Stay differently - my experiences with Couchsurfing and Airbnb

When I come home from travelling I always get asked: “So where did you sleep the past 2 months abroad?”

 

My answers are mostly like: “I stayed in hostels, with couchsurfing or Airbnb.“

And then the second question is almost always: “What is that, this couchsurfing thing and the other one with Air?”

I understand that most people (especially family members) don’t know about these new ways of travelling, so it’s always a bit tricky to explain to my grandmas and uncles how this couchsurfing thing works and how I can live with it. Mostly their reaction to the fact that I spent one month sleeping in stranger’s beds and couches is dismay. But I am always prepared for that because none of my relatives have ever experienced this kind of travel, so I await a couple more minutes of explaining the benefits of these great alternatives of going around.

About Couchsurfing 

As I am more the shy person, I was pretty nervous and also a bit anxious before my first couchsurfing experience. I was worrying about that I wouldn’t find the place or the guy would be awful, unfriendly or rude. Unless I wrote to my first host before staying with him, I was still suspicious, but I told myself often enough that everything will be fine and if it wasn’t I could still go and find a hostel.

But all these worries were unfounded because the guy was a super nice hippie who had prepared me some food on my arrival which I appreciated a lot because I had been starving all day long.

He also introduced me to his friends and flatmates and showed me around the appartment. When I later fell on my matress in a separated room! I was so happy I had the guts to try out this couchsurfing thing. Every beginning might be a struggle, but it’s worth it. And once you got into it you want to do it again and again.

So far the sunny side of couchsurfing. Of course there are some downsides and things you have to watch before staying with someone.

But all in all couchsurfing is not a bad thing isn’t it?

I have heard so many positive stories by confident surfers and if you watch some unwritten rules you can’t do anything wrong. Just have in mind that only you (and nobody else!) makes the choices for yourself, which means if you feel uncomfortable with any situation you can leave whenever you want or you can ask if you are unfamiliar with something - just don’t feel like you have the duty to stay with that person, because he or she opened his or her door for you. ALL the couchsurfers I met so far, told me that - and it is the truth – more importantly the essence of your safely travels! I don’t want to say that couchsurfing is absolutely safe because I heard about travelers that haven’t always been treated well or had complications with communicating with their hosts. There are many different examples and if you are interested I would like to talk about that in another post sometime soon?

About the other one: Airbnb

Is this cool thing for what advertises appear everywhere on web pages these days. Once you know the sign you can recognize it everywhere.

“How does it work?” they ask.

Well, it just works like couchsurfing but with payment. Over the Airbnb website or App you can type in the place where you’re going and see all the homes and rooms listed. There are also options for filtering your results, like price maximum or equipment. 

Once you’ve found your perfect place, you can either press the direct booking button or contact the host with a direct message. I prefer the direct message first because you get to know your host a bit in advance and can better discuss your arrival time or the paying method. 

It is not complicated at all to get a room with Airbnb or a stay with a welcoming couchsurfer due to the user friendly pages of these companies. Both offer a webpage and the application, so you can comfortably contact your host from wherever you are.

Whenever I hear my family and friends saying again that sleeping at strangers' homes is too dangerous for a girl, I tell them how great it always was and how many nice people I got to know through this. Overall to make clear how prejudiced we all are over people in the world. Because in fact, we are all humans with experiences to share and gratefulness to give.

I am very grateful for all those who have hosted me and given me a place to rest and a laughter to share. Who have shown me their favourite places around their hometown and introduced me to their dearest friends. I am thanking them while I want to give something back. 

I want to give back to the people this experience of hospitality and kindness. Just this feeling when you expect nothing and get a lot in return. It’s the best!

                                                                                                                                                            

These are only the two options I tried while travelling. Of course there are a lot more websites and social networks for staying with local people around the globe like HomeStay, MyTwinPlace or HomeAway

If you know any more of these kinds of networks, please let me know! I am wondering if you already made some experiences with hosting or staying with others through CS or Airbnb?

Have a Merry Christmas :)

The wish to reach limits

Thoughts by my travelling self...I am seriously in fear of reaching the limit of my memory card everytime I go on holiday!
But who doesn't know that feeling? You're on a great trip and feel like taking pictures every 2 minutes, whether you're just walking down an alley or looking at a famous cathedral. And then, after a few days or weeks of constantly taking pictures, you're beginning to worry about your memory and how full it might be at the moment. Most of the times I thought I only had few space left to take photos, there was always enough left for like the same amount of photos I've already taken. So another evidence why worrying on travel is just not necessary. Enjoy everything and soak up the moments!
Your memories will thank you for that - and your card memory as well, because you create less pictures with a digital frame but with your own eyes and soul.

Thanks for reading :)
Happy holidays, christmas shopping and travel time, of course!

Which are the big and tiny things you always worry about while travelling? How to you get to terms with them?

Just fell in love with Nerja

I can’t just describe it with words what makes me say this. But I’m so so soo glad I spent the 4,52 on a busticket to this beautiful town. Even if it’s more like citysized, its flair is like in a very small town by the sea. It’s a bit on top of some cliffs so around almost every corner of the narrow streets with white buldings you can have a look at the sea. Or enjoy it at one of the super-chilled beaches around the coast of Nerja. I’m sure there’s a nice tranquil and comfortable spot for everyone - Hippies included plus feeling the good vibes (:

First I was hesitating to go to Nerja but now I can say I don’t regret it at all! I think I could easily spend a week there, trying all the beaches, restaurants and walking around the white city.
AND there’s also an advice to my future self (especially on travel) : Visit the places in the afternoon to evening light! Trust me, because there’s no such thing as a white houses glancing in orange sunset light.

You've got the same opinion as me on cities in orange evening light?

Tell me which of them you like best :)

My advices for any women out there who wants to travel alone

Travel tips, uncensored out of my travel diary...

Don't forget your credit card (in case you own one...if not, get one immediately - you never know when the post service decides to strike!)

No, it's not all about the money, but sometimes it may seem like that

If you feel goddamn alone, try to connect with 'wild' cats

Don't trust the wrong 'advices', but don't miss out on the good ones (after a while of travelling you will get a feel for differantiating between the two of them anyways)

Just remember, in order to live the ultimate travel adventure, no matter if on your own or with some travel companions, you have to make your own experiences. That's the only thing that counts!

One more thing...
While travelling all things kind of stick together. You mostly never do things that have no influence on another. Everything depends on anything you're doing along the day. It's practically a pretty small world for you and your travel-moment but it also comes along with a bunch of freedom and vacancies and...food! (nah, just kidding, sometimes you feel like dying of hunger because you missed the opening times of the only supermarket in the tiniest village in the middle of Andalucia. But don't you worry, there will be a looot of delicious dishes to taste on the road to turn you into a satisfied traveller again:)

All I wanted to tell you in this post was basically "If you have the chance to do something, DO IT - And don't you dare hesitate!


Wanna let me know about your travel tips? You're always welcome to leave a comment, otherwise you can already make me happy by starting to think about your your next dream trip :)

Going for a ride is always a good idea

So I decided to rent a bike this morning and it turned out to be the best idea since I arrived in Malaga! I got a dark green one that was a bit too small for me and that I also had some trouble driving,  but it was ok for a few hours. I started driving east from Malaga and came along a few playas I can highly recommend if you are looking for some more relaxing and quiet beaches during the summer time. In the morning when I started my ride, it wasn’t so hot and crowded at all. While comfortably driving I  just sent some snaps for my friends to see that will hopefully maybe make them a bit jealous because who wouldn’t like to be at the beach asap?

Something really funny happened to me while driving along the promenade. When I was passing through a pavilion of a chiringuito and a man had to step aside to let me through, he said something like:

“Eh, la vuelta a España en bici“ - on a trip around Spain only by bike

And I was like: “Eh, no thanks, not with this one anyway, but thanks for the tip, maybe I’ll do it one day”…this response I only had in my mind and not saying it out loud of course :)

What was your funniest bikeride you ever did? And was it during your holidays, maybe also with a rented bike? I'm curious for your stories!

MalagArt

While still in Malaga I was visiting the CAC which is a museum of contemporary art located by the river and the port. The entrance is totally free so I had to give it a go!

And it was absolutely worth it. The art inside was exactly my taste. There were silkscreenprints by Andy Warhol and DFACE and there were also some crazy sculptures like a skeleton sitting in an edge as tall and long as the hall was high. You get to see pretty much cool stuff for like…nothing. Also when you step outside the CAC there is art at the sidewalls of the dry canal (that is actually only dry in the summer). I like ‘barrios’ like this one where you can find graffiti pieces of every kind and size around every corner.

So are you such a big streetart fan as me? Do you even like modern art?