It is cold cold winter, the snow is falling onto the ground and everything is getting white. These days I feel like covering myself in as many blankets as possible to not be cold and also because it looks kind of grey outside what makes it even more difficult to crawl out of bed. While getting super cozy in the afternoons I've been thinking about my summer travels and travelling in general, how awesome and full the days are opposed to the days in cold winter.
And suddenly the most simple idea came to me. Isn't it the cool new people I meet during travelling that make the experience so worth memorizing? I could respond to my inner self immediately: YES. So why not hanging out with other travelers in order to get a bit of the travel spirit? Sounds great, doesn't it? Hadn't been waiting a message in my couchsurfing inbox that hasn't been answered yet?
I finally found two messages from travellers who wanted to visit my town that weekend. I responded to them and even offered them my couch aka old matress :D When they texted back I already felt a hint of travel adrenaline going through my veins and the next morning I was super excited to meet up and explore my 'hood' with them. First I met up with a guy who was almost my age so we had a lot to talk about from the very beginning. Things didn't happen as I expected at all! I had a few plans what to show him that cold and snowy winter day, but right after the first minute of meeting him, everything turned out into one of these crazy spontaneous travel adventures that none of us was prepared for.
Well, it was still in the morning and we were on our way with two strangers who hardly spoke English nor German to their home where they prepared us a typical meal from their country of origin and shared a shisha with us. Despite communicating was a bit complicated we always found a way through gesticulating or the google translator. I am still surprised that we could even hold up something like a conversation and got to know each other a bit.
The day of my first couchsurfing experience as a host was followed by more fun things like going out together with my flatmate and and talking in our kitchen til the first rays of sunshine were coming out again. The next day 'my' couchsurfer finally got to see the city (what he was originally here for) and we spotted some cool places that I haven't really recocnized before because I was always walking around like, you know, someone who lives in this place and doesn't give a damn about all the beautiful buildings around. But they are, indeed, and another traveller had to come to make me see the amount of beauty I have at my doorstep! I even took photos, in my hometown, I almost felt like one of the tourists.
I was quite sad when he left in the evening because I had a week of ordinary life ahead of me with no
travel experience in view. How wrong I was. As I opened my inbox the day after I had a new message from a girl who was asking me if I could show her around the next day. I wasn't hesitating for a second and we arranged a time and place. She was from California so I had the chance to practice my English which felt a bit uncertain at first but later became the most normal thing.
When I'm looking back on this weekend full of excitement, adventure and new people, I feel so grateful for it, because in the first place it opened my eyes to the beauty of the things you may come along every day without recognizing. Secondly, I got proven that it IS possible to feel like travelling at home! If you have any doubts about the credibility of this, try it youself. I am not just writing this to share one of my unique experiences, it's to inspire YOU to have a look around the next corner even if it might seem cold and grey. The travel moments are waiting for you in the most unexpectable places :) But you, as you are an open minded seeker for adventures, you will find them <3
Have you ever surfed or hosted yet and made unforgettable experiences?
