Do you use it? Want to use it? Host or guest?
I was inspired by S's journey to bring it up, as I am curious as to the logistics as well.
When I went to Yellowstone this year with family, I saw several people with large RV's "decorate" their camp area - like they were going to be there awhile...i.e. more than 1 month, and it was very intriguing.
Ideally if you are going to walk, run, ride, explore, read, stock trade, etc - you can do that anywhere!
I tried both guesting and hosting many years ago. It wasn't via couchsurfing.com but via the net nevertheless. I have heard many people report great experiences. But in my case, both kind of put me off.
When I guested, the host took more than the usual interest in me and directly asked for sex when I wasn't taking the hint. I felt really uncomfortable after that (and no I did not give in lol). Come morning, I found a hotel room to spend the one more night I had in that city.
The time I hosted, my guest turned out to be a bit of a slob. The entire 5 days he was there, the bed never got made, there was dirty clothes all over the floor and though he used all my dishes he never washed them after. Mind you, my apartment was really tiny (so it was hard not to notice) and I did not have a dishwasher either (back then I was really extreme and had just a pair of each dish :)). Everyday after taking in the city, he'd come back with exactly one pastry -for him to have next morning (on top of the free breakfast I was offering him). I thought that was a hoot (and no - considering all the shopping he did - he wasn't simply being frugal).
Maybe I just ain't flexible and open enough.. but I thought it was all a bit much and never did try guesting or hosting strangers again. Instead I now only do it with friends I already know or people I have met online and got to 'know' rather well over many months, preferably years. I live in a very expensive city, so there's enough traffic as it is. :)
Mine was just one experience. I keep hearing lots of people online say how wonderful their experiences have been. I'd say, try to get to know the person a bit and give it a spin if you feel comfortable!
I'm a huge fan of couchsurfing, and have both surfed and hosted.
One thing I am careful to do is be very picky about who I interact with on the site. Members typically exchange paragraph long references after each couchsurf. I take the time to read quite a few of these, as well as the rest of a user's profile, to be as sure as possible that I'm going to get along with the other person.
Because of the extensive reference system, I actually feel more comfortable staying with a couchsurfer who has a strong profile than I do at a hostel or even hotel where I have no control over who else can get in my room.
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@ktn, if that had happened on couchsurfing.org, you'd have written a negative reference, explaining the sexual tension, and that user would have had a difficult time finding female surfers who wanted to stay with him after that.
SO blatantly said no to CS...but family is ok.
Someday I'll try it - it seems that peacecorp, couchsurfing, hostelling, camping, etc can all provide extremely low housing and possibly all other costs, with a slight (or large) increase in food costs.
Some of the options offer something for you to do during the day, while something like camping is open-ended on what to do in a day.
DH and I have so far stayed with people we know or friends of friends. It's an unfair advantage that he used to live in Detroit so we're benefiting from that diaspora. I've had a hard time finding a host on couchsurfing since I don't have any reviews. Got any tips on that? Hopefully after one person is willing to give us a try it'll get easier. I try to be a good host and make dinner at least once while there, not show up at odd hours, and be tidy. If we don't have a host lined up where we're going we stay in a tent or a hotel. Fortunately, we've only had to stay in a hotel for 3 nights out of 2.5 months. You can also find places to stay with people if you're willing to pay on http://www.airbnb.com/ but I haven't yet. DH and his buddy used to sleep in the car when going to game conventions (find a parking garage, leave when free in the early am), but I'm willing to pay a little to at least sleep in a tent.
I like a lot Couchsurfing project and I had few guests (never been hosted so far).
Always interesting people travelling around and good fun, but as akratic I also check carefully the profiles and the references.
Home Exchange, this is the next thing I want to look into... :)
Ciao
D
I'd be interested to hear more recommendations. I'm planning on trying it on a European trip I'll be taking, and as a young woman, I find myself slightly concerned to confront situations like ktn faced.
I think most of the time I plan on traveling with a friend or staying at a friend's apartment. Any other advice for couchsurfing besides looking at reviews closely?
@S, yeah, getting started without any references can be tricky. Some suggestions:
1) Fully fill out your profile, answer most or all of the questions, and with more than just a one-liner too. Put up at least 5 pictures... you want to give people a sense that you're a real person who's willing to put effort in.
2) Write good requests. Don't just copy and paste your request to surf someone's couch, pick out people you are particularly interested in staying with, and then tell them why you picked them. Mention that you are new to the site but really like the idea and intend to do x, y, z to be a good guest.
3) Start by hosting. Put up your couch as available and then host whoever requests you (that you are comfortable with) to get started.
4) You could start by surfing my couch in Chicago if you want. Most weekends in September would work for me, and if I remember correctly you're not that far away (Wisconsin?). I do have roommates to run things by, but we have a couch and a futon in the living room. [email protected] if you want to get in touch.
@Checking Carly, you could just stay with girls if you want, there's tons of female hosts. Maybe after a few times doing that, you'd feel comfortable staying with a guy with a non-sketchy profile. Frequent couchsurfers tend to explain themselves pretty well in their profiles, so it should be pretty easy to tell what people's intentions are.
You can search by gender, age, CS experience, etc., and there's so many hosts on the site that even if you're quite picky you'll still be able to find someone. I'm very picky myself: I want to stay with intelligent people that I think I can have meaningful conversations with and learn from, and I'm always surprised to find so many good candidates in each city.
My boyfriend and I have hosted some (usually we live in situations too extreme to host) and have surfed extensively. Neither of us have ever had any negative experiences. We haven't ever paid for a hotel room since we became members. Probably the best experience was staying with a family for a week in Monterrey, Mexico. Besides allowing us to take the trip for just the price of two bus tickets and groceries, we got an insiders' view of the city we would have never got any other way.
Slightly off-topic: WarmShowers.org is a sort of Couch Surfing for bicycle tourists. I used it all over Europe and a little bit here on the east coast--anecdotally, and from my own experience, it's a little less "crunchy" than Couch Surfing--less of a 4:20 factor--and since it's only for cyclists, everyone knows what it feels like to have a nice big meal and sleep at the end of a long ride. Met a lot of interesting people by both hosting and guesting.
@Checking Carly:
I also recommend to make some contact with the host before showing up at the door :)
Make sure you get in advance the phone number of the host and try to get to know the person: some chat, some text messages, some e-mails will help, and if you'll feel comfortable you won't meet a total stranger.
Ciao
Daniele
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