Boldly Go Solo

So this guy, Casey Fenton, buys a ticket to Iceland, but he doesn’t know anyone there. He dreads the thought of staying in an impersonal hotel and playing tourist all weekend. So, he does what anyone…scratch that…no one else would think to do.

He emails more than 1,500 Icelandic students in Reykjavik, the capital, asking if he can crash on someone’s couch. And it actually works. Several groups of friends – strangers to him – offer to show him "their" Reykjavik.

How do I know about this? I read it under the frequently asked questions on couchsurfing, the Web site that developed out of Fenton’s Iceland weekend. Yes, now you, too, can couch surf. By visiting the site and signing up. Then visiting couches all over the world.

Pretty kooky/great concept. I don’t know if I’d do it necessarily. Maybe. But if I were 22 again it’s likely I would.  Back then, I did a lot safety-be-damned kind of things that never turned out badly.

During six weeks
of hitchhiking with a friend from the Netherlands to Norway – nope, wouldn’t do that solo – we  ended up staying overnight in lots of
strangers’ homes. 

Couch surfing is not a new concept. Long ago, I joined a group called Servas. It’s still around. It’s similar to Couchsurfing, but the back
story is more inspirational. Servas is a "peace organization."

Servas International members "foster new insight, knowledge and tolerance of others," the Web site explains. Right under a photo of Ghandi. Clearly, this isn’t just a couch service.

Servas has a network of more than 13,000 hosts and travelers. When I attempted to use it for a trip to Paris way back when, it didn’t work out. My fault. I was late contacting people. This was in the days of expensive
long-distance phone calls and hand-written letters. No instant connections.

I goofed up. I didn’t plan well. But I am seriously thinking
about joining Servas again. Here’s why. I want to go to North Dakota. Yes, there’s a story in it. But that’s for another time. 

Anyway, I don’t know a whole
lot about North Dakota. I can’t picture flying there, staying in a
hotel and wandering around downtown Fargo. Or Bismarck. Or wherever. I thought it would be nice to find a Servas host and get the
personal touch during my trip. Yup, find a North Dakotan family. And see "their" North Dakota.

I’ll let you know if it happens.

Photo: Ellen Perlman. "Thar she blows." Geyser in the Geysir area of Iceland.