After a conversation with a beautiful girlfriend of mine, I have decided to join the couchsurfing network. For those of you not familiar with the idea, essentially people around the world offer anything from a coffee catch up to a room/bed/couch in their house. The idea really appealed to me because over the years James and I have hosted a number of friends (and friends of friends) and helped them settle into their new life in Sydney. Some people have stayed just a couple of nights but we had some friends who ended up staying for 2 months!
Couchsurfers seems a strange concept at first...offering your home out to complete strangers or showing up at someones home you have never met, but there is a huge network of people out there who are not only proud of their city and want to help others enjoy it but there are so many amazing people who understand that staying in a home can make you feel much more settled in a place. I'm sure travelers out there would agree with me that after your 10th backpackers (don't get me wrong....I love backpacking and meeting people) you start craving simple things like a quiet night's sleep...or a kitchen you don't have to share with 20 other people.
It also makes you feel like there are a network of people out there who are willing to reach out and share the love! I'll have to keep you updated but I'm looking forward to making some contacts so one day when we're settled back in New Zealand we will have made some friends who can one day visit us in the land of the long white cloud. x
For those of you want to know a bit more... www.couchsurfing.org
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