Couchsurfing through Scotland with Bestselling Author River Jordan
Couchsurfing, defined as temporarily staying in other people’s homes, has become a cultural phenomenon since the namesake global homestay and networking service brought the concept to the mainstream in the mid-2000s. The app has evolved from a social experiment to a certified success, forging friendships and connections throughout the globe. In fact, Couchsurfing has made the nomadic lifestyle affordable for entrepreneurs and remote workers who are still figuring out how to build their income streams digitally.
The Remote Traveller had the chance to sit down with River Jordan, the bestselling author of four novels, including Confessions of A Christian Mystic and The Ancient Way, Discoveries on The Path of Celtic Christianity to talk about her experience couchsurfing throughout Scotland. River had long wanted to see Scotland for its natural beauty, but this trip was also meant to be a pilgrimage for the spiritual memoir writer.
“About a decade ago, I had a friend getting married in the Czech Republic, so I booked us a couple of tickets to Barcelona, which meant I’d get to cross Europe along the way,” says Jordan. “I traveled on a budget, stayed in hostels, and sometime during that trip, I learned about this radical thing called couchsurfing.”
One of the first concerns users and people who hear about the app usually have is regarding safety.
“The desire to meet people and connect cross-culturally is immense. People would make jokes about being worried someone would kill them in their sleep, but the platform does a great job of vetting hosts and guests. For one, you can verify your identity, which I’d recommend, but secondly, you can give and receive references to people you’ve stayed with or ones who have stayed with you. If you take the right approach, it’s very safe — even as a female solo traveler,” River explains. “I went to Scotland with a friend of mine from high school. The first place we stayed at was in the ritziest part of the town near Glasgow. We went there by train, grabbed a drink at a pub, and then went the rest of the way via taxi. Our host James met us outside (we called him Saint James because he was the kindest man) and led us to the room we’d be staying in. It had floor-to-window ceilings and you could see the glittering lights of Glasgow shimmering on the water. That set the tone for the rest of that magical trip.”
Because Couchsurfing is not a paid service and the host does not profit from your stay, the core of it is just as much about camaraderie as it is accommodations. As a digital nomad looking to make the most out of the app, River recommends beefing up your profile and presenting yourself as an authentic human being.
“I think being an author definitely helped me, but being genuine was just as important to people wanting to spend time with you. Both the hosts and the guests ultimately choose each other, so it’s a special thing. You’d be shocked at how disappointed people are if you have to cancel for any reason because that desire for connection is really so powerful. We made friends of all ages and ones that we’ll have for life. The people on Couchsurfing are really in it for the social interaction, so don’t treat it like a hotel or they’re probably going to kick you out. That usually just means having one night of dinner. They understand you’re going to want to site-see and do your own thing.”
Of particular interest to River on her pilgrimage was the Isle of Iona, a roughly 3-square mile Gaelic island on the western coast of Scotland with a history that seems impossibly large for such a tiny place. It holds the most well-preserved ecclesiastical building to have survived the Middle Ages on the Western Isles. Additionally, the 9th century cross in front of the Iona Abbey is one of the best-preserved Celtic crosses in the British Isles. The burial grounds of the island are the resting place of Norse and Scottish Kings alike.
“We had to take three separate ferries to get there, but the best travel moments are often when things go awry. That’s when people bond. We got there on a Sunday. Everything was shut down, but I was walking through the abbey. My boots were clicking away on the ancient stones and the sound rang holy. The most intense light came pouring through the windows; a pure beam and there were violinists playing the most joyous melodies,” says River. “The greenery of the landscapes gives you the feeling the earth itself is calling out to you. There’s something old and deep about Scotland. They say it’s like a magnet; when you go, something draws you back.”
River spent much of her time in Scotland simply absorbing her surroundings. As a digital nomad, she could determine her writing hours and chose to journal during the trip. Her experiences served as the inspiration for her newest book, The Ancient Way, Discoveries on The Path of Celtic Christianity, which will be released on September 29th.
“Scotland is known for thin places — a place where the veil between this world and the ethereal world are knitted together loosely, a place where the worlds are just slightly perceptible as one in the same,” explains River. “And there are some wonderful cultural quirks like their passionate opinions about the proper way of making porridge. We stayed with a lady named Gail, who did energy work. She was adamant that putting sugar in porridge was like walking on a grave, while Saint James, on the other hand, let his chill and then he’d cut it into squares. Come to think of it, the Scottish people are passionate about a lot of things like the kilt-wearing man we met in the pub who spoke of the Knights Templar and the Philosopher’s Stone. The more excited he became, the stronger the Gaelic dialect he spoke grew and the harder it was to understand him, but you just nod your head because you still enjoy the storytelling so much — as we did. Another thing that I enjoyed about couchsurfing in Scotland was that the trains can take you pretty much anywhere. They bring carts full of wine and food and if I was solo traveling, I would have also worked and wrote during the train rides as well. We took them all over the island and to Cambridge and London in England, too. But it should be known that if you’re driving, the one-way roads in Scotland really mean that it’s only wide enough for one car, so someone is going to need to pull to the side.”
River explained to us that the Scottish take pilgrimages very seriously and were also happy to help point them in the right direction with many of their hosts even offering rides to various sites.
“Couchsurfing has opened up things financially. If you’re not paying $100-300 per night to stay in a hotel, you can enjoy a place longer and travel more frequently,” says River. “It also renewed my faith in humanity. We’re not the headlines, we’re not the news. If we find our way to the table to break bread, we’re going to be okay.”