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CouchSurfing: The New Way to Travel?
CouchSurfing: A Smart Alternative for Thrifty Travelers & Experience Seekers
I have to admit that I was a little skeptical of CouchSurfing at first glance. Staying at a complete stranger’s home for free, while traveling, and relying on a trust and referral based system for safety. Sounds a little too _________ (fill in the blank: idealistic, risky, dangerous, weird, awkward, cheap, insane).
My first experience CouchSurfing, this past weekend, was anything but the above adjectives. I’ll save the details of my first ‘couch surf’ for an upcoming post. Since I hadn’t even heard of this recent phenomenon until two months ago, I’m guessing many others haven’t as well, so I’d like to first cover some CouchSurfing basics.
What is CouchSurfing?
‘Couch surfing’ is a phrase for crashing at someone’s home, usually on their couch. The phrase was picked up by the 501(c)(3) non-profit – ‘CouchSurfing Project’ – back in 1999 (the beta version of the site launched as couchsurfing.org in 2003). There may be other ‘couch surfing’ social networks out there, however, CouchSurfing.org has become the largest social network for travel hosting, with over 2 million users in 237 countries. As a result, you’ll see me refer to the noun ‘couch surfing’ as the non-profit entity ‘CouchSurfing’ throughout this post. It’s kind of like blowing your nose with a ‘Kleenex’ instead of a ‘facial tissue’.
At its simplest, CouchSurfing is a hospitality exchange in the form of a social network that allows you to search for and ask other couch surfers if you can stay with them while traveling. In turn, you can optionally offer up your dwelling as a place for other members to stay when they travel.
How Much Does CouchSurfing Cost?
Nothing. There is no monetary exchange in CouchSurfing for being hosted. If a host charges you for staying with them, they risk being kicked out of the network, and you should report them. It is accepted, however, for a surfer to offer reimbursement for food or other goods consumed. And it’s encouraged for surfers to offer a gift of choice to their host, whether it be a material gift, or an act of kindness such as cleaning their house, helping them in the garden, cooking a dinner, etc.
You can optionally get ‘verified’ (more on that in a bit) by providing a donation to CouchSurfing. These donations provide the income stream for CouchSurfing to maintain their site and hire developers and other employees. I gladly donated the recommended $25.
More About Networking & Experience than Cost Savings
I want to stress something that I feel is important before I get too far into this. Yes, this is a personal finance blog. And, yes, CouchSurfing is free and a way to save a lot of money while traveling. However, if you look at CouchSurfing only as a way to save money when traveling, or get a ‘free ride’, you are doing your host and yourself a huge disservice. CouchSurfing is a social network that gives you the unique opportunity to meet really great people from all over the world in their element (when you surf) or in your element (when you host). The interaction is a key element that you should enjoy.
Why stress out about every last detail about where you’re going to eat, what sites you will see, when you need to jump on that train, or all those other tiny details that suck the fun out of traveling, when you could have someone who has lived in the area gladly share their experiences? Why not build your social network nationally, or internationally, if you have the chance? Why sleep in your car when there are zero hotels within hundreds of miles of you when there is someone who will gladly offer up a place for you to stay for a night?
Do you Have to Host in Order to Surf?
No. If you are not yet comfortable in hosting, or simply don’t have the space, you are not required to host in order to be a member or to CouchSurf. When choosing your hosting availability status, you have the following options:
- Yes
- Definitely
- Maybe
- No
- Coffee or a drink
- Traveling at the time
Based on what a surfer is looking for, they can look to your status as an indicator of whether or not you’re willing to host them.
Is CouchSurfing Safe?
I’m sure that this question has crossed the minds of everyone who has ever considered surfing or hosting. CouchSurfing does a great job of providing security measures to promote safety:
- Your Choice: You pick and choose who you surf with and who surfs with you. If you’re a woman traveling alone, for example, it would make a lot of sense for you to surf only with women hosts. Be picky about who you stay with.
- Surf or Host or Both: You are not obligated to accept someone into your home if you don’t want to. If you surf, you are not required to host.
- Electronic Record: All communication is through the site (vs. private email or phone), until you take it off-site. In other words, there’s an electronic record of your interactions, in the event that something happens.
- Verification: You can donate to CouchSurfing via credit card, and verify your name and address in the process. This is optional, and it gives you the ‘verified’ stamp on your profile. Once you make the donation, a postcard with a verification code is mailed to your credit card billing address. Take the code, enter it in your account, and you are verified. I’d recommend only staying with members who are verified.
- Vouchers: Once you have hosted or surfed, you can ‘vouch’ for someone that you trust. You can only ‘vouch’ for someone if you have three vouchers, so it’s kind of like building a reputation of trust.
- Recommendations: You can give a ‘positive’, ‘neutral’, or ‘negative’ review of someone that you’ve interacted with, along with comments. This helps to ensure that members are considerate of who they are staying with and are behaving properly. Surf with hosters who have a great record of recommendations.
With all that being said, you are still in a vulnerable position when hosting or being hosted, particularly if you’re a solo female. Use common sense, be cautious, and don’t put yourself in dangerous situations. Check out the CouchSurfing safety page for more tips.
Local Networking Opportunities
Beyond hosting and surfing, CouchSurfing members will often arrange and invite other couch surfers to local network events. Here, you can interact, share stories, and build your network. Couchsurfing tends to attract a certain personality, so it is an opportunity to meet others locally whose company you may enjoy.
You May Just Get Hooked to CouchSurfing
As promised, in an upcoming follow-up to this post, I will highlight the details of my first CouchSurfing experience and how it worked. Be careful, if you give CouchSurfing a shot, it might just change the way you think about traveling. If you’re still anxious, check out my list of couchsurfing tips for first-timers.
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My name is G.E. Miller and 
Whenever I go on long trips I almost always couch surf at least part of the way. It really does make for a more enjoyable trip. You really feel like you experience the area more from the eyes of people who live there, vs. out of a hotel room.
Yeah, I just had an aunt come by with her husband on their Harley Davidsons and they said they were staying for one night – they ended up staying for three nights, and now I want to get my couches steam cleaned.
I call it being too cheap to take a vacation on your own dollar.
I like the idea, but I rather never feel like I’m invading someone’s space. The whole network thing sounds awesome though!
I’ve been a member of CouchSurfing for the past few years and have had many positives experiences. Hosting and surfing provide unique opportunities for socialization and exploration. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to enhance their travel experience.
I’ve been a member of CouchSurfing for three years now and I’ve had many great experiences.
Solo female- couchsurfed through Italy two summers ago and had a great time and made lasting friendships. Saved a ton of money and got to see a lot that I wouldn’t have been exposed to had I stayed in hotels/hostels. But I ONLy stayed with people with multiple positive references (from people who weren’t their friends in real life) from others.
Some hosts even gave me a spare key (!) and trusted me not to run off with their stuff while they were at work. It was incredible for me to experience that, since I’m a particularly suspicious person to begin with. Home cooked meals were a regular experience. Nothing beats wo- no 5 star restaurant could ever beat that experience for me
Couchsurfing is probably the best site for travelers. I’ve used it in Asia and South America with great results.
really, pikabo???
Out of the 2 million members, and over 10 million positive experience, you have 4 stories. That means this site is EXCELLENT!
I am a frugal person, and a surfer, and its been an awesome experience. the acceptance and worldliness of the members make it easy to know that the world is a wonderful, and warm place… I just got back from England Jan 2011, Couch Surfed, AWESOME!
Lisa
I’ve been couch surfing for 5 years now and it’s a really awesome way to travel, but not for everyone. And honestly, you risk more by staying in a dorm in a hostel then by couch surfing. At least with CS you know exactly who you are staying with before you go – assuming you’re smart and read profiles, check references, and even look for verification. Really bad experiences happen when people just don’t pay attention or care who they stay with.
Like the other poster said, the very small percentage of negative experiences is far outweighed by the positive ones.
My husband and i have been so more than happy that Jordan managed to carry out his survey by way of the precious recommendations he gained from your web site. It’s not at all simplistic just to continually be making a gift of information and facts that many the others might have been trying to sell. And we also figure out we now have the writer to appreciate for this. All the illustrations you have made, the easy web site navigation, the friendships you will help foster – it is many awesome, and it’s aiding our son and our family understand that issue is amusing, and that’s quite indispensable. Thanks for the whole lot!
Couchsurfing is a nightmare cultish community full of moochers and people who are just there to take from you what they can. Once you get involved in couchsurfing it is like a vortex in which you are expected to only have couch surfing friends. Furthermore, it is full of political drama with different groups of people wanting to become “city ambassadors” “country ambassadors” etc.
If you feel like you would fit in well in a cult where everyone mooches off people who have free food, a free place to live etc. Then feel free to join couch surfing.
I however, prefer to be friends with people on a bit more equal terms.
What are you talking about?
Exactly, and the biggest slap in the face is that people on couch surfing feel that if you finally put your foot down and stop the moochers then you do not have the “Couch Surfing” spirit.
“What are you talking about?” personifies how clueless they are about their incredible behavior.
You must work for the Hotel Association of America.
Right. Because anyone who is opposed to the way things are done at http://www.Couchsurfing.com must automatically have terrible motives. Lets talk about the ten warning signs of a cult and how Couch Surfing fits the profile:
1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
-Argue or disagree with the leadership of Couch Surfing, have your profile deleted.
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
-Couch Surfing members always make comments like “You must be part of the American Hotel Association.” anytime anyone opposes Couch Surfing.
3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
-Where is full disclosure on the finances of Couch Surfing?
4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
-Members most certainly feel persecuted as they feel they are the only one’s that truly “get it” and that you have to join in order to truly understand.
5. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
-I left Couch Surfing and as a result people like G.E. Miller imply that there must be something wrong with me. I am working for the American Hotel Association for example. Other people who leave are also ostracized.
6. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
-Google Couch Surfing complaints, nightmare etc, and you will see a very similar pattern of complaints and grievances.
7. There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
-Once again too many to reference here. Go ahead and use google.
8.Followers feel they can never be “good enough”.
-The constant need to be better than the other at the “Couch Surfing Spirit”. Cooperatives that you must be invited to, city and country ambassadors we should all aspire to be.
9. The group/leader is always right.
-Must be always right, since any criticism of the leadership results in your profile being deleted and them banning you from Couch Surfing. Effectively banning any criticism. Once again use google using the terms “banned from couch surfing.
10. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.
-The idea that only Couch Surfers have generous hearts and are willing to open their homes to other cultures, ideas etc.
I’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist…. but I have to tip my hat to you.
Once again no real rebuttal or no real answer. I would encourage you to google the terms “Is Couchsurfing a cult”. Or to read the following article: http://www.opencouchsurfing.org/2009/12/01/verification-team-leader-resignation/
I just don’t understand what couchsurfing did to you personally? You’re not giving the whole story. My experience has been nothing but positive. If you’re going to come here and make all these accusations about how bad couchsurfing is, tell us, what happened to you that gave you this opinion?
no comment…