Book Club Guide: Couchsurfing in Iran

The Travel Book Club at Politics and Prose read Couchsurfing in Iran: Revealing a Hidden World in January 2020 and had a great discussion covering a wide range of topics including preconceptions on Iran and its people, couchsurfing as a way of seeing the world, and the influence of government and media on culture. This is a great choice for groups that like to explore less traditional destinations and discuss deeper issues such as politics and freedoms. (Check out our Couchsurfing in Iran Book Review for more about our thoughts on the book!)

Suggested discussion questions:

1. Have you ever used couchsurfing as a way of travel or know anyone who has? Would you consider it? Why or why not?
2. Stephan Orth is German; how does that affect his experiences in Iran versus someone who is American British, or Australian?
3. Was Iran on your list of possible travel destinations before? Is it now? Why or why not?
4. On page 10 of the book, Orth says “After encounters with a benevolent banker and flirtatious chador girls, a cab driver now refrains from cheating me, I have to readjust my prejudice compass after just one hour in Iran.” Have you traveled somewhere and been forced to “readjust your prejudice”?
5. Freedom is a repeated topic in this book–the small freedoms allowed in Kish, the government sanctions (“It never hurts the government, but always the ordinary people”)–what are your thoughts on freedom in general and in Iran, in particular?
6. On page 133, Orth discusses how the concept of hospitality is fading in the Western World. Do you agree? Why do you think that is happening?
7. What are your thoughts on this passage from page 199?: “People who learn about the world from new programs tend to subconsciously categorize the images of extremes: the Africans starve, Afghanis carry out suicide bombings, Chinese plagiarize, and bearded Iranians tinker with their atom bomb. The daily grind is not mentioned and even when everyday life is featured in reports about foreign lands, it is often in the form of romanticism–out with the modern and in with the traditional and old-fashioned….Readers and viewers easily forget that reality in every country is ten thousand times more diverse than what is shown.”
8. “There are no bad places if the reason you are traveling is to meet people.” (pg 132). What are your motivations for traveling? Is it to meet people? If so, do you agree with his statement?
9. Language is sometimes an issue in his travels; what are some of your travel stories that involve a language barrier?
10. Orth has a few other books including Couchsurfing in Russia and Couchsurfing in China (currently only available in German). Are you interested in reading those? Why or why not?

Other suggestions for your discussion:

• Research Couchsurfing and highlight some of the facts available about “Couchsurfers”.
• Watch the Tehran “Happy” Video Orth speaks about at the end of the book.
• Read Orth’s interview with the LA Times (printed before his book came out in English).
• Hear from Stephan himself in this video from a book presentation in Amsterdam.