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Couchsurfer invites people from around the world into his home
By Xu Wenwen |
December 21, 2011, Wednesday
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PAN Gangsheng hasn't been able to travel around the world yet, but he has brought the world to his home.
Pan, 26, is one of 3 million members of CouchSurfing International Inc (couchsurfing.org), a San Francisco-based organization in which members allow other members to stay at their home for free for a few days. The idea behind the organization is to give members a chance to travel cheaply around the world - they have members in more than 200 countries and regions - while also allowing them a chance to meet people from various cultures.
More than 200 people have stayed at Pan's house thus far in Hangzhou.
"A warm couch or bed makes tourists feel safe in a strange city," says Pan, who runs a foreign trade fashion company.
"Since I cannot tour the world so far, it's great to let people from everywhere live in my home."
The native of Hangzhou is also a CouchSurfing "ambassador," which means he volunteers to promote the organization and the "couchsurfing spirit."
While many may be wary of opening their home to complete strangers, Pan says he has seldom worried about anything bad happening.
"I can judge a person via his or her profile on CouchSurfing, and I only accept couchsurfers who have complete profile and frank self-introduction," he says. "People who fancy traveling are good people, so it's okay to trust them. But only people who trust strangers dare to join CouchSurfing."
Opening his home to the world has opened his eyes and made him think about things from the perspective of others.
This March, a Russian man stayed at his home for one week. The man was traveling around Asia on a budget of less than 20 yuan (US$3.16) per day.
"He only hitchhiked and couchsurfed," Pan says.
He says the Russian's journey started in Moscow and included the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Beijing, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Sichuan, the Tibet Autonomous Region, Yunnan and Vietnam.
"I admire him," Pan says. "Only a person with a strong mind can endure such a long journey on such a tight budget.
"He told me that a big smile was his secret to hitchhiking."
Other interesting people who have stayed at Pan's home include a Canadian couple who were cycling around Asia for six months, a Russian woman who insisted on helping with the housework and an American man who sometimes performs African drum on street.
"I like couchsurfing, not just because of the free accommodation, but because I can meet more people and learn about the world," Pan says. "It makes me feel excited, yet relaxed at the same time."
Pan says he first learned about couchsurfing on the Internet in 2008.
He gave it a try on a trip to Qingdao in Shandong Province. For over one month, Pan didn't stay at a hotel, sleeping on couches, beds and even the floor of CouchSurfing members.
He says his best couchsurfing experience was in 2009 when he went to Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, where he stayed with an American member.
Pan says he enjoyed "five-star service" at the expat's house for two nights.
Pan says he had a large single room, enjoyed big breakfasts with steak, cheese, oranges and kiwis, and to top it off, he even had a car and driver who took him everywhere he wanted to go for three days.
"It was as incredible as a dream," he says.
So far, Hangzhou has some 450 couchsurfers while Shanghai boasts more than 2,000. Half of the couchsurfers Pan has received are Americans, while the number of Chinese coming to his house is increasing.
After inviting the world to his home, Pan is finally going to go out and see the world.
He is planning a yearlong world tour. He will start in the summer, traveling around Southeast Asia and Australia before heading back to Southeast Asia. Later, he plans to travel through western China on his way to Russia, the Middle East and then Europe. From there he will head to Africa and finally the United States. It will take two to three years.
"During my childhood I knew I would tour the whole world someday," Pan says. "But I never expected I would fulfill this dream by sleeping on so many different couches."
Pan Gangsheng's website: www.couchsurfing.org/people/castle_pan
Pan, 26, is one of 3 million members of CouchSurfing International Inc (couchsurfing.org), a San Francisco-based organization in which members allow other members to stay at their home for free for a few days. The idea behind the organization is to give members a chance to travel cheaply around the world - they have members in more than 200 countries and regions - while also allowing them a chance to meet people from various cultures.
More than 200 people have stayed at Pan's house thus far in Hangzhou.
"A warm couch or bed makes tourists feel safe in a strange city," says Pan, who runs a foreign trade fashion company.
"Since I cannot tour the world so far, it's great to let people from everywhere live in my home."
The native of Hangzhou is also a CouchSurfing "ambassador," which means he volunteers to promote the organization and the "couchsurfing spirit."
While many may be wary of opening their home to complete strangers, Pan says he has seldom worried about anything bad happening.
"I can judge a person via his or her profile on CouchSurfing, and I only accept couchsurfers who have complete profile and frank self-introduction," he says. "People who fancy traveling are good people, so it's okay to trust them. But only people who trust strangers dare to join CouchSurfing."
Opening his home to the world has opened his eyes and made him think about things from the perspective of others.
This March, a Russian man stayed at his home for one week. The man was traveling around Asia on a budget of less than 20 yuan (US$3.16) per day.
"He only hitchhiked and couchsurfed," Pan says.
He says the Russian's journey started in Moscow and included the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Beijing, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Sichuan, the Tibet Autonomous Region, Yunnan and Vietnam.
"I admire him," Pan says. "Only a person with a strong mind can endure such a long journey on such a tight budget.
"He told me that a big smile was his secret to hitchhiking."
Other interesting people who have stayed at Pan's home include a Canadian couple who were cycling around Asia for six months, a Russian woman who insisted on helping with the housework and an American man who sometimes performs African drum on street.
"I like couchsurfing, not just because of the free accommodation, but because I can meet more people and learn about the world," Pan says. "It makes me feel excited, yet relaxed at the same time."
Pan says he first learned about couchsurfing on the Internet in 2008.
He gave it a try on a trip to Qingdao in Shandong Province. For over one month, Pan didn't stay at a hotel, sleeping on couches, beds and even the floor of CouchSurfing members.
He says his best couchsurfing experience was in 2009 when he went to Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, where he stayed with an American member.
Pan says he enjoyed "five-star service" at the expat's house for two nights.
Pan says he had a large single room, enjoyed big breakfasts with steak, cheese, oranges and kiwis, and to top it off, he even had a car and driver who took him everywhere he wanted to go for three days.
"It was as incredible as a dream," he says.
So far, Hangzhou has some 450 couchsurfers while Shanghai boasts more than 2,000. Half of the couchsurfers Pan has received are Americans, while the number of Chinese coming to his house is increasing.
After inviting the world to his home, Pan is finally going to go out and see the world.
He is planning a yearlong world tour. He will start in the summer, traveling around Southeast Asia and Australia before heading back to Southeast Asia. Later, he plans to travel through western China on his way to Russia, the Middle East and then Europe. From there he will head to Africa and finally the United States. It will take two to three years.
"During my childhood I knew I would tour the whole world someday," Pan says. "But I never expected I would fulfill this dream by sleeping on so many different couches."
Pan Gangsheng's website: www.couchsurfing.org/people/castle_pan
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