Surfing isn’t just for ocean waves and the Worldwide Web anymore. In fact, in the world of the serious traveler, couch surfing not only facilitates matching free accommodations of a lone traveler with a willing host, but also serves as an international network of people hoping to seek and create a deeper sense of cultural understanding.

This is the mission of Couchsurfing.org, an online community connecting people with others around the globe by providing a sort-of matchmaking service for the true wanderer. The initial appeal of couch surfing may very well be the absence of a bill slipped under your door in the morning. But after scrolling through the testimonials and statistics of “positive experiences” on Couchsurfing.org, it seems that once you crash on the couch of a welcoming local in far-off places like Poland, Ghana or Jamaica, you may never opt to stay in a centrally-located, expensive hotel again.

Couchsurfing.org is the non-profit brainchild of 28 year-old Casey Fenton, whose full-time job is now keeping the Web site and its thousands of members up and traveling. As a registered member of Fenton’s site, you can request accommodations according to your planned travel route — much like requesting a friend on Facebook — and then, if offered a couch, a bed or even a whole room, you can connect with your host and secure your accommodations. You are under no obligation to host if you surf. Don’t feel like riding the couch? Then just register solely as a host. You can even simply support Couchsurfing.org as a project without offering up any space in your home.

Membership is on the rise among young, independent globetrotters who hope to experience more than the typical tourist list of things-to-do. These new set of explorers also are looking to stretch their travel budget. The art of couch surfing seems to have manifested into an underground culture of its own, complete with its own lingo, set of rules and a strict adherence to etiquette, gratefulness and most of all, adventure.

In a way, couch surfing represents a commitment to the human spirit by encouraging people to interact, share and learn from each other. It brings travelers closer to the real experience of a place so that they can reflect, understand and ultimately appreciate the true dynamic of their destination.

photo by ryan jesena

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Betty Heldreich Winstedt has had quite an accomplished life. She’s been an Olympic hopeful, a pilot, a competitive surfer and an adventurer that redefined gender norms. Now the 95-year-old can add poet to her list of accomplishments. She’s just completed a book of haikus (Japanese poetry) that documents her life.

“When you’ve lived to be my age, you do a lot things,” Heldreich Winstedt said. “I just love to do things that are daring. It’s amazing I lived to be 95.”

Born in 1913, the Utah native moved to California after graduating from high school. Her adventures quickly took flight when she got her pilot’s license at 23, after graduating from the University of Southern California Dental College.

“I crashed a glider at the airport [Los Angeles Municipal Airport],” Heldreich Winstedt said. “I didn’t get a chance to fly very much after that.” The accident left her with a broken leg, dashing her dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer. She had been training with the L.A. Athletic Club.

After the crash, Heldreich Winstedt continued to work in the dental hygiene field in California. She married jeweler Ronald Heldreich in 1937 and had two daughters, Vicky and Gloria. A trip to Hawaii in the 50s sparked Heldreich Winstedt’s love of surfing. Soon the family of three relocated from Chino, Calif. to the island of Oahu in Hawaii. In her 40s, Betty learned to ride a longboard at Waikiki beach, where waves are small enough for fledging surfers.

“I surfed in the 50s and 60s. There weren’t too many women.” Heldreich Winstedt continued, “I just learned from the fellas. I was 43 then and I was kind of wild.”

In her first stint as a competitive surfer, Heldreich Winstedt came in second place at the International Surfing Championships at Makaha. Makaha is situated on the west side of Oahu where waves range anywhere from 2 to 30 feet, according to the Surfer’s Guide to Hawaii. She was then invited to compete in an international surfing competition in Peru.

“Women didn’t surf. Women didn’t even wear pants. It sounds like such a strange concept now,” said Vicky Durand, the eldest of Heldreich Winstedt’s two daughters.

Surrounded by surfing legends such as Fred Van Dyke and Buzzy Trent, Heldreich Winstedt’s eldest daughter soon dove into the sport as well. Durand, then 17, won first place in the International Surfing Championships at Makaha, Hawaii.

After taking first place, Durand and her mother went to Lima, Peru. The duo competed in the international surf competition at a time when women were typically absent from the sport.

“Mother told me to keep notes. She said this is going to be big,” Durand said. “It wasn’t until later that I realized how special her life was.”

Durand did not take notes, but she called on those memories when she penned a short biography of her mother in Betty’s Haikus. Durand’s contribution is a portion of the book, which is filled with poetry by Heldreich Winstedt. The book will be available for purchase at Hawaiianwearableart.com.

“She’s a true matriarchal figure around here.” Durand continued, “She’s just a wonderful person.”

She has four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. The 95-year-old stills swims, makes pottery, writes poetry and drinks daily cocktails. Battling macular degeneration, Heldreich Winstedt is now legally blind. Although she cannot see the ocean as clearly as before, she knows the beach is near when she hears the crashing of the waves and smells the ocean spray from her beachfront property.

“I dream about surfing… I can walk to the front gate and know the water is there.” Heldreich Winstedt added, “I’ve had a good life. It’s part of my past now.”

photo by clarence maki shows Betty Heldreich Winsted at 40 in 1956 at Makaha in Hawaii

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Bethany Hamilton was born into a family of surfers in Hawaii. By the age of 7, Bethany was surfing without help from her parents. At age 8, her parents entered her into her first surf contest where she won first in both divisions. By 13 she was an incredible surfer and continued winning surf contest after surf contest. But her dream of becoming a pro surfer was interrupted by a serious shark attack in 2003 severing her left arm. However, unlike most people, she maintained an incredibly positive attitude based largely on her faith and was determined to come back to surfing. Despite the difficulty in surfing with only one arm, and requiring serious physical therapy, Bethany defied all odds and returned to her dream of being a pro surfer.

In fact, she was back in the water less than a month after the attack. Rather than accept the additional five minutes the judges were willing to give her in competitions, she denied any special treatment. With the confidence of a warrior, Bethany ignored her fears of sharks, dared the impossible, and in 2005 took FIRST PLACE in the Explorer Women’s division of the NSSA National Championship, winning her first NATIONAL TITLE! She continues to compete in the most challenging wave and competitions as she continues living out her dream of being a pro surfer.

Since then Bethany has been on every major talk show and radio station, you can find her face on the covers of magazines and she recently wrote a book called Soul Surfer. As if that’s not enough, she is also working on a career as a singer and songwriter with her first album, Armless.

Bethany defines fearlessness. Not even losing her arm could prevent her from achieving her dreams and, at 18, she is rocking it as a pro-surfer, author, singer and a living, breathing inspiration. Too often in life do we make excuses for why we can’t do this, achieve that and yet Bethany defies all odds to relentlessly pursue her dreams. Bethany is “That Girl” in every way.

photo by kanaka’s paradise life

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Even after a shark removed her left arm with its teeth, Bethany Hamilton, 18, never let her passion for surfing falter. “When I could walk, surfing became my lifestyle,” she said in an interview with IAmThatGirl.com. And her lifestyle hasn’t changed since.

Hamilton began surfing at age 4 in her hometown of North Shore, Kauai. At the age of eight, she entered her first major surfing competition in two categories and took first place in both. Already looking to make a career out of surfing at the age nine, Hamilton began competing more seriously. She won the 1999 Haleiwa Menehune Championships 23rd annual contest among many other awards. She soon picked up a sponsor, Rip Curl, and competed in the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) circuit. By 13, Hamilton was a successful career woman, swapping the cubicle for the ocean.

Her talent may make the sport look easy, but Hamilton is not impervious to the dangers of surfing. In October 2003, she suffered a shark attack that can be described as life-threatening or, at least, as career-ruining.  The shark ripped off her arm right below her shoulder before disappearing. Hamilton bled profusely and lost 60% of her blood that morning. But she would not let the injury keep her out of the water for long. CNN reported that “Bethany Hamilton returned to competition just 10 weeks after losing her left arm in a shark attack and placed fifth in her age group in the Open Women’s Division of a National Scholastic Surfing Association meet at Banyans.”

Just weeks after the shark attack, there she was, back on the board and winning. When asked about the most challenging part about her recovery, Hamilton said, “Getting the doctor to let me back in the water! He was so worried about details. That shark took more than my arm.  That was the deepest challenge.”

Hamilton downplays her achievements. “No hard part, really. I am lucky to be alive. It’s all easy after that.” It’s hard to fathom losing an arm and calling the recovery easy, but Hamilton explained in her interview that the “attack, comeback, and world adventures are just all a part of the story.” Though she herself does not make a big deal out of the recovery story, Hamilton’s perseverance after the injury has shown the world that nothing can bring her down or deter her from her greatest dreams.

As for her success in surfing, Hamilton attributes it to “family and faith and friends, and a little God given talent.” Her passion and perseverance can’t hurt either. And let’s not forget all the training. Hamilton practices three times a day: dawn, late morning and late afternoon after her studies.

Somehow, she also found time to write a book, Soul Surfer, which highlights her experiences, accomplishments and bravery. She is currently working on a feature length film adaptation of the book which is being produced by Dolphin Entertainment.

Bethany Hamilton is an amazing woman because of both her incredible ability and successful achievements and the humble nature with which she speaks about them. For all other girls out there wanting to pursue their dreams as well, Hamilton told us, “Listen to your inner soul, never give up, and move.  Don’t stand still.” Stay updated on Hamilton and her movie on her website www.bethanyhamilton.com.

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