LAS VEGAS - There is globetrotting and jet-setting, but couch surfing?
Twenty-two-year-old Esther Zenzele is one of millions of verified couch surfers. This weekend, she will open her home to a complete stranger she's only talked with online through Couchsurfing.org.
"When I first heard about it, I was like, ‘This person's crazy. Who's gonna' do this? There are psychos and killers and, you know, there are a lot of movies that show the situation hostile,'" she said. "As soon as she leaves, I've got somebody from Australia coming, and then after, somebody from New Zealand."
Visit the Couch Surfing Website
Laure's trip originated from her home in Paris. She couch surfed across the continents to get to the Las Vegas Strip.
"I coach surfed seven times. In Canada first, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Denver and now here in Las Vegas," she said. "If I'm a girl or boy, it's the same. I can feel safety with people. I can choose good people. It's intuition I think."
Booking a couch online means choosing the city you want to visit, then finding the perfect match.
"You know you're actually going somewhere nice… You also want to look for good reviews," Zenzele said. "I'm gonna' look for somebody who is close to my age, because I would want to party with someone close to my age than somebody whose 70-years-old and gonna' watch TV all day."
Laure and Esther say it's the kind of travel that allows freedom and flexibility. While the accommodations may not possess the luxury of the Bellagio or Cosmopolitan, their experience is just as rich.
"These are my lifelong friends now. If I ever go back, I'll be like, ‘Hey, I'm in town,'" Zenzele said.
Nearly three million registered couch surfers span the globe. Couchsurfing.org says the practice is safe, and users can screen each other using profiles and messages. The site is also completely free.
