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CouchSurfing NYC

Finding a Local Community in CouchSurfing

What if you could travel the world without leaving your home town? What if you could meet the same truly awesome people that you meet while you’re traveling, but they’re local? Would you do it?

No, I’m not talking about exploring the ethnic neighborhoods you may have in your city (though those can also be a great way to travel your hometown!). I’m talking about CouchSurfing. Now, you’re probably thinking, “But I thought CouchSurfing was about hosting out-of-towners?” Well, it is, and I’m not talking about surfing or hosting!

You see, CouchSurfing as a website has two aspects to it. Sure, there’s the surfing and hosting that everyone affiliates with it, but you probably knew that. But did you know there’s also this big social networking component?

This isn’t what you probably think fo when you think of social networking. Throw everything you know about Facebook and Twitter out the window! You see, CouchSurfing is full of groups that run the gamut of different interests and places. To take advantage of this, you join your local CouchSurfing group and you’ll quickly find that people will post things like “Hey, I’m going to get dim sum in Chinatown on Sunday, who wants to join me?” And then you just show up…it’s that easy!

I know, I know, this probably sounds just as crazy as crashing with some complete stranger. I mean why would you go have a meal with somebody you’ve never even talked to before? Why to meet some new, totally awesome people of course!

Think about your experience traveling. You’re constantly encountering people who you’ve never met before because, if you travel alone as I do, you’re eager for some human contact! And you can make some great friends on the road because you share one strong common interest…travel. The same is true for CouchSurfers, even in your hometown!

I used dim sum as an example as it was my first CouchSurfing experience, one which made me fall in love with the website. Though I sat down at a table full of strangers, I went on to make some great friends, including folks who I have joined for numerous events since!

And these events aren’t just things like dim sum! Here in NYC, CouchSurfing meetups entail just about everything you can imagine! Aside from the weekly bar meetups we have, I’ve done pot lucks, birthday parties, traditional Ukrainian dinners in Coney Island, Asian buffets in Queens, bar crawls in Brookyln, movies in Central Park, Philharmonic concerts in Prospect Park and one incredible scavenger hunt throughout lower Manhattan. The beauty of events like these is that they can literally be anything! You could accompany someone to a museum, organize a skiing trip or even spend a weekend at someones house in the Hamptons!

CouchSurfers watching a movie in Central ParkCouchSurfers watching a free movie in Central Park

And, of course, these events aren’t just attended by some awesome travel-centric locals! At my last CouchSurfing meetup, I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Costa Ricans, Colombians, Indians, Filipinos and Texans, all visiting from out of town!

So if you want to have the benefits of travel without actually going anywhere, why not take advantage if what your local CouchSurfing community has to offer? It’s a great way to get your feet wet in the CouchSurfing experience without actually surfing or hosting. And who knows? You might just discover some parts of your own city that you would have otherwise never seen and meet some wonderful people with which to share your travel dreams!

Are you involved with your local CouchSurfing community? What sort of experiences have you had?

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By Aaron

Hey there! I'm Aaron and this is my travel site, where I document my adventures to all corners of the world. My love for travel started at the ripe old age of four, when a midlife crisis uprooted my family to Ecuador for five years. Since then, I've been to countries on 4 different continents. When I'm not blissfully on the road, I reside in New York City, where I become the ultimate travel junkie and spend my days dreaming up my next great adventure! Read More...

10 replies on “Finding a Local Community in CouchSurfing”

I love couchsurfing.Unfortunately ever since we moved to our current location (40 min south of San Francisco), we never had any requests 🙁 Our location is not cool enough, I guess. But we’ve hosted people whn we’re in Santa Barbara, and we couchsurfed all over Alaska a couple of years back. Awesome experience.

Indeed it is an awesome way to travel! I love CouchSurfing (and not just because it’s free). The whole premise of a traveler exchange is just so cool to me! I’d love to host some time, but, alas, I live in a crowded apartment and have a really hectic schedule! :-/

Thanks Inka! It’s definitely an aspect of CouchSurfing most people don’t think about. I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble finding some local events in Miami if you check out the local Miami group! Happy trails!

Thanks for sending me that information on Twitter the other day. Reading through these posts has inspired me to sign up for Couchsurfing. I even found a local group to join that has monthly meet-ups. Looking forward to exploring what Couchsurfing has to offer.

Thank you! Glad you’re getting into CouchSurfing! I hope you’ll find it to be as wonderful an experience as I do!

Hi Aaron,

Couchsurfing is a great way of exploring the World while sitting in your comfy couch. Whether you’re hiking in Iceland, climbing Kili or kayaking in the Philippines, there’s a local hostess (or host) waiting to welcome you.
Most will share at least one thing with you: a love of travel. A community of couchsurfing is absolutly great, I’m looking forward to joining one.

Thank you very much for sharing this great article!

Best regards,

Maria

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