I’ve been using couchsurfing for several years and have accumulated a solid experience. I will tell you how to get new acquaintances, free accommodation anywhere in the world, and the opportunity to travel on a budget with minimal risk.
What is couchsurfing?
You can start using Couchsurfing after registering on the website or app. In this network, hosts and tourists look for each other.
Why do people welcome unfamiliar travelers into their home? Some want to help because they travel a lot themselves. Others do not travel much and want to socialize with foreigners.
How to use kuchsurfing
After registering, fill in the information in your profile. The site is in English, and it is better to tell about yourself in English, although Russian will suffice for traveling in CIS countries. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the site was free, but now access costs $1 per month or $5 per year. But now you can send an unlimited number of requests to hosts, while previously 10 requests per week were allowed.
On the site you can read reviews about each guest and host. It is more difficult for newcomers to find accommodation, because many are wary of a person without reviews, but kind people are still found. So after a successful trip, leave a review for the host and ask them to write about you. The more positive reviews on the page — the easier it is to find accommodation.
Searching for accommodation
You can write to hosts directly to find free accommodation. If you don’t have much time, you may want to create a Public Trip, which is a request for an overnight stay that is automatically sent to all hosts in the city you specify, and the hosts choose you.
I post to a public trip what I post to private messages, but I don’t do it for a specific person. Usually 30—40 people respond if you post a week before the trip. That’s enough time to find a good host.
Finding company and entertainment
If you’re more comfortable sleeping in hotels and hostels, but there’s no one to take a couple of shots for instagram against the backdrop of the city’s sights — you can find company for a walk. That’s what Hangouts is for. Specify that you’re looking for a photographer or companion for a walk around the city, and choose from travelers who are nearby and also want to meet.
If you are staying in town for a few days, you can see if there are events, meetings and festivals in the coming days. Most of them are free of charge.
Couchsurfing: 12 tips and tricks
Look for overnight accommodations in advance
The optimal option for finding accommodation is a week. You can also find it in a few hours, but it is better to act as a last resort. The more time you have, the more comfortable you can find.
Free accommodation is a fortune. Sometimes you sleep on a wide bed, they cook you dinner, give you a tour of the city. But sometimes you have to sleep on the floor, on a sofa without bedding, surrounded by a bunch of children and the scents of a dozen cats.
It is worth checking how far the accommodation is from the city center. Sometimes it is cheaper to rent a hostel in the center than to get there and back from the outskirts, where the host lives.
Read the reviews
In a foreign country, there is always a risk that things may not go according to plan. With coaching, this risk is doubled. If you have the courage to spend the night with a stranger, you never know how they will meet you. That’s why reading reviews from other guests is a must. If there are no reviews or only a few, and they look suspicious, it’s better to spend money on a hostel and sleep well.
When I studied the host’s page, read all the reviews and understood approximately who I was going to — everything was fine. And then this happens.
- In Venice, a host asked for money for internet and a night’s stay in a dirty house 30 km from the city center. He forbade touching objects because his father doesn’t like people leaving prints. It got scary and at midnight we escaped. Only later I read the reviews: the host turned out to be inadequate, and the same thing happened to other travelers.
- In Serbia, my friend and I risked staying with a man with no reviews, but it didn’t work out: the itinerary changed. He persistently called us to his place, then to get married, at the end he switched to aggressive language, and afterwards he wrote a fake review, calling us prostitutes and thieves. In such cases, you should contact the support of couchsurfing. This man was blocked and his review was deleted.
Since that day, I’ve been writing and reading reviews all the time.
Put your name in the letter
When you ask a person for a place to sleep, you should address them by name. Spamming offends many hosts, and they don’t want to let in a person who was too lazy to study the information and didn’t see fit to address them by name.
Communicate with the host
Mostly tourists are received by people who are bored. They live alone, in routine and everyday life, they want new acquaintances and impressions. Study the host’s page, find something in common, why you would want to stay there — and talk to the host.
Discuss your plans with the host in advance. Hosts often want to show off the city or nightlife. If you have your own plans, gently let him know before you arrive. When I’ve had hosts who like nightlife, I’ve looked for other accommodations because it didn’t suit me. There have been times when I wanted to sit in a cafe and watch people, but the host persuades me to go sightseeing.
Some hosts have asked me to tell them about the countries I’ve been to. They want to know your experiences. Often hosts don’t travel themselves, and they are interested in talking to a foreigner.
In Serbia, a Hindu host stood at the stove all evening cooking Indian dishes. We ate according to Indian tradition — with our hands. The communication was so comfortable that two years later we met him again, but already in India.
I often came across fellow travelers who, upon arrival, went straight to bed or hung up on their phones. There was no communication. I could see that the host was not pleased with this attitude. If you only use couchsurfing for free accommodation, and not for socializing, it is better to live in hostels.
Leave feedback
Don’t be lazy to write a review. After your trip, there are 14 days to exchange reviews so that the next guests will know if it’s worth going to this host. Takes you 5 minutes, but will help other travelers.
Mostly unpleasant moments occur with people who have little or no reviews. Not only tourists are at risk, but also hosts. A host in Berlin told how one night he caught a guest eating food from a cat bowl. Was he scared? Very much so!
Don’t get into a conflict
Avoid hot topics: politics, sex and religion. If you talk about it with a stranger, be very careful. It is not necessary to prove your position. Remember that you are a guest.
Respect your host — you’re on his turf
Many hostas are warned not to smoke, drink alcohol or eat meat in their home. Before you do anything, ask. Some of my fellow travelers were able to take bathroom supplies or food without asking — not everyone will find this behavior acceptable.
Have backups. And money
We are all human and plans can change. Hosts are no exception. It happens that after confirmation of the reception they do not get in touch. The guest has to go to a hostel, if the budget allows, or urgently look for a new host.
If you don’t get along with the host, it’s better to go to a hostel. Once a host blocked me a few hours before my arrival — he thought I did not pay enough attention to him and did not tell him about myself. Due to lack of spare money I had to go to the host with no reviews. It was without mishaps, but it was a lesson for me.
It happens the other way around: tourists do not notify the host that they are not coming. He canceled business, set the table, waiting for guests, and in response — silence. If you have found a more suitable option or plans have changed, then report it. Otherwise, you can get a negative review.
Leave a souvenir
This is not a required item, but many hosts have asked me to bring a magnet or postcard. Some I wrote a testimonial on a piece of paper and they pinned it on the wall of the house. Some have asked to record a video testimonial. So if you have the opportunity, bring a postcard, a magnet or a small souvenir.
If you are a good cook, you can prepare the national dishes of your country as a token of appreciation. You can teach photography or other experiences.
How to find a good host
For couchsurfing, you need to be adventurous, love adventure, not afraid to socialize with people and be prudent — read reviews in advance to understand what kind of person will be next to you.
- If you’re going to a big city, start writing to hosts a week before the trip or do a publicity trip. In a small city, it is worth looking in advance.
- Read reviews about the potential host.
- Ask all the details: how far he lives from the city center; whether he has a separate bed or will have to sleep on the floor; how to get there by public transportation; how much free time he has, what his plans are, what time he leaves for work and when he returns.
- Ask for a phone number in case you don’t have internet.
- If circumstances change or you find a better option, don’t be afraid to write to the host to let them know not to wait for you.
