How to Use Couchsurfing
March 19, 2009 by Matthew Kepnes
Filed under Travel
Hotels are one of the largest day to day expenses tourists have and everyone is frequently looking for the cheapest price they can find. No matter what your accommodation tastes may be, one thing everyone has in common is that no one wants to pay a lot for hostels. There are a few ways travelers can use to find affordable accommodation and not over their entire travel fund.
If you want to get free accommodation, consider using the new service Couchsurfing. This service connects travelers with people in various locations who offer a free place to stay. You can make a new friend and get insider information about the time. It’s every traveler’s dream.
Many people are afraid to use couchsurfing. There you are, in a new city with all your stuff and what if the person you stay with turns out to be a psycho. It is a valid fear but you don’t need to worry. Couchsurfing is aware of this and takes many steps to provide security. It offers various levels of verification and allow users to rate and leave comments on travelers profiles. Here are some other tips that can help you stay safe:
The profile has to be filled out. It shows they are interested and involved. Most people arent going to spend the time to fill this out if they arent going to be comfortable with strangers in their home.
The users profile should have some form of verification. You can get many forms of verification by the service and if they are verified, they are probably for real and want to help and not kill you.
They should have comments from other travelers. If other people have spent time with them and live, you will too.
No matter what is in the profile, you need to use your judgment. I havent heard of any really bad couchsurfing experiences besides the person was a jerk. Usually, you end up talking with people over e-mail and get a to feel them out a bit about what they except. If it doesnt seem right, dont do it! Couchsurfing can be a great opportunity to meet other travelers and get the inside view of the city. However, it is important to use caution and exercise judgment when staying at strangers home. Trust your instinct.
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Check out what others are saying about this post...[...] be sure that your host isn’t Charles Manson? As Matthew Kepnes of MinutelyNews explains in this excellent guide to the service, Couchsurfing.com offers various verification procedures so that you can arrange [...]