If you don’t have one, get one. Find one.

As I mentally reviewed my friends, acquaintances, and past travel buddies, I realized that I didn’t really know anyone in Ecuador before I moved here. In order to find contacts and job prospects, I put the word out to my friends and hit the Internet. I perused the Lonely Planet forums by searching for jobs in Ecuador.

I signed up for Couchsurfing, not because I was looking for a place to stay, but because I’ve heard it’s a great resource for meeting people on the road. I joined a few groups based in Quito and signed up for email updates. Every day my inbox is full of Couchsurfing messages from travelers or locals looking for like-minded people who want to take salsa lessons, go bar-hopping, or take weekend trips together.

When reading through past queries of travelers looking for work or volunteer opportunities, I noticed that one guy in particular seemed to have all the answers for people looking for housing, jobs, or fun times in Quito.

So I contacted him. Jon has been living in Quito for a few years and suggested we meet up the next day at a local Vietnamese restaurant called Uncle Ho’s. Right off the bat he was friendly, easy-going, and unbelievably helpful.

I explained that I was looking for short-term or even volunteer work and he gave me a rundown of options off the top of his head: he knew of a lovely hostel in the mountains who was looking for a volunteer in exchange for room and board, he could point me in the direction of the better-reputed English schools, and could suggest any number of volunteer options within Ecuador.

Literally two days later, he messaged me saying that the owner of Uncle Ho’s, a fun-loving Irish expat named Kevin, was looking for a new waitress. I went in to talk to Kevin the following day and he gave me the low-down.

It appealed to me way more than grading papers and prepping for English classes. Don’t get me wrong – I taught English in Korea and loved it. But getting to eat mouth-watering Asian food, listen to awesome music, and chat with fellow globe-trotters sounded way more appealing this time around.

Voila! A few days’ worth of emails and conversations scored me a job in Quito. Don’t underestimate the power of networking- it can land you a lot more than a couch to crash on!