My experience with couchsurfing (as both guest and host)

There are 1,001 ways of travelling. Some people embark with just a backpack, standing on the edge of a road in New Zealand with a sign and a thumb pointed to the sky. Others pack their suitcase in preparation for their stay in a luxury hotel in Mexico. Some find themselves in a houseshare in Canada, while others traverse the continent of Australia in their fitted van. This is exactly what I love about the WHV: it gives you the freedom to take your time, and to travel in your own way.

During my travels, I had the opportunity to experience something completely new to me: couchsurfing.

Couchsurfing refers to the concept of housing, or being housed by, strangers for one or a couple of nights. Even though I’m no stranger to traveling, the idea of inserting myself into the lives and homes of complete strangers made me somewhat uneasy. I had loved my time living with a host family in the US for a year when I was 17. And despite my shyness, they became a second family to me. Obviously, living one year with a host family and one night on a stranger’s couch are completely different experiences, but my extroverted side was curious enough to wonder: “Who would I meet? What stories would we exchange? What might we have in common despite our differences?” I think couchsurfing opens the door for us to meet people in a spontaneous way, people with whom we would never otherwise cross paths with in our normal routines.

So I decided to give it a try and here’s how it went.

10 days with a Kiwi family in Gisborne

During my 4-day trek in the Tongariro National Park, my travel buddy and I met a retired couple from New Zealand. For three nights, we shared our stories, debated ideas, and shared meals. When we had to part ways, we swapped phone numbers so that we could meet up again in Gisborne. A few weeks later, we were in their city and reached back out. They were very happy to learn that we were in the area and offered to house us for the night in their home, where we could share a nice meal and use their hot shower. On day 2, they suggested that we stay longer; we ended up spending 4 days together. We wanted to invite them to a restaurant, or to cook for them, or to offer them some wine as thanks for their hospitality, but they refused and simply said “pass it forward”.

1 night at a young couple’s place in Wellington

One time I was passing through Wellington and my savings were lower than I had planned for. I decided to take a chance and post an announcement in a Facebook group called Host a Sister. Back then, there weren’t a lot of members living in New Zealand. But after a few days, someone responded to me saying that she and her partner had a guest room available in their apartment and that I was welcome to stay.

When the time came, I navigated to their address with my GPS. I was a bit nervous. I had never met these people in real life, and the introverted voice inside me was trying to scare me. Once I arrived and met the couple, I saw that they were also relatively reserved and very polite. They took me to their favourite restaurant in Wellington and even accompanied me to the airport the next morning.

Housing a Kiwi-Australian in Belgium

Since I was 18 I’ve wanted to try hosting other travellers. Unfortunately I never really had the opportunity to do so… until summer 2023! I was in New Zealand again, and I saw a message from an Australian girl in the FB group Host a Sister, the same group for couchsurfing for women. She was looking for housing near Brussels in June. I wasn’t living in Belgium at the time, but I knew that I would be back home in Belgium during her visit so I offered that she stay with me at my dad’s place if she couldn’t find anything in Brussels. She accepted my invitation right away despite the distance to my address (45 minutes from Brussels proper is long by Belgian standards but not so much for Australians, I think). In the weeks leading up to her visit, we exchanged a few messages until we realised that we had friends in common in New Zealand! The world is truly small.

Once we met in person, we had an immediate connection and very quickly became friends, with my sister too! Despite the language barrier, my father also enjoyed sharing these family moments with our guest. I showed her my hometown and all the Belgian clichés (fries, waffles, chocolate, beer). A few days later, my new friend had to continue onward to other European countries and we had to say goodbye…

A day of reunion in Sydney with my former couchsurfer

A few months later, I was surprised to learn that my airline had modified my itinerary for returning to New Zealand from Belgium. I now would have a full day layover in Sydney. And guess who was living in Sydney? My former couchsurfer-turned-friend! I immediately sent her a message saying that I would be passing through Sydney. This time, it would be she who showed me her city and its clichés: Bondi Beach, the Opera House, the bridge… The day was short but intense and we loved the opportunity to see each other sooner than expected!

Conclusion

My experience with couchsurfing, limited as it might be, has added another dimension to what travel means to me. Even if certain encounters don’t lead to immediate connection, being welcomed into someone’s home creates an undeniable bond, one that is defined by trust, respect, and exchange. It embodies our innate desire for human connection. Plus, visiting new places through the eyes of a local allows us to see and appreciate differences. All in all, couchsurfing is a great way to travel and to meet someone where they are, at that moment in their life.