What is Couchsurfing?
What is Couchsurfing? All things you need to know
CouchSurfing is a global hospitality exchange service accessible via a website and mobile app.
It is a service that connects members to a global community of travelers. Use Couchsurfing to find a place to stay or share your home and hometown with travelers.
Couchsurfers organize regular events in 200,000 cities around the world. There’s always something to do and new friends to meet.
When travellers go overseas they need places to stay. And a number of locals have spare beds, floors and sofas. These two are paired by couchsurfing.
The “hosts” will list on the web about their open spaces. Travelers will then browse for them and ask to “surf” with hosts with whom they feel they will get along. Travelers may, instead, publish their travel plans, and hosts may offer to accommodate them.
CLICK HERE: COUCH SURFING OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Is Couchsurfing free?
Couchsurfing is no longer free.
Unfortunately, this will not be enough. On May 14, 2020 they began asking for members to contribute with a monthly, or annual fee paid upfront, to keep Couchsurfing alive. Member contributions are required to access the Couchsurfing website and mobile applications.
Member contributions: $2.99/Month OR $17.99/Year.
The interesting history behind the idea of Couchsurfing concept
Back in 1999, “hacker” and traveler Casey Fenton had no idea that his idea for a website to connect travelers with locals would be so popular. He was simply looking for an inexpensive way to visit Iceland.
Couchsurfing was conceived by computer programmer and New Hampshire native Casey Fenton in 1999, when he was 21 years old.
After Fenton discovered a cheap flight from Boston to Iceland, but did not have accommodation, the idea emerged. Fenton hacked into the University of Iceland database and randomly emailed 1,500 students to request a homestay.
He got between 50 and 100 bids and decided to remain at the home of the Icelandic singer of rhythm and blues. He came up with the idea to create the website on his return flight to Boston.
How Couchsurfing.com was found?
The couchsurfing.com domain name was created on 12 June 1999.
The website became such a popular tool for budget travelers approximately two years later, that it collapsed. Many of the information about the database and registered-member data was lost.
The site was reconstructed from the ground up to be more scalable, with the support of volunteers and donations. Today, there is a group of over 15 million travelers and 400,000 hosts on the newly revived Couchsurfing.com site, lifelong friendships and great experiences are created there every day.
Sleep costs usually end up being the biggest expense for budget travelers, even with the use of a few tricks to save money on lodging.
The idea behind couchsurfing is simple: “Couchsurfers” leverage the hospitality of friendly people around the world who open their homes to travelers an act of kindness that dates back millennia.
Is Couchsurfing safe?
The vast majority of Couchsurfing experiences are not only safe, but outright life changing. Taking responsibility for your personal safety when traveling is important. And it’s just as important when you’re using Couchsurfing.
How to succeed and get a response on Couchsurfing?
Fill out all the sections fully.
In the “About me” section actually write a few paragraphs about who you are and what you’re about.
If you can’t think of anything, write something sarcastic. Something funny. In the “Music and Movies section”, write something! Things like this matter.
Add lots of photos.
Not two or three. More like nine or ten. And make them clear, so your face can actually be seen and we can be sure that you’re a real person.
Have referrals and ratings
Recommendations from other hosts, colleagues, and visitors can be followed by both hosts and travelers. The more positive feedback, as always, the better. You definitely would, if you see that other people have stayed with the host and had a fun and healthy experience.
Attend The City Meet-ups
If you’re new to the website and have no input, attend local meet-ups and activities. Couchsurfing, after all, is more than about just being around strangers. It’s about a group being part of it.
Be First a Host
Hosting people is another way of winning feedback (as well as contributing back to the community). It’s not all about making people stay with you to be a host either. It’s about being a tour guide sometimes.
Get Verified
Couchsurfing offers different levels of verification. Members can be verified by their address, government ID, phone number, and by paying a membership fee. Getting verified is one of the most important things you can do to boost your chances of being hosted.
Personal Requests
Make your application personal when sending out requests for a host. Don’t just write a sentence or two, talk about what you liked about your profile, why you’d be a good match, your habits and hobbies, what you want to get out of it, and what the host can give you. Be fascinating and be intimate.
Send Out Multiple Requests
Part of Couchsurfing is playing the numbers game. It’s just a fact of the system. If you email just one or two people, especially in a city with few hosts, it’s doubtful you’ll find much success. Email as many hosts as possible to maximize your chances.
Click here: Co living spaces for digital nomad: All things you need to know
What are the benefits of Couchsurfing?
Meeting locals and getting a more real perspective on the local culture in the areas you are traveling to.
Making friends and connections worldwide. It’s a reciprocal community.
It’s a better way to find the secret local spots around town and good recommendations in any given location on what to do with your time. Free accommodation
Having a temporary home away from home.
The site is a fairly user friendly and set up to easily send and receive couchsurfing requests.
Even if you don’t want to stay with a stranger and use it for accommodation, there are a lot of couchsurfing events and group trips going on in most cities around the world. It’s an easy and quick way to meet people and get ideas for what to do in the city you’re in.
Click here: Co working spaces for digital nomad: All things you need to know
What are rules to be considered as a surfer?
Surfers are expected to give back
One of the most popular ways is paying for food and cooking for your host, helping with the housework, and maybe even teaching your host something cool that you’re good at.
Be an engaged guest (and host)
It’s about cultural interaction as much as it’s about finding somewhere to sleep. Hosts are expected to try to show surfers around and surfers are expected to engage guests.
Be a host too
Surfing hundreds of times, and never hosting anyone in return, is not cool. Try to host a few individuals while you’re back in your home country to give back to the group.
Show respect
If you’ve arranged to stay for three nights, stay for three nights. Do not loiter and place them in the awkward role of throwing you out. After yourself, clean up. Keep the area of your house clean. Don’t regard this as a hotel. Don’t treat it like a house of your own. Treat it like a very significant person’s home who is doing you a very big favor.
Click here: 7 best Co living and co working spaces for digital nomads
In Conclusion
In the end, Couchsurfing requires the same common sense that the rest of travel requires. Of course there are incidents, but no more common than incidents in any other aspect of travel. Couchsurfing can help you save money on accommodation but that’s the least amazing thing about it.
It takes a lot of time and energy to be involved in and there is no money to be made here. The members are involved for the love of the people and the community and nothing else. That’s the easiest kind of stranger to trust. Do your homework, use your instincts, trust good and kind people, and everything should be fine.
