Couchsurfing: Overview

Couchsurfing! Many of you have heard of CS'ing but what exactly is it? The basics are you stay at a stranger's home while you are travelling in their city. No money is required. Yes, you read correctly you do not pay your host. I often get asked that question by a newbie to CS'ing.

The other major question: "Is it safe?"
Whenever you travel you have to be safe. Whether you're staying at a hostel or a hotel, safety should be on your mind. It's important to be wise about who your host is. Use to 'Couch Search' tab to find a potential host. The filter options include gender, age range, and language. If you're a 19 year old single female traveler, it's understandable you may not want to surf with the 45 year old male host. When the Couch Search generates the potential host list for you, scroll through them to look for similarities between you and the host. Who knows what friendships can develop.

It is important to read the references! There may be quite a few references to read but they are there for a reason. These will help you understand what kind of CS experience you'll receive from your host. If the references all talk about great party nights, drinks and late sleeping then that host may not be for you. Or it could be perfect!

Logistics
As a surfer your schedule revolves around the hosts schedule. Many hosts will say on their profiles their work hours. Watch out or you may end up waking up at 6am with your host. I have been given spare keys by my hosts. This was the best situation as I could leave and arrive when I wanted to. It had a great situation in Wales where I went back to the host's place to make a hot lunch.

The best part of CS'ing for me is experience the city with your host. They live there so take advantage! Ask where their favourites are -the restaurants, shops, markets, bars, everything. If there's time they may show you around the city. Some of my hosts have been great tour guides with little tid bits of information and funny stories. If you've had a positive experience and want to do something for your host then go for it. Making them a meal is a popular choice among surfers, as is bringing them alcohol or cleaning their flat.

Remember Couchsurfing isn't about the money. You could end up spending more money on going out and partying with your host than you would have at a hostel. It's about the experience! If you have any questions please do ask.

www.couchsurfing.org