Take the couch

Site links travelers, hosts in spirit of community

August 22, 2007|Jeff Miranda, Globe Correspondent

(Page 3 of 3)

Michael Atlas, a Northeastern University student who joined the website in March, has hosted 14 CouchSurfers, from Singapore to Iran. While he says at first he was nervous about the risks, he says it comes down to using common sense. "If you take the time to research the person beforehand by reading their references and checking their profile, you already know who is coming," he says. "It's tough to believe the kid you're meeting at the airport is getting off a plane from China to come here and steal my Nintendo Wii."

Mimi Young of Chicago, who slept on the couch during her stay with Jesse Fenton and Benoit, agrees that by the time CouchSurfers reach their destination they are already familiar with the hosts. "You're already in constant communication with them through e-mail, and you've already researched their profile, so by the time you finally meet you feel like you already know them," says Young, who has CouchSurfed through London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels.

Vincent Fugere, a 23-year-old graduate student from McGill University in Montreal who slept in the couple's spare bedroom, says CouchSurfing has changed his perception of the United States. "Americans aren't as bad as the press makes them out to be," Fugere said jokingly. "I thought all Americans carried guns -- obviously that is not the case."

The United States has the most CouchSurfers, with nearly 73,000 registered users, and France follows with 23,000 users. There are surfers all over the world -- 194 in Afganistan, 38 in Iraq, three in North Korea, and two in the Gaza Strip. Boston has the 12th largest community of CouchSurfers, with 700 travelers and 500 hosts.

"We're still maturing as an organization, but over time we will make a difference," Casey Fenton says. "People use CouchSurfing for different reasons, whether just to travel or to connect with people in a strange place. I think most participate to learn as much as they can about other cultures -- and about themselves."