COUCHSURFING 101

Howzit!

Perhaps the biggest common belief among travelers is the idea that ​​staying in a stranger's place is always dangerous. Can we really blame them?

When I first considered Couchsurfing to find accommodation, I also had my hesitations. These included mainly the lack of safety, hygiene and comfort. However, when I pushed my fears aside and used Couchsurfing, I had the most valuable travel memories of my life.

Couchsurfing continues to gain popularity all around the world. One of the consequences of this popularity is the increasing demand for hosts from travelers. This can make it awfully difficult for you to find a host during your trip. Another concern is the possibility of having disagreements and unwanted tension between to host and the guest. 

So what can you do to find a suitable host on Couchsurfing?

WHAT IS COUCHSURFING ANYWAY?

There is still a lot of people who don't know what it is, so I basically tell them that it's a free version of Airbnb.

Couchsurfing is a platform where tourists contact locals who offer space to host them in their houses. It is beneficial for the tourists for two reasons;

1- You can meet local people and experience the culture 

2- You save money by waiving the accommodation fee. 

It was established in 2003 but the actual rise to popularity was after 2011.

The family who hosted me in Munich told me that this type of activity existed before this site was established. There used to be a couchsurfing booklet which was updated every year. If you wanted to become a host, you would notify the authors so that they would include you in the next edition.  Although, I am not sure about the validity of this since I couldn't find any information on the internet.

HOW TO CREATE A DECENT PROFILE?

If your profile picture is the default white silhouette and your profile description is a simple one sentence introduction, and if you send me a request, I won't even bother. Why? Because I know absolutely nothing about you. If you don't introduce yourself to others properly, you will probably never be accepted. So, get your lazy-arse fingers typing, fill out that profile!

A Couchsurfing profile consists of five parts: About, My Home, Photos, References and Friends.

The About tab is the place where you enter your personal information. Here you can talk about your life goals, your profession, the most beautiful and interesting moments of your life, what people say about you, your movie and music taste and much more.

In the My Home section - if you marked the Accepting Guests option and you believe you can accommodate the guests - you can mention the details of your place such as the size, the number of beds in the house, the location of the house, transportation, and your house rules (no smoking,etc).

My photos tab is for you to...well.. upload photos. It is important that you upload pictures depicting your own life-style. Include photos from: concerts, festivals, conferences, etc. Also, make sure to have photos with friends  to show how sociable you are.

It's obviously a big plus to have references, but don't worry if don't have many. In any case, you can ask your friends who are also members to write a reference for you. Don't forget to add your friends to expand your social circle on the website.

HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT HOST

Choose among the people who implemented all of the above on their own profile. So try to send a request to someone who cares enough to fill out their profile.

Indeed, the most important bit is to look at the references. Even if the person has a single negative reference against thousands of positive references, don't skip the negative one. For example, I have had horrible experience with a host who had tens of positive references and a few negatives.

It will be convenient for you to stay in a central location, especially if your schedule is tight.

A mistake I used to make often was to skip the "My Home" tab before sending a request. That's how three friends wnd up sending a message to a host who can actually allow only one person. Besides, if the host himself/herself goes on a holiday and is temporarily not available, they might mention it under this section. So, we have to read the full profile and all the tabs before sending the request.

HOW TO SEND A REQUEST

A common complaint from couchsurfers is people writing generic short requests. It certainly sounds like the person sending such a request just wants a free place to stay. Therefore, you must put effort into it to increase your chances.

Begin by introducing yourself. Where do you come from, what do you do for a living, do you study/work, will you win a nobel prize in the future etc. Also, specify the dates you will be staying in your destination.

Indicate why you chose that specific person, referring to a few points they mentioned in their profile. For example, talk about an experience that you both had in common, or something you admired the person for (volunteering).

A friendly tip from me: In some CS profiles, the host writes random code words such as "duck"  and "cable" at the end of the profile. Then they continue; "If you read my profile completely, include this word in your request, so I know that you read my profile until the end". If they don't see the code word, they ignore your message right away. So watch out for such tricks in the profile.

WHAT TO DO DURING YOUR STAY

• Keep things clean.
• Take gifts from your country if possible.
• Invite them out at least once.
• Try to socialize and engage in conversation when they introduce you to their friends.
• Don't forget to write a reference shortly after your stay.
• Most importantly, the main idea of ​​couchsurfing is to experience a different culture with a local, so do respect every aspect of that culture.

I don't mean to be giving lectures on this, but when we don't pay attention to these simple tips, this will reflect badly on our profile in the form of a negative reference. 

Finally, I can guarantee that you will really have amazing time once you leave your comfort zone in this. I stayed with many Couchsurfers in Germany, Norway and South Korea and became close friends with most of them. We still keep each other texted to this day.

This article was paraphrased by me; the original article is on my personal blog. Link

If you are keen to find out more about my travel adventures;

Blog: Harita Kurdu 

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Facebook: Harita Kurdu  

Cheers;

Haritakurdu