Couchsurfing Through Russia And Beyond

Even though I have only signed up to couchsurfing a couple of months ago I have made incredible experiences, travelled in luxury and met some of the most amazing, open-minded and interesting people ever, whether it was locals or fellow travellers.

What Couchsurfing Is All About

Couchsurfing is an online social community of people who like to meet locals while travelling and locals who like to meet travellers. It is a forum for low-budget travellers to find options to spend the night and learn about a place from a local person in exchange for offering time, skills, language practice or anything else one may have to offer. On the other hand, locals get a chance to show their city to foreigners, to learn new things and to make new friends all over the world in exchange for offering their couch.

How To Find A Host

There are two different ways to find a host. Firstly, you can search for hosts at your destination and write a request introducing yourself and your travel plans. Secondly, you can post a public trip outlining your travel plans and what you are looking for and wait for hosts to find you! Personally, I have mostly used the second option since the first option is more work and with the second option the hosts that respond to your request with an offer usually have time and space in their life at the current moment to also spend some time with you. At most destinations, unless they are extremely overrun by tourists and travellers at the time of your request, you will get many offers and can still pick and choose who you stay with.

What To Watch Out For

Whether you are a host or a surfer, there is not much security in terms of the true intentions of the people you invite into your home or at whose places you end up staying. References from other surfers help, but can also be easily faked. It is important to apply common sense, trust your guts and rather not stay with people who appear off. Communicate in advance and share your plans to see where the other person is at and if you have the same ideas of what this meeting is supposed to be all about. Give the address of your host to someone you trust and make sure someone knows where you are. Maybe most importantly, don’t be afraid to say ‘no’!

‘Free Accommodation’

Couchsurfing has a reputation of being a platform where one can find free accommodation. However, claiming that couchsurfing is free is like someone telling you all about Europe while never having left the states. Even though it may not directly cost the surfer any money, it has financial implications for the host: water and electricity charges, food, possibly gas if they take you around in their car and many other things they are willing to pay for. They also pay with their time for hosting you and showing you around their city.

The ‘Couchsurfing Isn’t What It Once Was’ Sayers

There are many hardcore, old-school couchsurfers out there, many having been signed up since day one, that have chosen to deactivate their profiles and leave the online community because they say it isn’t what it once was. Sure enough, couchsurfing has been turned from a non-profit into a start-up company with a new CEO who has different ideas and some of the many millions of new users are only looking for a cheap place to crash or someone to sleep with. But to those I have to say, there are still many couchsurfers with the original values at heart and even though you may come across the occasional black sheep, as with any community of a comparable size, and my experiences over the last two months certainly showed me that participating at this stage of the community’s development is well worth it.

My Experiences

Even though I have known about it for years I have only joined couchsurfing recently. I signed up earlier this year and started surfing in Russia. What I experienced went far beyond my expectations. Sure enough, not all meetings were amazing, I also surfed with a guy who spent maybe a whole 15min with me and went out partying with his friends the night I stayed with him without inviting me. But the majority of hosts went out of their way in a big time to give me a sense of their city, home and culture, took me out for traditional food or cooked for me and were very, very generous in every way imaginable. The trust I, a complete stranger not known beyond a few lines in an online profile, was met with is beyond compare. I was invited into homes, given keys, food, toiletries, rides and most importantly, they chose to spend their precious time with me.

I joined ‘couchsurfer meetings’ and met lots of locals, expats and travellers alike looking to meet new people and exchange language skills, travel tips and experiences. I was taken to the places the locals, eat, meet and drink and had many a private city tours, getting to know the places that are most important to locals, not necessarily those that are overrun by tourists. I met up with people, others took me into their homes and some I met again and again.

The more I use it the more incredible, amazing and real are the people I meet and the experiences I make through it.  To be honest, I was a little held back by all the horror stories couchsurfing got media attention for but even if I wasn’t I would have never dreamed of meeting the most generous, hospitable, kind and open people in the world. Real people, I would have never met and real connections I would have never made if it weren’t for the platform.

Now it is like I not only have friends all over the world but also lots of homes. I was not only offered many a bed to sleep on for free, just because people want to meet me, but hosts, their families and friends also integrated me into their lives as if I had always been there and if I just belonged.

Travel Vaccinations

Vaccinations is a hot topic, all right. Some people are strongly for it, others are strongly against it. Very few are on the fence. Whereas the discussion around vaccinating children is one thing that doesn’t belong on this blog, immunizing yourself against certain nasty diseases when travelling is another – some countries even require you to have the one or other up-to-date vaccination, most notably Yellow Fever.

Here’s five reasons why you should definitely consider getting some shots before hitting the road:

1. There are effective vaccines against some pretty nasty and life-threatening diseases. The risk of getting sick from side effects of the vaccination is much smaller than the risk of contracting the disease when abroad.

2. Your immune system is not used to all the different kinds of bugs and infections like local people’s immune systems are. You are therefore more at risk of getting sick. And once your immune system is struggling with a little cold it is more vulnerable to more serious infections!

3. Your immune system is not very well equipped to deal with small infections in unknown surroundings, you are very likely experiencing a different climate, different food, different daily routine, different hygiene routines and access to hygiene facilities. This makes it less likely for you to realize something is wrong as early as you might in your familiar surroundings at home.

4. Once you do realize something is wrong, seeking medical help can be complicated, depending where you are. Medical services might not be as readily available as at home, you might have a difficult time overcoming language barriers trying to explain to the doctor what is wrong with you, the quality of medical services may not be what you are used to from home and the medication you require might be scarce or simply not available.

5. Do you really want to end up fighting for your life on the other side of the world knowing well that you could have prevented the infection in the first place by simply getting vaccinated? I think not.

If you have decided to get vaccinated you should contact your nearest travel clinic (your GP might not know the ins and outs of what shot should be gotten for which country!) at least 8 weeks, better 3 months before your planned departure. This gives enough time to complete vaccination cycles required for certain vaccines. Websites like those of the Tropical Medical Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or Fit For Travel help you understand the risks of tropical and other diseases you may encounter while abroad and help you understand which vaccinations you will require. These link to official Irish, US and UK websites but if you travel to Thailand, it doesn’t matter where you travel from, the risks are the same. All that matters is that you keep safe!

Travel Insurance: luxurious accessory or necessary nuisance?

Insurance. Before embarking on a trip, every traveller finds themselves at crossroads:

will I take out insurance or not?

This question is more than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, it leads to an internal struggle between the mature need to be responsible and safe and the natural aversion against unnecessary bureaucracy and complicated insurance speak.

Do I chance it and travel without insurance, trusting that I will be fine against all odds I may encounter during my adventure? To go abroad with the thrill of being irresponsible that is accompanied by the sweet feeling of freedom? To put it on the line and spend the few hundred bucks I safe on a sweet adventure?

Let’s get real here.

My advice to everyone, no matter how long the trip or how exotic the location: Never ever travel without insurance (And I’m not just saying that because I’m German!). Accidents can happen everywhere and to everyone and you never know when you are going to catch that nasty flu. No matter how hard you try to avoid it, it will always find you when it is the least convenient for you. It is ALWAYS better to be prepared and pay a few more bucks for an appropriate insurance policy than to suddenly be hospitalized and broke abroad.

There is an uncountable amount of different travel insurance opportunities out there. Finding the one that suits your needs isn’t easy, and finding out what the subtle differences are between different policies is almost impossible.

There are a few things to look out for:

1. Already have medical insurance at home?

Before taking out expensive travel insurance with some business, check your current insurance provider, your credit card company or your bank – many of which offer travel insurances at reduced cos for existing customers. You may just find a bargain!

2. Length of insurance cover

Just like there are subtle differences in the activities covered and the maximum payouts offered there are differences in the maximum time frames different policies cover. This is important to be aware of before taking out an insurance since with many travel insurances you cannot extend them once on the road.

3. Medical conditions

Declare ALL your medical conditions when taking out a policy and definitely before leaving your home country. This might increase your premium slightly but if you don’t the company may refuse to pay any claim, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with your condition. And they are absolutely entitled to do so. Good news is, there are a number of different insurance providers that cover you even with serious long-term medical conditions!

Money Makes The World Go Round No. 2

In the last post of the Money Makes The World Go Round series I shared what you can do back home in preparation for your trip. However, there are also lots of ways in which you can save while travelling! The two most important points are the same: budget and prioritize.

1. Budget

Budget, budget, budget! Before you go and while you are on the road. Keep an eye on your expenses and make sure you know how much you have left. Budget a cushion for the unexpected and make sure you don’t get caught in going over budget constantly – sometimes that’s ok but you have to make up for it another day. Plan ahead and be aware of the prices for trips, tours and attractions and if you spend a lot on entrance fees one day, well, maybe you could eat in that day and if another day your activities are free you could splurge at the pub in the evening!

2. Prioritize

When you are travelling on a budget it is extremely unlikely that you will be able to do everything you want to do. Think about the millions of options available to you and prioritize what is more important to you: Going out yet again for pizza or paying a bit more for a single room to get some peace and rest? Planning ahead and receiving discounts if you buy a specific train ticket in advance or having the freedom of leaving the decision to leave to the last minute but possibly paying a lot for an uncomfortable seat in a crowded train car with no air conditioning?

3. Accomodation

You can save a lot of money by finding free, or almost free, accommodation via hospitality networks or similar. Read more about how to sleep on a budget here.

4. Food

Sure, eating out is expensive. But you really want to try this amazing looking local food. Try one of these mealsharing networks: Eat With, Eat With A Local or Mealsharing. The aim of these networks is to be invited for a small dinner party into a local person’s home for a small fee. You get to taste great local food prepared with passion and meet local people and possibly other travellers, too – and all of that for half the price of dining in a restaurant.

If you have a kitchen available to you one way of saving A LOT of money is cooking yourself and shop groceries in local supermarkets and food stores.

Other ways to save on food are to buy from street vendors or fast food – a lot cheaper than restaurants. Eat local food, it always comes cheaper than the foreign stuff!

You can also safe on refilling your water bottle with tap water (where the water is safe to drink) and refrain from buying soda, which costs a fortune anywhere in the world.

5. Travel Around

Travelling around can become expensive very quickly. If you are travelling by train in Europe or Australia, look into rail passes or booking specific journeys well in advance – you can safe a fortune this way! For longer trips compare train fares, bus fares and air fares, not always is the one that seems the cheapest actually the cheapest mode of travelling. Book overland travel as soon in advance as possible and safe on the fares.

6. Student Discount

Are you a student, a teacher or under 30? Get yourself an international student/teacher/youth card, there is a lot of money to be saved with entrance fees, tickets, even some accommodation.

Besides lots of ways to save money while on the road, there are also ways to make money, believe it or not! More on that in part three of Money Makes The World Go Round.

Money Makes The World Go Round No. 1

Money? Ugh, how boring. You want to travel, experience other cultures, meet interesting people and live life to the fullest, the last thing you want to be thinking about is money! Unfortunately the very non-romantic truth is that money is needed for anything you might want to do in this world. Therefore we need to find ways to safe money before we hit the road but also safe and make money while we are abroad. On the other hand, the good news for those of you who think they just don’t have enough money to travel is that everyone can afford it with just a few tricks and tips!

You don’t need to earn a lot to be able to save up for travelling. You just need to make TRAVEL your priority!

1. Priority

Set your priorities straight. If saving up for travelling is your priority, remind yourself when you are about to spend a lot of money on things you don’t necessarily need. Do you really need that fifth pair of heels or that ridiculously expensive facial tonic? Remember your priority!

2. Budget and Timeline

Answer these two questions: How much money do I need? When do I need it by? Your answers will be the foundation of your savings plan and your budget to finally go on that trip you always wanted. Don’t loose sight of them!

If you are someone who tends to keep putting things off, book your first flight the moment you decide to go travelling. This can help you stick to your timeline!

To help you stay on budget, make two (mental) lists: needs and wants. Everytime you are about to spend money, ask yourself which list the expense would go on. If it’s on the ‘wants’ list you can often convince yourself that it’s not worth it – remember your priorities!

3. Savings Account

Critically evaluate your income and expenditure. How much can you realistically put aside for travelling every month? Set up a savings account with a direct debit to this account straight after your pay check comes in for the amount you decided you can save. Whatever is left at the end of the month you can then transfer manually and watch how you get closer and closer to your goal.

4. Going Out

Going out for meals or drinks gets very expensive very quickly. Consider cutting out the number of times you go out every week by half and you will safe a lot of money already! If you go out for a night on the town, set yourself a budget before you go and take cash along, leave the plastic at home. That way, you have no choice but to go home (or get yourself invited) once your budget is spent.

5. Meals

Learn to cook. It is not as difficult as it seems! There are plenty of websites out there with easy and simple recipes anyone can follow. I have looked up some articles for you on Buzzfeed, the Thought Catalogue and Greatist. You won’t believe the money you save by cooking some of your meals yourself and cutting back on take-away and going out.

Also, buy a lunchbox and prepare your lunch at home instead of getting those incredibly expensive sandwiches or salads at the shop around the corner every day at work.

If you plan ahead a little and do one big shop at the grocery store a week instead of stopping by every day for a few things, there is more money to be saved.

6. Coffee

You love your Starbucks, Costa, Nero or whatever your coffee-to-go provider of choice is called? Well, your wallet doesn’t. Take-away coffee, whether it is the fancy option from the coffee shop or the basic brew from the gas station costs you an arm and a leg on the long run. The few bucks every day accumulate really fast! Why don’t you invest in a french coffee press (10 bucks) and a travel mug (7 bucks) and prepare your coffee-to-go yourself every morning? Put the money you save on coffee into a travel fund jar before lodging it into your savings account and you can watch your travel fund grow! If you spend €3 on a coffee 5 days/week that’s €780 a year. If you buy branded, ground coffee and make your own coffee you get about 40 cups from 200g of coffee which will cost you about €4 – that’s €0.10 instead of €3 per cup! If you drink your coffee really strong like me you might only get 20 cups, but you’re still saving €2.80 per cup.

7. Transportation

Transportation is expensive, but for most of us unavoidable. Why don’t you leave the car at home and take the bus to work? Or maybe you can walk, run or ride your bike? You’ll not only do good for your wallet but also for the environment and your body! With the current gas and oil prices your savings will grow fast.

If you live in the city you may want to consider getting rid of your car altogether. Savings from tax, insurance and maintenance of a car can pay for a luxury hotel in no time!

8. Cut Down On Bills

Shop around for a cheaper energy provider, change your light bulbs to energy saving ones, only run the washing machine and dishwasher when they are full, unplug appliances when not in use and look out for a cheaper phone and internet plan or renegotiate the ones you have – if your phone plan includes a fair bit of data, maybe you don’t need to pay for additional internet?

9. Declutter

If you really need a new sweater for the winter, try buying second hand and more importantly, sell all the stuff you don’t use! All those things you haven’t used in 6 months, do you really need to keep them (unless they are your only pair of winter boots) or can you sell them at a flea market or car boot sale? You get rid of all the useless clutter in your life and earn a few bobs for travelling at the same time! There is nothing more freeing and nothing that prepares you better for a life on the road than getting rid of worldly goods.

10. Quit Smoking

We all know the fags are not good for your health. We also all know that the price for a cigarette is pretty steep these days. Giving up the smokes isn’t easy, granted, but keep remembering your priorities! Think about all your travel adventures awaiting you when you feel like lighting up and ask yourself: is it really worth it?

Before I gave them up for good a couple of years back I was smoking about 2-3 cigarettes/day and a few more when going out. With an average of 25 cigarettes a week at a price of €0.475/cigarette in Ireland I am saving more than €600/year. If you smoke a pack a day that’s already €3 500 a year!

11. Get A Job 

Of course you already have a job. Get a second one! No one said that saving up money for travelling won’t be hard. Find yourself a job as a travel agent and make use of the deals offered to staff members. Land a job with an organization with international focus and extend business travel by a few days of personal vacation. Or get a job with an airline, for example as cabin crew, and you may get regular layovers of 1-3 days without any cost of getting to the destination!

12. Buying Flights

Check flights regularly (see this post on booking flights) and book when they are on offer. I read somewhere that flights are the cheapest 6 weeks before the travel date on a Tuesday but I can’t vouch for how much truth there is in this statement. Generally speaking, booking early and flying off-peak, this means during the week, early in the morning or late at night and off-season, is cheaper than booking a midday Saturday flight to Spain on the first day of school’s summer holidays.

13. Cost Of Living

Research the cost of living in the countries you would like to travel to. A trip to Australia will cost considerably more than a trip to Thailand. You may be able to travel to Thailand sooner than to Australia but if you really want to go to Australia make sure you budget accordingly!

14. Recurring Costs

Finally, if you are gone for a couple of months, cancel as many recurring bills as possible. Move your stuff back in with your parents to avoid paying rent. Cancel your car insurance, mobile phone contract and netflix subscription – you can always reactivate them when you return!

As you can see, there are many ways to save up before you leave for your adventure. There are also many ways to save money while travelling, or even make money! More on those in posts 2 and 3 of Money Makes The World Go Round.