 |
|
Couchsurfing.com is nothing short of a vagabonding phenomenon, and, as we recently noted, it might even be catching on with corporate travelers. On the surface it has obvious appeal — free accommodations on the road can extend your travel budget by weeks, if not months, and you’ll get to meet locals everywhere you go.
But not every couchsurfing experience is a great one. While I don’t subscribe to the argument that couchsurfing is dangerous (popular with travelers’ mothers everywhere), there are some potential downsides — poor hosts, lack of selection for last minute hosts and more.
The author of one the travel blogs I follow, Travel Vice, recently had a bad experience with a couch surfing host who sounds like a passive-aggressive nightmare. The whole story is almost painful to read, but some lessons emerge for anyone thinking of trying out couchsurfing.com:
- Communicate with your hosts. Travel Vice’s author ultimately blames the whole ordeal on lack of communication, both from the hosts and guests. Make your plans clear to your hosts and make sure they are okay with them.
- Make arrangements well in advance. Just because there are 10,000 options available in an area doesn’t mean any more than ten of them are actually willing to put you up. And as couchsurfing.com gets more popular, finding a couch gets harder. The author of Travel Vice reports a roughly 62% failure rate when soliciting couchsurfing members, especially if you do it at the last minute.
- Approach more hosts so you have more options. You might think being selective is the best tactic when it comes to picking a host, but in order to be selective you need to have options. It turns out couchsurfing is a bit like picking up people in a bar — the more you approach, the better your chances are for success.
- Make sure everyone in the host household is happy with the arrangement. The Travel Vice tale reveals a welcoming husband and a frosty wife — make sure the whole family has embraced the couch surfing idea. It’s almost impossible to avoid a situation like that solely through the website, but if you find yourself in one, leave as soon, and as gracefully, as you can.
- Although not specifically addressed, it seems like a good idea to under-stay your welcome — remember the proverb, nothing stinks like overstaying guests. By the same token, don’t show up a day late.
While Travel Vice’s post makes for a good cautionary tale, don’t let it put you off the couchsurfing idea altogether — the number of happy reports on the site far outnumber the negative ones.
For some more tips on how to get the most out of couchsurfing.com, see our earlier write up.
[Photo credit, Chazwags, Flickr]
December 16th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Couchsurfing is more – in a human, spiritual way. It’s traveling like a pilgrim. I’m a host in Berlin – and yeah I have to say this is the best think I have done until now.
Maybe you want to change experiences?
My Blog: http://www.couchsurfing-host.com/
October 25th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Although i am in travel business, it took a while until the news reached me. Quite unconventional way of traveling, skeptics might say.
Having browsed through several member profiles and reading through testimonials of people who have chosen to travel this way, I am convinced “unconventional” is not bad at all.
December 6th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
hi , i am a host. And couch surfing is a brilliant concept. Me and my husband have hosted and met a lot of fellow travellers. Couchsurfing brings us endless talks…. we share with each other about our interests, travels, music, books and many more things. Till now the experience has just been superbily positive. But before accepting a request both me and my husband independently go through the request and the profile very very carefully.BEST OF LUCK COUCHSURFERS
May 18th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
Kia Ora,
I have hosted in the past, all been great positive experiences!.I have stayed with people in the past,all been good and I contributed where I could and helped out! I only have positive references on my profile..BUT I have heard alot lately from New-Zealand friends of mine where visitors to New-Zealand have been shitting on their hosts, as in don’t arrive at all after agreeing day and time beforehand, eating all the food in the hosts fridge and not giving back or replacing, asking hosts to drive them around everywhere and thinking the cars in NZ run on fresh air, staying too long and stinking out the lounge or room, on the internet all the time on the hosts pc or laptop using up most of their hosts data plan..Don’t get me wrong, CSing is a great concept and way to meet people but the organization needs to weed out the ones who abuse the system, is all.
July 30th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
I will try to provide some useful tips that I encountered as both host and couchsurfer.
For couchsurfers:
-Adapt (at least try) to the local customs. In my country, we usually have a very small breakfast (usually tea, mate or coffee) and some toast or cookies. Do not expect a full American breakfast for free and ask if hosts accept that you cook bacon at 8am. Remember that couchsurfing is a cultural experience rather than a money-saving method for travellers.
-Hosts are not tour guides. Do not expect airport pick-ups or sightseeing tours. It’s a house, not a hotel.
-As the author says, communicate! If the host has children, expect noisy mornings and control over the TV and computer. If you are not OK with it, find somewhere else. Ask anything you need to know before staying somewhere. See if your lifestyle is compatible with your host’s.
-Respect your host’s routine. If everyone showers daily, do it. If water is expensive where you stay, do what they do or at least ask.
-Do not invade the property and try to be clean and tidy. Yes, your room may be private, but try not to leave your stuff spread on the floor, eat on the bed, etc. You know exactly what I mean and no further explanation is needed.
-Be thankful and generous. Remember that your hosts are giving you the chance to share a cultural exchange for free.
-Do not bring others into the property. YOU are the guest. If you find somebody you like, get a room or chat at a café.
For hosts:
-Make sure that everyone in the house is OK with the idea of having a stranger that might not even speak the local language.
-Do not make your guest feel that you are doing him/her a favour. Many couchsurfers like the experience and do not do it to save money.
-Be tolerant. We are all different and nobody died for spending four days with a smelly person (I’ve stayed in many hostels).
-Set your rules in advance and do not think that some rules are implicit or obvious. We are all different.
-Keep your word. If you accepted to host somebody in a specific date, do not show up with last minute changes. At least, try to find a place for your guest or let him or her know your issues in advance.
Hope you like these tips.
See you!
November 16th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Surfers can’t blame the hosts, period. Hosts have their own lives, and are open enough to accept strangers in their house. What do surfers expect, the red carpet? Unless the hosts have mental problems, then I am 100% certain no host sign up to host, just to make the surfer’s life miserable. How about you host, I go to your house, and you clip my toenail? Grow up.