Couchsurfing and stay

Make your stay safe!

Couchsurfing from my point of view : Useful, smart, free, amazing but in some cases dangerous!
As a couchsurfer in the past few years I had a short variety of experiences, good ones and bad ones. The outcome : Being careful and choosing people who will host you. A host that is constantly busy and volunteers to guide you around or show his/her own lifestyle could be one of the best things Couchsurfing could offer to its member, including the hospitality and the spirit of kindness.

The article of Wikipedia will give you a more detailed explanation.here

Make an account, the first step is to make an account with valid information, introduce - talk about yourself, move on adding pictures and in case you do have some friends who are already members or ask them to leave you a reference on your profile. References are important, they are the opinion other people had about you when they came in contact with you (hosting,surfing or travelling), it could be the quality measurement of how other people see you as a potential host or surfer. Use a similar format and get some ideas from the profiles of older members, they have more knowledge and experience about what to add. In my details, it is wise to add that you would like to have a Skype call with your potential host/visitor, just to make sure it is the same person and for other security reasons as well!

You can find CS members on every corner of the horizon around the world.

Join groups, forums, events according to your interests, you can chat and share with them ideas,experiences etc. Some groups and societies might be closer than others and might even have weekly/monthly/annually meetings, even in your neighborhood there might be a local group!

There are 2 kinds of requests, the first one is Public requests and the second is private requests. Open/Public requests, lets other members know that you will visit their place on a time you specify.It is up to them if they will be able to host you depending on their schedule. On the other hand, private request is sent only to a specific "potential host" you choose, of course for various reasons, you can be rejected either cause the host had a look at your profile and was not satisfied with your references, your personalities do not match, your time schedules do not match, etc.

For God's sake, Couchsurfing is NOT a dating site.

Old-school couchsurfers posing in the original CS stand

Having a completed profile guarantees more hosts that would like to invite you to their places, but remember it is their places and not yours. Be ready to adapt to their time schedule as well as way of living, meaning that as a Couchsurfer and try being kind, at the same time you must contribute in either cleaning,cooking, or buying goods as long as your host allows you to and does not demand so! Being kind as a visitor or a host is the key for a nice stay and cooperation from both sides.

Hosts have different preferences, some have a separate room for the visitor and a bed/couch, some other do not have any problem sharing the same surface (!?!) with you (Just avoid these people!). Make sure the host will be able to host you under the conditions you wish, but in case of emergency always have a plan B.




The descent : A couple of years ago CS website turned from a non-profit organisation into a for-profit organisation, as a result many of its members complained that the original spirit of CS would totally change, there would be many fake profiles and decided to shut down their profiles.

Unfortunately, in the past few years there have been cases of sexual assaults (so please before you sign up do your research first!). The official site of Couchsurfing has provided a guide with tips to protect yourself.

All the above information include personal opinion, information and experiences I have gathered over the time, and with this post I do not wish to advertise or misadvertise  the official Website of Couchsurfing and physical persons.


This post will be expanded too for other choices of accommodation (hostels, hotels, BnB)

More information:

TIPS FOR STAYING IN A HOSTEL: WHAT TO BRING

10 Tips for Staying at a Hostel

Things to Know About Hosteling: Tips and Tricks for Lodging on the Cheap

Always check for reviews online, for example search "name_of_hostel" review

Know what you want. Be prepared. Enjoy

• Introduction
  Who am I and why start blogging?
• A helpful and inspirational guide before you travel by train
  Where to start and what to think before travelling
• How to pack your bag
  Overstuffed and overweight bag, at least keep it overstuffed 
• What to pack in your bag
  You don't need your fashionable clothes in here! 
• Travelling Solo VS Travelling as a group
  Loneliness doesn't always have to feel bad
• Couchsurfing and stay
  Make your stay safe 
• Raildude,ticket purchasing
  How to get the pass,the rules in the train station 
• Maps and books
  Should I get a map, guide or ignore everything? 
• On the way/train
  You can't get bored here my friend 
• Law,stereotypes,different lifestyles and adopting
  How not to end up behind the bars! 
• Types of travellers
  People worth meeting and not 
• Journeys
  Past personal Experiences 
• Additional tips
  Weren't all these enough?
• Self awareness, Self confidence, Passion and Personal awesomeness
  So you think you are not cool enough?