Have couch will travel - maybe:)

So this week's new adventure was Couchsurfing. I had never heard of this site before, although I have heard of the concept. Several years ago I had looked into possibly house sitting/swapping to explore somewhere new, but the few sites out there seemed really sketchy.

At first I really wasn't sure what to expect. But I found making my profile was pretty easy. I like that you can share your couch or just offer to meet up with someone for drinks. You can also keep your identity fairly hidden but still give good information so as not to seem sketchy to others.

One thing I like about Couchsurfing over some sites like Facebook, is while you can become friends or contacts with anyone, you have to give some information about how you know the person and how well. It makes you think seriously about the contacts you make and how to present them as well as yourself to others. They appear to hold safety and security in high regards which is really nice. On many of the other sites, I don't always feel like they care about it.

While I now have several references from my classmates, I am finding myself wanting someone who really knows me write a great reference so people know they can trust me. I guess I need to get some of my friends to join or break out of my shell some to make some new contacts.

I did join three groups, one for North Carolina, one for the Raleigh/Durham area, and another called Theatre Wilderness. The first two seemed logical since it is where I live. The last one is because I think it would be cool to talk to theatre people outside of the US, or who have at least maybe explored theatre outside the US.

I have read several posts on random pages about people's experiences. I really think it is exciting that you can plan an entire vacation around people who could show you around. Yes, you can go through travel agencies and book tours, but you don't get all the little places that a local would know.

I like to travel, and in looking at several past vacations, I always seem to find someone I know who wants to show me around or tell me the cool places to check out. I am getting more internet savvy and feel pretty good about finding places to eat and such while visiting somewhere new. But Couchsurfing puts both of these worlds together. You get the options of asking people who have lived there or currently live there to not only suggest places, but meet up with you to show you around, or allow you to stay at there place.

While I am not sure I will take people up on staying with them right away, I am really excited to hopefully meet up with some new people. As my fiance and I start planning our honeymoon, I look forward to seeing if we can find people who would show us around wherever we go.