to me and in countries where I am probably in greater danger than my home country.
Just play it smart.

walkingbase replied to your photo: location change: Makati City, Metro Manila,…
“Have you couchsurfed over there at all, is there anyone who offers couches?”

I stayed with this guy my very first few nights in the Philippines. Arbie is awesome and is also a tumblr blogger. We’ve hung out since I stayed with him and he continues to amaze me.

There are a few other couches that I found being offered around the Manila area, but not many with high response rates. Quite a few of the ones being offered are from other travelers here.

I’ve spent most of the rest of my time in the Philippines so far with family. I will try to couch surf a little bit when I get to Palawan, but we’ll see… doesn’t look like there are many couches there.

I’ve noticed that i’ve gained a lot of new followers on Tumblr who are from Manila. If anyone wants to host me while I’m here in the Philippines, couchsurfing style, let me know! I’d be very much obliged. My email, facebook, etc are all in the sidebar.. or just send me an ask.

arrived in manila safely last night, took a cab and surfed my first couch here!