In the previous posts I dealt with hotels and bed and breakfast.
Today I would like to write something about couchsurfing, the new cool way to find an accommodation abroad.
The service, which is very famous in the rest of the world, started only now to be popular in Italy, since people are scared to host a stranger in their house. And that’s a pity, actually.
I have never used the service abroad, but I hosted 2 people from Belgium last summer and it was a great experience!
For those who don’t know how it works, you have to register on the website, then you are able to see who is interested to come to visit your town, and how many days he or she would stay.
Once you filter the people according to your taste (genre-age-religion), you can add the person you think you are able to host and you two can talk directly.
You don’t have to have an extra bed to host someone, it can also be a couch, as the name of the service recalls.
When I found these girls on the web, I sent them the pictures of my house, letting them know all the details (how far I live from the city center, what are the closest bus stop in the area, my schedule during the day, etc).
Then we decided to meet at the bus station, so I went to pick them up and I brought them to my place, letting them a couple of hours to refresh and get ready. I gave them the second copy of my keys and I left to go to work.
They have been so nice, since they read on my profile I collect postcards, so they brought me a few, with some delicious Belgium chocolate.
So, why spending money in hotels when you can use this cool service for free?