Inner Hippie Travel Guide for Female Solo Backpackers - Chapter 3 - First Draft

New York: Trust is All You Need

A ray of sunshine gently touched my face. I opened my eyes and for a brief second couldn't place where I was. I was lying on a sofa in a room that was unfamiliar to me. But then it all came flooding back: I was in an apartment in New York and I was couchsurfing. I had arrived at JFK Airport last night and made my way to Queens where I'd been welcomed into the home of my Couchsurfing host. Feeling comfortable in my fresh sheets I snuggled deeper into the squishy sofa. I felt happy, content and also deeply grateful that my trust had paid off.

Before I went on this trip, everybody had warned me that there is no way I should ever consider couchsurfing at my age. Apparently, at 51 couchsurfing was a lot more dangerous than sleeping in train stations at the age of 17. That was acceptable to everybody. That was youthful adventure. That was fun. But now at 51, I was just opening myself up to rape, torture, murder and worse in everybody's eyes. I didn’t understand the thought processes behind this way of thinking. Why was everyone so seriously upset by me doing something that millions of other people do every day? And what does my age have to do with it?