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We are continuing our week about accommodation with a guest post from Emma Higgins! 

An Introduction to Couchsurfing and Why Everyone Should Try It

In recent years, hospitality exchange websites have revolutionised the way people travel. It used to be unheard of to go and stay in a stranger’s house for free while you’re traveling, but now it’s become a way of life for some people, and a means for connecting travelers across the globe.

Couchsurfing is an example of one of these websites, and its success has grown massively year on year since it was founded in 2004. Hundreds of new members now sign up each day to get involved with this innovative and interactive networking tool.

There are advantages and disadvantages to using Couchsurfing as a means of travel, but the majority of people find it a positive and liberating experience, and one which enables them to meet other travelers on a local scale and share their travel experiences with people they may never have met had they stayed in a hostel or hotel.

Got a couch?!

Free Accommodation

One thing that does draw a lot of people to Couchsurfing is the benefit of having a free place to sleep.

The way it works is that you create a profile, and then browse through the profiles of people in the area you’re visiting, find someone who has a couch available, and send them a request to stay with them. Their acceptance of your request is based on their approval of your profile, but apart from that it really is that simple.

Most hosts like to stipulate a 3 or 4 day stay, so it’s not the best place to look if you are seeking out long term accommodation, unless you find someone you really get along with and come to an agreement. To start out with though you’ll be looking at a few days at a time, which makes the system perfect for backpackers moving around.

Using Couchsurfing as a Social Network

Many people who are avid users of Couchsurfing don’t like to focus on the free accommodation side of it too much. These people would much rather see Couchsurfing as a way to connect with other travelers, an opportunity to spend time with people passing through your city, and the free bed element is just a side note.

You will find that if you stay with someone and only use them for their free accommodation offer but don’t spend time hanging out or making an effort to get to know them, it leads to bad reviews and disgruntled hosts.

Couchsurfing isn’t only for people with a place to stay on offer of course. You can make a profile and set it to different display functions depending on your level of availability, such as ‘maybe has couch’, ‘definitely has couch’ and ‘available for a drink’.

The latter applies to people who don’t have anywhere for a surfer to stay, but would be open to meeting people for a drink and perhaps showing them round the city.

There are group discussion and activity boards as well, which notify you of upcoming social events that a number of Couchsurfers are attending. So as you can see from all of this, the free accommodation side of Couchsurfing really is just the tip of the iceberg, and there are still many advantages of joining the website even if you don’t have a place to host.

The best base for discovering Melbourne is the Space Hotel – a combination of up-market backpacker accommodation and budget boutique hotel

Safety

The main question on everyone’s lips when it comes to Couchsurfing is, ‘Is it safe?’ I can understand why people ask this as the thought of staying in a stranger’s house does sound like it would be a dangerous idea, but the website has some safety measures in place to make sure your experience is nothing but positive.

Couchsurfing can verify your location, you can be vouched for by other Couchsurfers but only after you have been vouched for 3 times yourself, and there is a review system whereby you can tell others about your experiences with a host. Using a combination of all these things and using the system wisely, Couchsurfing can be a very safe way to travel and the majority of people never have a bad word to say about it.

I myself have Couchsurfed in Canada and the USA, which lead to so many adventures with new friends. Not only that, but through Couchsurfing I’ve had what felt like my own little tour guide of a city, someone to show me their favourite places and give me an insider’s look into their home town.

I can’t stress enough how beneficial Couchsurfing can be, and I will forever be telling people not to focus on the possible drawbacks of the system because the advantages far, far outweigh them. If you’re nervous, why not try going to a Couchsurfing social event in your home town before you commit to using it for accommodation. Meet other travelers who have used it and open yourself up to the opportunities that Couchsurfing will create for you – there are thousands to be explored.

Would you try couchsurfing/ have you tried couchsurfing?

Emma has been writing and travelling on and off since 2009. Her blog, Gotta Keep Movin’ is full of stories and advice from her trips, which include Europe, India, Morocco, South America, the USA and Canada. Her main focuses are budget travel and volunteering, and she has been involved in sustainable farming in Argentina, animal shelters in Peru, and even tried her hand at making goats cheese in British Columbia.

Follow her travels on FacebookTwitter and Pinterest

    13 Comments

  1. Megan I love your post! We use couchsurfing all the time and love it and it really frustrates me that people only look at it as a free space to stay. The other day someone posted on my facebook photo sharing a meal that my cs host prepared (also a Facebook friend) that they need I start using couchsurfing for a free place to stay and free meals! I love how you write about the rest of the story.

    • If I’ve come to learn anything about couch surfing it’s that it’s a lot more than just a free bed and meal! I think a lot of people don’t realize that until they actually get into it. If you’re not planning on being social it’s really not a great option for accommodation!

      Thanks for your comment! I’ve made sure I’m following you on facebook and twitter and look forward to your updates!

    • Free meals? Seriously? Last person who insisted a free meal from us while being hosted got ousted pretty quickly. Moreover, couchsurfing is scamming people to pay for verification and giving false claims that they somehow increase security. I don’t think it’s a good idea to promote such scammers.

    • The person who commented on my picture wasn’t aware of what couchsurfing really means which is why blogs like
      Megan’s really helps to explain the full story. Often I end up preparing meals for my hosts or taking them out to eat but often hosts are happy to prepare or share a local meal with their guests. I don’t think most people who use couchsurfing use it just for a free meal I think it’s a whole lot more than that and we need to promote it in the right direction. There’s also bad hosts who insist on money or take advantage of their guests. I’ve been a member if couchsurfing for over ten years and have hosted and surfed 100s of times so I’ve seen quite a bit. I surf with my husband and our two year old now and we have amazing experiences and have made lifelong friendships. A few times getting the opportunity to host our previous hosts! I have always payed for sites like helpx, etc and you don’t have to pay if you host as much as you surf. Also the verification is real it’s proof of your address via the post card they send you, proof of your ID, etc. There is an attempt at some safety and legitimacy. I for one don’t mind paying $20 annually to an organization that I love and of course there is a way around paying it if you don’t want to. And if you really don’t want to use it then don’t. :)

    • I agree Jacqueline, like anything in life, there are going to be bad apples on both sides of it (re both bad hosts and bad guests mixed into the platform), but the majority of people there are there to use it properly, with the right intentions, and hope to expand their sense of community.

      It sounds like you had quite the couchsurfing experience – that’s awesome too that you’ve been able to host some of your previous hosts! That sense of establishing long lasting friendships is really what it’s about in my book!

  2. I’ve been meaning to try couchsurfing for ages. It seems a bit like accommodation hitchhiking to me. You have to be friendly or else people will stop wanting to help you out! Will certainly be giving it a go soon!

    • Thats a pretty accurate description for it! Accommodation hitchhiking – I like it! Definitely give it a go – you’ll wonder why you didn’t try it sooner!

    • Very well said Katie! I’m also yet to try couch surfing, but should not be too long until I’ve the opportunity :-)

  3. Hey Megan, just found your post via Twitter :) Just wanted to say that for people who are still slightly apprehensive about using Couchsurfing, maybe FOF Travel could be another nice alternative to get started on the whole hospitality exchange way of travelling. Feel free to visit our site on http://www.foftravel.com. It’s a great way to meet new people, fellow travellers, access free accommodation, storage space, travel tips and local meet-ups but the difference is, you do it through your existing network of friends – and friends of friends. So you plug in your social network, and out comes all these hidden/undiscovered opportunities to travel for free where they exist around the world. Your Opportunities Map is the coolest part. Would love to know your thoughts on this :) PS – if your friends and FOFs (friends of friends) can’t help, then we have communities and partnerships with people like STA Travel, Hostelworld.com, etc to give our members exclusive money-saving discounts and deals on flights, travel insurance, hostels, etc. :) Just trying to make the whole journey of travelling the world as easy, fun, safe and accessible for people as possible. Especially those who are just about to embark on their journey! :)

    • Hi Krissa – thanks for the info! Really cool concept for those worried about the safety aspect of couchsurfing, will definitely look into it! Such a great idea, because we often underestimate how large our network of FOF’s is!

      Thanks!

    • :) just spreadin the love’! see you on the twittersphere!

  4. An interesting post – I love couchsurfing and posted a recent one on my blog notimefortravel.blogspot.co.uk highlighting some of my great and not so great couchsurfinng experiences. Everyone should try it and I’m sure they would be converted

    • Thanks for visiting – will head on over to your blog to check out your post. Admittedly it’s not for everyone, but I completely agree, everyone should try it at least once, and once they do they’re likely to be converted for life!

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