This past December I was lucky to travel to Holland, France, Switzerland, Denmark and Mozambique. I was even luckier that I didn’t pay a cent for accomodation all thanks to Couchsurfing, if you don’t already know what Couchsurfing is…read all about here ( http://bookofswag.co.za/2015/01/22/sleeping-strangers-travelthursday/ ). So one of my Couchsurfing hosts, after cooking me Blanquette de Veau à l’ancienne made with Veal Tenderloin, asked me if I have ever heard of Airbnb? It turns out that Airbnb is similar to Couchsurfing in so many except that with Airbnb you have to pay the homeowners/hosts. At this point I thought my host was hinting that he’d prefer that I pay at the end of my stay, immediately I was engulfed by panic and worry because I couldn’t afford a one night stay in Europe, Jacob Zuma had just sacked Nhlanhla Nene and had replaced him with unknown weirdo and the Rand was at all time low.
So you can imagine how relieved and jubilant I was when my host said “what kind of bullshit is that?” without even waiting for my response. Of course I didn’t know what Airbnb was as yet, but now I do and I don’t like Airbnb, I’ll tell you why: You know that saying by Susan Sontag about how she hasn’t been everywhere but that everywhere is on her list of places she like to go to? That’s me and unfortunately at this stage of my life money is an issue. I can’t afford to pay for accomodation, I’d rather use that money on beer or learning how to kite surf or better yet learning a new language. Besides the best things in life are free, right? But, for what it’s worth I can comprehend why some people may favour Airbnb over Couchsurfing, maybe to them; comfortability or fresh linen or having the whole house to yourself are personal piorities when traveling…makes sense.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t only like Couchsurfing because it’s free…I have a whim for human connections and kindness. I grew up in a small village called Zebediela where ubuntu is a virtue, a pleasant disposition and a concern for other people are values that my people espouse. So I find that there is nothing more loving than if someone is willing to open up their home to you, cook for you and take you to the best bars and museums in their city or town. The camaraderie within the couchsurfing community is what I live for. Another beautiful thing about couchsurfing for me, is that you get to escape the tourist trail and experience a place in a more authentic way. So in a nutshell, for me couchsurfing way way way better than Airbnb, but, by all means do travel…because to travel is to live.