Couchsurfing is one of the most widely used apps for cheap travel. It is a website for social networking that lets you connect with people who live in other countries. These people can give you insider tips and advice or give you a free place to stay.
I recall using it when I first traveled and stayed in this lovely Athens residence. I’ve used it dozens of times since that first trip to meet people, hang out, and save money on lodging.
On the other hand, Celinne made and used her social network. She only stayed with friends and friends of friends when she traveled the world. She contacted strangers online and found that they were willing to let her into their homes. She was able to meet wonderful, fascinating, and kind people in addition to saving money on her travel expenses.
I believe that when we travel, we make connections with other people, and she found a way to make some great ones. Her story, as well as the lessons she picked up along the way, can be found here.
Matt the Nomad: Please describe yourself. What are you? What drives you?
Celeste Costa: My travel-filled love story goes back as far as I can remember: I was brought into the world in the core of Rome to an outsider Brazilian mother and a German-raised Italian dad.
I’ve gone from living in the typical American suburbia neighborhoods since leaving Italy to exploring Philadelphia frantically while juggling my studies at the University of Pennsylvania and exploring every corner of New York City.
I quit my city-based corporate advertising job last year to create my ideal life from scratch. I started with a trip around the world, where I used the power of human connection and kindness to stay with more than 70 strangers in 17 countries on four continents.
On the other hand, Celinne made and used her social network. She only stayed with friends and friends of friends when she traveled the world. She connected on the web and found outsiders ready to open their homes to her. She was able to meet wonderful, fascinating, and kind people in addition to saving money on her travel expenses.
I believe that when we travel, we make connections with other people, and she found a way to make some great ones. Her story, as well as the lessons she picked up along the way, can be found here.
Matt the Nomad: Please describe yourself. Who are you? What keeps are you going?
Celeste Costa: My travel-filled love story goes back as far as I can remember: I was born in the heart of Rome to a German-raised Italian father and a Brazilian immigrant mother.
I’ve gone from living in the typical American suburbia neighborhoods since leaving Italy to exploring Philadelphia frantically while juggling my studies at the University of Pennsylvania and exploring every corner of New York City.
I quit my city-based corporate advertising job last year to create my ideal life from scratch. I started with a trip around the world, where I used the power of human connection and kindness to stay with more than 70 strangers in 17 countries on four continents.
Even now, 18 months later, I continue to travel full-time and am working on a book about my Couchsurfing experience around the world.
What drives you to travel so much?
Travel pushes me to be my best self and accelerates my personal development. There are a lot of beautiful places in the world, but they eventually start to blend. Traveling can teach you valuable lessons if you are willing to be present and pay attention to your surroundings.
I have learned to be humble and willing to learn from the people I meet while traveling. It has made me realize how insignificant I am on this planet while still encouraging me to take positive actions.
Most importantly, it has forced me to live in the present moment and open my heart to others. In the end, what matters most when I travel is not what I see but who I become along the way. I do not require global travel. All I want to do is feel it in my veins.
Please describe the long journey you just completed. How could you imagine it? How long was it effective? Where have you been? What were you up to?
I didn’t want to travel the world haphazardly after quitting my corporate 9-to-5 job. To turn traveling into a way of life rather than a sabbatical, I decided to design a project that would:
Include my primary interests—traveling, writing, and connecting with interesting people—and create opportunities for a lifestyle shift when I’m done.
I set a goal for myself to create my ideal life, try to live it for six months, and reassess once I got there.
The concept for my social experiment came from that: Through my network, I couch-surfed my way around the world. I desired to reinstate genuine human connection in my life.
During this time, I never utilized Couchsurfing since every individual who facilitated me was associated with me in some way or another (companions, companions of companions, individuals I met out and about).
I ended up traveling for this project for nine months, staying with 73 hosts in 17 countries on four continents: I traveled through the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.
How did you discover hosts willing to host you? How long way ahead did you have at least some idea where you planned to rest?
There were no sites included! just a simple human connection. My phone (texting, voice notes, and calling) and social media (primarily Instagram and Facebook) enabled all of the interactions that I initiated and initiated.
I informed everyone I knew about my project and inquired as to whether they knew of anyone I could connect with. I kept switching connections until I found someone willing to host me. Hosts began contacting me through Instagram as my project grew and people started finding it.
