I’ll take a skanky hotel bed via Priceline over a stranger’s couch any day of the week
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Is anyone out there using Digg? I’m trying to jump on the train but I don’t really know what I’m doing or why I’m doing it. I’m an uninformed hobo in the freight car trying to figure out how to adequately pack the handkerchief tied to my stick. Is Digg just Stumble in a pale yellow wrapper?
I don’t know. Anyway, I took a peek at the home page and this is what I found. There’s a new craze called CouchSurfing. Here’s the concept: you register at the site, find some folks who live in the area you will be visiting and ask them — via the site — if you can crash at their house for free.
I’ll wait while you do the Scooby Doo double take.
As. Soon. As I read about this I saw the future banner with special report music on CNN. “CouchSurfing Murder Massacre 2010.”
The site does address safety issue.
Choose your CouchSurfers carefully. Depending on where you live, you may get quite a few Couch Requests. You are never obligated to host anyone! Read each CouchSurfer’s Couch Request and profile carefully before making your decision.
These are all good suggestions but reading the profile doesn’t seem like good enough research. Have we learned nothing from Chris Hansen’s undercover sting operations on Dateline: To Catch a Predator?
That 22-year-old blond Swedish girl who’ll be in San Francisco on the 29th? She’s probably a 43-year-old man with an assortment of blood-stained wife beaters and a house sporting a dank, yet spacious, crawl space. He probably goes by three names ala the serial killers who have gone before him — see John Wayne Gacy.
The site also recommends getting the go-ahead from roommates or family. “There’s nothing more awkward for a guest than an angry landlord or an irritated roommate.”
So true. I would be seriously irritated if I stumbled upon the aforementioned 43-year-old visitor bludgeoning my roommate to death as I walked through the front door.
Further, CouchSurfers encourages members to discuss their plans with their potential murderers guests. “Find out when your CouchSurfers are arriving and make sure your meeting place and time are clear. Give them a phone number where they can reach you in case their plans change or they get lost.”
It’s important that the surfer has your exact coordinates. For obvious reasons.
I’ll stick to hotels with foreign DNA stains embedded in the coverlet, thank you very much.
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Tags: Things that are jacked up, Things that require my sarcasm
Okay, so my Murder Meter is going wonky on this one. I’m just wondering if you are more likely to get murdered BEING the surfer or HOSTING the surfer?
Ewwww. I never thought of that, Lin. I assumed the host would suffer a horribly protracted death. Not the surfer.
(Envisions the nightmare that will occur during restless slumber this evening.)
Are you f-ing kidding me??!! Who in their right mind would do this??!! I can see staying with someone you “know” from the internet, like I feel I “know” you, but not that! I am with Lin–I think either person is open to the hatchet job.
No thank you!
I KNOW! I truly thought it was a joke.
I feel the same about blog buddies. I’d take them over this site, but still I’d have to really email back and forth, talk on the phone, etc. before I did it. Now, I will say that they mentioned hostels and how one suspends one’s disbelief on safety issues when using that institution. It gave me pause, but I still have never, and will never, use a hostel either.
Hmm… I did travel around Europe one summer in medical school and stayed in hostels (not to mention slept on train station floors). Never really thought about that in those terms. I will claim being young and dumb at the time!
Look at you sleeping on a train station floor! Ahh, youth.
you tic. kle. me.
I’m an uninformed hobo in the freight car trying to figure out how to adequately pack the handkerchief tied to my stick. tight!
couch surfing has been around for a while and no thank you, not interested.
Thanks V! I must be in the dark, this concept was all new to me.
V’s right – couchsurfing is actually kind of old school, now, for broke college and post college age people. I still think it’s creepy, but I’ve stayed in hostels, and they can be very nice.
Wow, really? Was it just word-of-mouth as in, I have a friend of a friend of a friend so I sort of trust them since I trust my first-generation friend?
I think it came about with the internet. Way back in the scary beginnings with the super geeky, but I could be wrong.
If it was back in the Scary Internet Phase I’m shocked to hear there weren’t more deaths. Although, now that I read that, it’s a sad commentary on my view of society, is it not?
I don’t consider it any less safe than say meeting a guy at a bar and going back to his place. And that’s just part of the partying scene. Well, it was where I went to school.
I don’t understand Digg either.
Ugh, I hate cheap motels. I can hear my mother, “Don’t touch the beds! Don’t touch them! Let mama pull the covers back first. Now there, let’s just hope they use a lot of bleach.”
I love To Catch a Predator. Love. it. One time the dude said this kinda looks like that show. Uh yeah, buddy, it is, because you’re trying to do God knows what with a 14 year old. Put the bag of wine coolers and condoms down.
True, but in light of the Craigslist murder this seems really dicey.
I can’t believe that guy said it looks like the show and then walked in anyway. Also, the house is pretty big and sprawling. If I met someone there I’d be surprised that they were so well off.
I like the idea of people helping people. And for the most part I think people doing this would be good people. However, there is no guarantee. I think I’ll sit this one out.
Yeah, the idealist in me can understand that but I really have a hard time trusting people.
Hola CG,
I have no comment on the Digg thingie…nope still no comment.
Now I am somewhat torn by the couchsurfer idea. On the one hand it doesn’t appear any less safe than say online dating. On the other hand letting complete strangers into your house to “couchsurf” is begging for some weird torture thing to happen to both you and your pets. Considering my issue with personal space I couldn’t see allowing any random Joe or Josephine the rights to my house. I’m somewhat private and don’t want any old person all up in my ishkabibbles (this is the technical term).
And you’re right these folks haven’t watched Chris Hansen because if they did they would be just as scary as my little brother. Do you know he keeps the shower curtain open when he’s in the bathroom for fear someone might be in the tub trying to strangle him? So that was a slight tangent…carry on!
I do think the internet has gotten safer over the years, but I still don’t think I could handle online dating. Isn’t it funny, I *might* consider staying elsewhere (that’s the cheapskate in me talking) but there’s no way in Hell I’d let a stranger stay inside my house.
I love your brother’s paranoia.
Good Lord, I can’t believe people actually do that. Couchsurfing sounds like it could be included on a list titled “The Five Best Ways to Get Yourself Murdered.” (One of the others would be hitchhiking.)
YES! I totally agree. That reminds me I need to write about the first and only time I ever hitchhiked.
Ev. Ery. Time. I hear the word hitchhike I think of this Marvin Gaye song. Enjoy.
(hums “Hitchhike, hitchhike baby…)
YouTube is trying to be a betch, so here’s link.
Gotta love the disclaimer! Yup, you should really check out their profile ’cause no serial killer would ever dream of LYING about themselves! So when you read that the 22 year old Swedish women’s volleyball champion volunteers at an animal shelter on weekends after she finishes reading to the sick children and before she plays the piano at the retirement home, you’ll know you have nothing to worry about.
Uh huh.
I do love that disclaimer. I wonder if a legal team came up with that to avoid being sued.
I didn’t look at CouchSurfing but I did look at AirBnB or something like that, that my friend suggested to me. From what I understand you rate the couch/spare bed that you borrow for the evening and the hospitality and stuff like that.
I think it would be a little weird having strangers stay with me in my house (or me stay with other people) but in a way it would be an adventure!
Oy, I still couldn’t handle that. Even if a good friend recommended a friend’s house I’d be leery. It’s that whole personal space thing.
I’ve stayed at friends of friends houses wasn’t too bad but the mattress was like a rock and sleeping on the floor would have been better lol.
Ouch. I suppose free might include sleeping on a bed of nails, eh?
I would never do this, either as a surfer or a … surfee?
Far too many things could go wrong with me on someone else’s sofa, and I would never sleep with someone else on mine.
Definitely the thought of someone else on MY turf is the scariest. But I got say being the surfer seems pretty damn terrifying as well. I wonder if you could take a friend with you.
It might give the murderer pause, if he thought he’d have to clean up two bodies instead of one.