I call it polish, because with the help of this method, I survived many night in Poland without money. Read it, you might need this idea once!
Before describing the method itself, I need to explain you, what couchsurfing is. If you already know it, skip the next two sentences! Couchsurfing is a social network, similar to facebook with an extra of their members hosting each other for free. Of course not on a hotel niveau, but the most important is, that in this way one can truly discover the local culture and meet the local people.
If you couldn't find any place by couchsurfing, the polish method can be a solution. Here it is in steps:
- Walk in the center or any other district, you expect english speaking and open-minded people!
- Stop them for a question. It is important to make it short and simple, so noone will have time to interrupting or leaving before you finish it. (However some will try to do so.) The recommended question:
"Hi, excuse me, do you know couchsurfing?"
- In 90% the answer will be no. In this case, say thank you and wish a nice evening to them, then continue the "hunting". Many will also think, that couchsurfing is a pub or hotel.
- There will be some, who knows it. Your next question in this case:
"Are you member of it?"
- If they are, you won: just simply ask for a place to spend that night! If they arn't member, ask if they know anyone who is, or if they plan to join to the community. In that case, they can start hosting immediately!
- It also happens, that they don't know couchsurfing, but are interested about it. In this case explain them in a few words, like I explained in the beginning of the article. Most of the reaction will be something like "wow, that sounds cool!" Now you can ask, if they want to try it...
So far I used the polish method in five towns, and in all of them I found a place to sleep in one hour. The perfection of the idea is, that this question works as an excellent filter. Those, who don't know couchsurfing, won't know what your real intention was, it's not as awkward, as if you would ask random pedestrians directly to share their home with you. Moreover, usually people, who know couchsurfing are interested in this style of travelling. Even if they aren't members, and don't even plan to be, they will probably find you interesting enough to help you. If they know your real problem (no place to sleep, and no money neither) and they find you sympathetic, they will feel responsible for you and even if they can't host you, they will probably call half of their friends for you.
The result: an adventurous walk in the center, getting to know some locals and a comfortable, warm and free place to sleep.
