Ever since I decided to officially study abroad next spring, my friends have been flooding me with tales of wonders about places like London, Florence, Italy, and Strasbourg, France. In order for me to decide between my top three choices – India, Israel and Madrid – I need to make sure I’m choosing a location that will grant me the most gratifying experience.

In an age when our interactions with strangers are through courteous smiles and mouthed ‘thank yous,’ staying at the home of a stranger while overseas may seem absurd. The risk of being confronted with danger while trekking across a foreign country can be a reality, but I’ve always held the belief that it’s only through the risks we take that we begin to make our lives meaningful. And since I began my abroad research, I’ve discovered the innovative idea of ‘couch surfing.’

It’s simple. Strangers across the world open up their homes, offering interested ‘surfers’ to stay with free room and board as they voyage across cities, countries and continents. It’s a network of people interested in broadening their views through the eyes of natives, getting a local taste and furthering their cultural experience.

I find the idea of couch surfing especially endearing, as it’s a testament to the belief that ‘the kindness of strangers’ really does exist. I’ve always wondered when opportunities would arise where I could travel safely without a tour guide while still getting the local experience of the countries I visit. Couch surfing seems like my new alternative, in an effort for me to branch out and visit a place totally new and expansive.

There are more than 1,696,271 couch surfers across the globe in 70,749 different cities with 1,970,808 friendships created, according to couchsurfing.org. Just in the last week, couch surfers had 24,259 real-life introductions and 7,014 new couches established around the world.

Of course, the idea of staying at a stranger’s home may seem ridiculous. But I think it’s the sense of community that couch surfing has created that has ultimately harvested a culture where voyaging in not one or two but multiple destinations on a student’s budget can actually be a reality.

As I begin to plan my spring semester abroad, the real question for me is whether I’ll actually have the courage to take the first step and couch surf. I’ve always been shy meeting new people, and to think that I would possibly be moving from couch to couch and stranger to stranger is almost too frightening to think about.

Part of the thrill in traveling is the unknown. Couch surfing offers travelers adventure in knowing that their journeys will be part of a memory and community, and it thrives on the idea that meaningful connections can be made with strangers across the world.

Angela Hu is a sophomore magazine journalism and English and textual studies major. Her column appears weekly, and she can be reached at ajhu01@syr.edu.

Published on February 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm