Have you considered visiting several countries
without having to worry about spending on hosting?
(Laughs)
Ever thought of meeting amazing places that are not in any tour guide?
Have you ever thought of meeting people from all over the world?
without having to leave your own home?
Well, this is all possible through couchsurfing.
Couchsurfing? What is couchsurfing?
If we think of the literal translation of English,
“couch” is sofa,
and “surfing” is surfing.
Naturally, we imagine something like this.
(Laughs)
But not. Couchsurfing is not really catching waves on a couch,
although this is not such a bad idea.
(Laughs)
In fact, couchsurfing is a movement in which a resident
offers a free house to host a traveler for a few days.
And that’s where the name comes from.
Because the traveler will sleep according to the availability of the resident.
On an extra mattress, on a mat, or even on a sofa.
So basically it’s a free hosting, right?
Do not.
Couchsurfing is much more than that.
Couchsurfing involves a wide exchange of experiences.
The traveler can cook with the host.
The host can give him tips on cool places.
Not only the tourist; talking where to eat, where to go, among other things.
The idea is not just to spend the night in a stranger’s house.
It is really knowing the person, conforming to her routine
and be open to live all good things
that this meeting can provide.
How to make it happen?
The first choice is the good old word of mouth.
Staying in the house of acquaintances not so close, friends of friends,
and always seek new ways to meet people.
And, from there, get in touch by phone, email, Facebook,
Whatsapp, smoke signals, whatever.
The important thing is to expand your range of contacts
and lose the shame of staying a few days in someone’s house,
or even to receive someone for a few days.
The second option is an online platform called couchsurfing.com.
In this platform, the user creates a profile and provides some information on it.
And so, it can get in touch with other users;
to offer lodging, or to request lodging.
It puts some information like: the age, the profession, where it was born,
the why of being in the couchsurfing movement, some interests,
music, books, movies,
places you’ve visited, places you’ve lived.
And, in case you offer lodging, some information about your house:
how many people fit, how is the accommodation.
That is, they are just the starting threads of any conversation.
After all, if you are going to get some strangers in your house,
You’re going to want to know a few things about him before, right?
The online platform is just a good tool,
but it is extremely possible to do couchsurfing without it.
“Ah, Rodrigo! Last week, then, I received my friend’s cousin
for two days at home, it was kind of a couchsurfing, already? “
Exactly! I bet you asked your friend:
“Is your cousin good? What does he like to do?
What does he like to eat?
Tell him he has a good couch to sleep at home.
And he’s the first person I get that way.
By the way, has he done this before? “
And it is at this hour, it is in this conversation, that we decide whether the “vibe” beats,
if the personalities beat, if we want to meet another person,
if we feel safe, if we think it will be legal
offer hosting to it, or be hosted by it.
The challenge is to increase the range of contacts
and to enter more and more into the movement.
Beauty!
We know better what couchsurfing is,
we know how to do couchsurfing.
But why?
When I travel I have several hotels, hostels, several options to stay.
Why am I going to do couchsurfing?
This movement allows you to meet new people
and gives you the opportunity to make new friends in a very unique way.
Lets you go to places not so touristy,
which can enchant you in a very captivating way.
And it will certainly bring you incredible experiences,
like the ones I’m going to tell you now.
To begin with, a personal example.
I’ve done couchsurfing in ten different countries,
but the most multicultural experience I have ever experienced,
was through couchsurfing in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
I stayed in an apartment that was more or less like this …
I slept on the mattress of a Bulgarian room,
who shared the apartment with two other people.
An Italian and an Englishman.
The Englishman was dating a Bulgarian
and by the time I was there,
he was getting two guys from Belarus,
also by couchsurfing.
(Laughs)
At night, we all gather in the kitchen
to drink some beers, to talk;
about customs, prejudices, interests,
stereotypes, curiosities, of every culture there.
It was amazing!
And that’s when I discovered that in Bulgaria,
if you want to say “yes” with your head,
you make this move,
(Laughs)
as Chaves did on the show.
(Laughs)
Of course, if you want to say “no”
you make this move.
(Laughs)
Not so useful information, but it’s super fun, is not it?
Couchsurfing can bring great personal project ideas as well.
This is Ali Zaidi, a Pakistani who lives in London some years ago.
In Ali’s own words, these are his impressions
when receiving travelers by couchsurfing:
“Every time I get someone, I have less prejudice in my life.
Prejudices that arise from the stereotypes we hear from the media.
One hand has five different fingers, so how could I expect
that the people of a whole country were the same?
It has been a beautiful journey, of course, a beautiful journey. “
Based on this idea of cultural differences,
he developed a photographic project called Mas (k) culinities,
who investigates what it really means to be a man today, in many cultures.
What social masks are involved in aspects of masculinity
in various cultures.
In this way, it receives travelers from all over the world
and invites some to be part of your project.
First interview
and later takes some photos,
according to what was said.
Ali’s only requirement is that the model
look at the camera at the time of the photo.
So each of these photos is something extremely personal
for each of these models, which makes the project even more incredible.
Nowadays, he exposes these photos in various galleries.
Couchsurfing, can also change your life in an unimaginable way,
as happened with Lisando.
Lisandro is an Argentine from the city of Rosario.
On a trip to Brazil, he had to stay here in São Carlos,
for a few days.
He asked for lodging for several people, and among the many who accepted,
decided to stay in a mixed republic.
In this place, Lisandro got along very well with the locals
and with everyone in the circle who frequented the house.
The friends of the residents, friends of friends,
friends of their friends.
And among these people was Guilherme, a Brazilian who lives in São Carlos.
The two of them approached, fell in love,
but Lisandro had to return to Argentina.
From there, they continued talking on the internet,
until one day they decided to take a chance.
About a month later, Lisandro returned to São Carlos
To live with Guilherme.
And today the two live together and live this international love.
And, of course, every person who does couchsurfing
There’s a good story to tell.
Now with all this in mind: what is couchsurfing,
how to do couchsurfing, what to do couchsurfing …
I ask:
Where is the beauty of couchsurfing?
Why is this movement so beautiful?
For me, beauty is not, essentially,
in the incredible experiences that each one can obtain;
hosting someone or being hosted.
The beauty lies in believing all this;
to help without wanting anything in return;
to trust before distrust;
in allowing oneself always to wait for the good side of people.
When we ask for something, we create a connection.
And here, instead of seeing everything as a risk,
we see all this as an act of trust.
After all, the human being is generous by nature.
We like to help. We want to help.
And this all reflects the purest
love.
Couchsurfing represents a true community,
in which people share their experiences with sincerity
and open-hearted.
And that, we can spread to our life as a whole.
There is a song that reads as follows:
“The peace you want in the world, you have to live first.
The love you want in the world, you first have to be. “
Let’s be love!
Couchsurfing is a beautiful and pure expression
of what it is and how to spread love.
Let’s be love!
Thank you very much.
(Applause)
”
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