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5:00pm, Wed 25 Feb 2009 : Being a good guest with Couch Surfing.
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During January to March 2009 I hit the road with a round the world ticket in hand. My adventures are variously documented on www.nayler.com, but this blog entry is a review of the important lessons learned about being a guest.
Despite a not-so-normal upbringing in a western suburb of Brisbane, I had the good fortune to be born to a mother who taught my sister and I that the honesty and care for others were some of the most important values you can have.
While at times this has not served my bank balance or place in a queue, the REAL rewards have been endless.
These lessons have also served me very well when travelling as a Couch Surfing guest, with the continuing reward the glowing references that I received from my hosts. Here are a few tips.
Arrive with a gift.
I am not talking about diamond rings or expensive alcohol, but something simple and thoughtful. In Rome it was a silly colourful hat given to me upon departure from my last stop, In Vancouver, it was some cookies left over from a lucky first class upgrade on my flight from Montreal. In both cases, the host was surprised and happy that I had been so thoughtful.
Help out always.
Remembering that your host may be saving you between $30 and $200 per night in accommodation costs is reason in itself to do what ever you can to make their life easier. My favourite is insisting that I love doing the dishes (which is true). I have even been known to pull dirties from dishwasher so that I can do them in the sink. Even better, if I have the opportunity to do the dishes while my hosts are out, so they return to a cleaner kitchen that the one they left. Be thoughtful, creative and surprising for the best effect, spending a dollar if warranted.
Respect the generosity of your host.
The nature of a Couch Surfing host normally includes being a generous person. Its there way. Be sure to not take advantage of this generosity as it may leave them with a negative feeling of you or hosting. A recent example occurred on the boat. I have a large Internet and phone plan, meaning that I can be generous in offering these resources to guests. I ended up watching on as a friend was punching through a lengthy FaceBook chat with global contacts, while another guest was talking at length to a distant friend on my phone. This left me a little miffed to the point of having to say something.
Your host should never feel like an alien.
The two most common ways that I have ended up feeling that I should have green skin and antennae is emotional bouts by guests and excess foreign language. Even while overseas and lucky to be in the company of people with good to excellent English, I worked hard to use what ever of their language I knew or grasp more. It was always fun to make mistakes to the delight of my hosts. Meanwhile as a host I have had the misfortune to had guests that spoke excessively in their mother tongue, despite having very good English. Just like feeling the waiters are talking about you in that Parisienne restaurant, a host enduring unintelligible speech leaves wonder about the topic of discussion. Its uncomfortable in the restaurant and down right painful in your own home.
The other thing is being continuously cheerful and friendly. As we know, being cheerful and friendly is not always possible, but where possible keep the sadness for your private space unless the host is specifically keen to shoulder your problems (many hosts are good listeners, myself included).
Participate.
It may not always be something that you are up for, but when a host makes an effort to show you a good time or include you in activities, you should try and go with the flow. While overseas, I found myself eating in a soup kitchen, walking about town at midnight to tour bars while freezing and partying with a circle of people that I would not normally. They are making an effort, so you should too!
Be grateful.
"Thank you" costs nothing. Use them liberally.
Engage.
Finally, and summarily, engagement is the key to being a good guest and a good host. For me, CS is about cultural exchange and friendship. This means talking, understanding and laughing. Its makes the experience all the more enjoyable.
Overall, 95% of my CS experiences have been outstanding this little review is aimed at making that number closer to 100% for myself and others.
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Other Stories
 01 Jul 2010 Open Letter to Adobe
11 Jun 2010 CS Marinya becomes super model for a day
10 Apr 2010 Return home from Fraser
21 Mar 2010 Mobile internet to the rescue
15 Jan 2010 Pray for Northerlies - Maryborough delivery
24 Dec 2009 What a Year, what a Whitsunday!
01 Dec 2009 Julia Gates wants her own best job in the world
22 Oct 2009 Tips for first time couch surfers
08 Aug 2009 John, Marie, Tracey and Mark went for a sail
20 Jun 2009 Yamaha 9.9 hp high thrust 4 stroke engine electrical problems.
19 Jun 2009 ChannelWhitsunday.com coverage of Seawind regatta
03 May 2009 The best couch in the world
28 Apr 2009 Superb: Dean, Clare, Hannah
20 Apr 2009 Priya
12 Apr 2009 Catrin and Marcella
09 Apr 2009 Vanessa and Romana
05 Apr 2009 Perfect sailing conditions
31 Mar 2009 Sail with Tyson
28 Mar 2009 Hayman Island with Rotary and Airlie Beach History
21 Mar 2009 Hamilton Island Wedding Cruise + 3
19 Mar 2009 Travelling Home
11 Mar 2009 LA, town of movies and bears
07 Mar 2009 Back to school in Edmonton
04 Mar 2009 Vancouver
01 Mar 2009 Ottawa, national capital of Canada
28 Feb 2009 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
25 Feb 2009 Being a good guest with Couch Surfing.
22 Feb 2009 St Thomas. Time with friends
20 Feb 2009 Viarail, Canada - Travelling from Montreal to St Thomas to stay with friends.
13 Feb 2009 Montreal - top right corner of France
11 Feb 2009 Day in London
10 Feb 2009 Sarah Simpson, Best job applicant
09 Feb 2009 Gourge, France to UK
08 Feb 2009 Gourge - French countryside
02 Feb 2009 Best job in the world video making
31 Jan 2009 Paris in winter
31 Jan 2009 Hot Koalas
29 Jan 2009 Isle of Wight and Falmouth
22 Jan 2009 Turin in snow.
17 Jan 2009 Best job in the world for Ema Q
16 Jan 2009 Rome - Old city
15 Jan 2009 Vatican and first day in Rome
13 Jan 2009 Just keep flying...
| 08 Jan 2009 Racha
07 Jan 2009 Phi Phi Don
06 Jan 2009 Phuket Arrival
06 Jan 2009 Phi Phi Lei
05 Jan 2009 Locked and loaded
31 Dec 2008 Woodford 2008
24 Dec 2008 Hamilton Island staff escape
10 Dec 2008 Randy and Shazza
18 Nov 2008 Grand Adventure
27 Oct 2008 Tigra takes a crash
12 Oct 2008 Mandurah Boat Show 2008
29 Sep 2008 5 from France
13 Sep 2008 Sailing South with Tracey
02 Jul 2008 Don't tell them its winter!
01 Jul 2008 Another
18 Jun 2008 Zineb and Ester
12 Jun 2008 Anna
05 Jun 2008 Lenni and Denis
22 May 2008 Dent to Dunk
13 May 2008 Is it winter yet?
08 May 2008 Whitsunday Private Yacht Charters
25 Apr 2008 And that's a wrap
19 Apr 2008 6 up for adventure
10 Apr 2008 Gloucester Island Assault
09 Apr 2008 Restocked and roll'n
06 Apr 2008 Sail to Nara Inlet Waterfall
31 Mar 2008 Antifoul is best on the hull, not in the tin!
29 Mar 2008 Cinetech from Hong Kong
24 Mar 2008 Dinner with friends... But what's for dinner
21 Mar 2008 Now that is a big screen!
17 Mar 2008 New office at the marina!
23 Feb 2008 Woody Head Camp Ground, Bunjalung National Park, Iluka
21 Feb 2008 Kiama, New South Wales South Coast
20 Feb 2008 Diamond Head Camping Ground
19 Feb 2008 Yagon Campground, Myall Lakes National Park
18 Feb 2008 Gillards Beach, Mimosa Rocks National Park
14 Feb 2008 Congo Point, Moruya NSW Southern Coast
12 Feb 2008 Greenpatch Campground Booderee National Park
11 Feb 2008 Camping Gear for sale, Car included.
01 Feb 2008 40th Birthday Tour
29 Jan 2008 Top Gear Australia Audition
05 May 2004 New Zealand #5
04 May 2004 New Zealand #4
30 Apr 2004 New Zealand #3
29 Apr 2004 New Zealand #2
28 Apr 2004 New Zealand #1
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Quote
from Ghandi
I
do not want my house to be walled in on
all sides and my windows to be stuffed.
I want the culture of all lands to be blown
about my house as freely as possible.
Pretty much my life... and I love it.
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John's
world trip
Where did I go on my recent round the world trip. Click below
to see it on a world map. |
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Check
the stop overs |
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Netcomm
N3G002W
Netcomm N3G002W providing Hot spot internet via 3g / Next G
Read
more |
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Next
G Coverage
Telstra Next G coverage continues to impress. Using my Tu500 handset,
I have been able to get on the net at high speed at various places.
The latency of the network also seems very low when I get on. Very
nice.
Coverage
Test List |
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Come stay on my cat using Couchsurfing.com
Couch
surfing is a world wide network of free
beds and a great way to meet people and
emerse yourself in the local culture. I offer accommodation on my sailing catamaran through this great web site:
John's
Couch Surfing profile |
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Says
it all : "Sailing" by Christopher Cross
It's not far down to paradise
At least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find tranquility
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me
It's not far to never never land
No reason to pretend
And if the wind is right you can find the joy
Of innocence again
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me
Sailing
Takes me away
To where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free
Fantasy
It gets the best of me
When I'm sailing
All caught up in the reverie
Every word is a symphony
Won't you believe me
It's not far back to sanity
At least it's not for me
And when the wind is right you can sail away
And find serenity
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me |
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Whitsunday
Guide
Visit
the Cumberland Charter Yachts Site for
the most comprehensive online area and
anchorage guide. Second only to "100 Magic Miles".
www.ccy.com.au/area
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Sony
HDR-SR1
My camera of choice, with some great customisation for even
more flexibility.
Read
more |
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Dot
Com
John
Nayler
PO Box 1039
Airlie Beach Q 4802
P: 0407 15 13 11
www.nayler.com |
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John
Nayler Home 
World Trip 
