Sleeping Around the World — A Couchsurfer’s Confession
Who would be willing to let a total stranger sleep on their couch?
Who can guarantee that the host offering their sofa isn’t some axe-wielding maniac?
It struck Brian Thacker as odd that crashing on someone else’s living room floor had become the newest and most joyful way to stay while traveling, so he set off on a global couchsurfing adventure to find out. He traveled through the United States, Africa, India, Iceland, and slept on beds and sofas in 77 countries. Sometimes he’d bed down next to a drum set, or curl up in a wardrobe for the night. He traveled with people who were quirky, hospitable, or just plain crazy.
Mariana in Rio de Janeiro claimed she was the happiest girl in town; Smári in Reykjavík fed Brian fermented shark; and there was also the incredibly welcoming Bob in Chicago (who even got into a fistfight in front of Brian, which made him feel like one of the gang). These are just a few examples. But after sweating through a night battling malaria-carrying mosquitoes in a shack in Nairobi, you might never want to travel again.
Where this journey will lead or when it will end, even Brian can’t say. Who knows what else he’ll encounter. But whether you or he would care to bet the last dollar in your pocket, this is undoubtedly a unique, unimaginably wonderful, thrillingly odd, and utterly fascinating adventure.
Brian Thacker was born in England but immigrated to Australia at age six because he didn’t like the weather. After earning a degree in advertising, he started hitchhiking on a 10,000-kilometer trip across Europe.
In the 1990s, Brian fell in love with couchsurfing and went for it, sleeping on beds and sofas in 77 countries. He authored several travel books such as Rule No. 5: No Sex on the Bus, and wrote thousands of postcards during his journeys.
He has also worked as a tour leader, ski instructor, advertising creative director, silverware store clerk, painter, barman, paperboy, and butcher’s assistant. He now lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife and daughter.
This guy has slept on sofas in 77 countries. His book is the ultimate guide for any adventure-seeking couchsurfer craving excitement.
Introduction
These days, airfares aren’t too expensive, and borders aren’t too strict. From Azerbaijan to Zambia, every country in the world is opening its doors to travelers. Staying in a stranger’s home might just be the last truly authentic form of travel.
Stop 1: Chile
1. A Rocky Start
I checked my email right up until an hour before heading to the airport, still with no luck... Even after landing, I remained optimistically certain I’d find somewhere to sleep. But once I reached the city center, I still hadn’t found a couch. At this point, I’d have slept on a park bench.
2. Miguel’s Holiday Cabin
Claudia came up to me: “Do you believe in God?”
“Uh… not really,” I mumbled.
“God showed me who’s boss—I’m pregnant.”
I was pretty sure God wasn’t the father. I figured she was telling me this because she knew she’d never see me again.
3. Jose’s Mini Couch
“If you bring someone back to stay, either you two don’t get it on, or we all party together. So unless you’re that wild, don’t even think about bringing anyone back,” said Manuel, a Detroit-born stripper.
4. Juan’s BBQ Feast
Just after 9 p.m., Juan’s mother stepped out of her room and caught me in my boxers, tiptoeing and pressing my ear to his little brother’s door.
5. I Stole Mariano’s Dog’s “Bed”
I just couldn’t figure it out—every time I made eye contact with the dog, it would suddenly lunge at me like it wanted to tear me to shreds.
“The dogs here are fucking insane!” I yelled at Mariano.
“No way, they never bother anyone,” Mariano replied calmly.
Second Stop: Brazil
1. Pedro’s “Humble Abode”
Once, Natalisha was watching a World Cup match with her family. When she went to the bathroom, Brazil scored a goal. In the second half, she went again—and Brazil scored another. “So now whenever there’s a game, they won’t let me out of the house unless I stay in the bathroom,” she explained.
2. The Awesome Marianna
“I invited my friends to stay over, just in case you turn out to be a rapist or a serial killer,” Marianna blurted out as she greeted me at the door.
When greeting someone, Marianna just opens her mouth and speaks.
Third Stop: United States
Bob, Handsome as a Movie Star
“What’s the name of the person you’re traveling with in the United States?” a stern-faced U.S. security officer asked me at Rio de Janeiro airport. I got the exact same grilling at security checkpoint 2. At checkpoint 3, they made me take off my belt and meticulously inspected my Havana sandals to make sure there were no nuclear warheads inside.
Come on, at that moment, I was still 7,000 kilometers away from the so-called land of freedom and bravery.
Fourth Stop: Canada
Celebrating Oktoberfest with Jeremy
I told Jeff I was planning to visit Niagara Falls, and he told me to “push all the American tourists over the edge.” That was a bit tough to pull off, because on the way there, I didn’t see a single American tourist.
Fifth Stop: Iceland
Smári’s Air Mattress
As we drove past a small cluster of trees, the guide announced that this was the biggest forest in all of Iceland. This entire “forest” was about the size of a soccer field.
“If you get lost in a forest in Iceland, do you know what to do?” the guide asked us.
“Just stand up!”
Sixth Stop: Belgium and Luxembourg
1. Sleeping on the “L”-Shaped Sofa with Joris
“You know, drinking is part of our lunch in Belgium. Beer is like a ‘sandwich in a glass.’”
2. The Hospitable Cécile
In the blink of an eye, we had arrived in Luxembourg’s capital. There, along the wide boulevards leading into the city center, stood luxurious office buildings of major banks—every single one you’ve ever heard of. And then there were banks only money launderers would recognize. It seemed the bank employees were doing pretty well, because the streets were full of brand-new BMWs, Porsches, Mercedes, and Ferraris.
Seventh Stop: Turkey
James and Eileen’s Wedding
Eileen said, “The first step of a traditional Turkish wedding is a short formal ceremony. It’s so short that a few weeks ago, I went to one and missed it. The ceremony started at 7, I was three minutes late, and it was already over.”
Eighth Stop: Kenya
Mutisia’s Village
On the way back to Nairobi, we stopped at a hot dog stand next to a gas station and had a rather late lunch. A group of blue-bottomed baboons came over to eat with us. Just as I took a bite of my hot dog, the biggest, meanest-looking one waddled over. Before I could react, it snatched my hot dog with its chubby little finger—and I couldn’t grab it back.
Ninth Stop: South Africa
Soweto’s Valinda
Valinda asked me for a not insignificant “sponsorship fee,” then found a local boy named “Brilliant” to take us to see the shack where he lived with his mother and sister. Despite this much-needed “sponsorship fee,” I still felt very uncomfortable about coming specially to witness someone else’s poverty firsthand.
Stop 10: India
1. Penelope and Sarah’s “Mansion”
It was nearing dusk as we climbed the steep steps up India’s largest mosque. The mosque’s courtyard can accommodate 25,000 worshippers, and the steps leading to it were already crowded with 2,000 beggars. “Actually, in India, giving money to beggars is illegal, and if you’re caught, you could get three years in prison,” Penelope said, pushing away a shriveled, wrinkled hand reaching toward her.
2. Vikram
Vikram said, “Some restaurants serve tourists poisoned food, then take them to a private clinic for treatment. That way, the insurance company pays out thousands of dollars.” I stared at the leftover food on my plate, wondering how much of it I’d already eaten. Vikram noticed the pained look on my face and quickly added, “That hasn’t happened in quite a while”—though he didn’t sound very convincing.
Final Stop: The Philippines
1. Clean-Freak Jude
“Let’s go bar-hop every single KTV,” I said cheerfully, “and at each one, I’ll sing ‘My Way’ and see if anyone shoots me.”
2. Ivy’s Coral Island Resort
“It’s so great that you’re here,” Doug said. “It’s just been the two of us all week—having someone else to talk to is such a relief!”
“But now we each only get four waiters,” James said as another waiter brought over a pitcher of beer.