Couch surfing
It's an online era. We make friends online, we find travel partners online and we even spend a night in a stranger's place.
I first read about couch surfing from a travel magazine. Young people in their 20s grouped together and spent 2-3 weeks in Europe. They learnt to perform in the street, and slept in a stranger's couches. They have an open mind to pursue this unique travel experience.
Today, I met a guy who actually loves couch surfing. He was a host to two girls travelling to Asia, and he also travelled to Xian by couch surfing. The idea is quite scary, but if I had a second thought, I got to know a few kd lang fans on a message board over a decade ago, and I stayed at their places, too. Of course, they gave me a bed instead of a couch to sleep. But same as couch surfing, some do actually give you a proper bed or even a room instead of a couch.
The idea of couch surfing is definitely interesting, intriguing and fascinating, but it's always a matter of trust that makes people nervous.
I feared nothing but was only happy to get to meet like-minded fans in the old days. I cared less about the language barrier but was only happy to meet them in person and even went to the concerts together. But I know that I couldn't go to the concerts with any fan. There are also a "click" element to make things work. So I bet I was very lucky at the time.
Do I have the gut to try "couch surfing"? Not yet, but I think I should have an open mind to meet people from online communities. Can I possibly imagine that I meet someone who does couch surfing from my social circle. No, but now I learnt about it first hand. Isn't it great?
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