[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 04.03.2008]
I really did not know what to expect of my first tentative steps in the world of CouchSurfing. What I was hoping for was to meet a few people, be they locals or foreigners, with whom to share a few beers and rediscover Vilnius.
So what did I get out of it? A world-class hangover on Saturday for starters, with what felt like a little marching band of Lithuanian folk singers, complete with tambourine section, all bouncing around quite happily inside my cranium. But mainly an absolutely fantastic weekend and a real hint that there is more to be had out of this traveller’s phenomenon. Yes, it’s a social networking group and site, but one with a real purpose, with a real reason to exist, it feels real and truly alive.
Thank you, CouchSurfers of Vilnius, for your friendship and time, and the seed of inspiration you may just have given me.
[Author’s Note, 12 years on: not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined just how much that seed of inspiration would grow…]