One of the first websites for sharing economy travel was Couchsurfing.
Casey Fenton, a 21-year-old, came up with the idea for Couchsurfing in 1999. He realized he had nothing to say when he found a cheap flight to Iceland.
Fenton hacked into the student database of the University of Iceland and emailed 1,500 students looking for a place to stay rather than settling for a costly hotel. Nearly 100 people responded. Casey showed up when he got back and started Couchsurfing. Since then, the website has grown to become one of the main ways that tourists connect with locals to find events and lodging.
It and similar websites like BeWelcome, Servas, and GlobalFreeloaders continue to be one of the best ways to connect with locals, get off the beaten path for tourists, meet new people, and save money by getting free lodging.
In 2006, during my first trip around the world, I started using Couchsurfing. My first host in Athens was a woman who taught me how to make the best gyro, and my second host was a man who let me stay in his guesthouse (which had a pool!). however long I needed and my third was a couple in Melbourne who showed me around suburbia.
Even though I only used it a few times on that first trip, over the years, it has become my lifeline. I’ve met people who I still consider friends. I’ve met some amazing people through Couchsurfing, which has also helped cut down on the most expensive travel expenses.
Even though the service isn’t as popular as it used to be, it is still popular enough that hosts get too many requests to handle, so you have to stand out.
If you send out dozens of requests and no one responds, not even to say no, then your strategy is flawed. Hosts are usually able to smell travelers who are just looking for free lodging a mile away, a lesson I had to learn early on.
Keep in mind that the people you’re contacting have real lives and are giving you free access to their homes. They might not be able to accommodate the dates or they might receive so many requests (a common occurrence in popular destinations) that they simply do not have the time to respond to all of them.
So, how exactly do you win at Couchsurfing? How can you find hosts who won’t be total jerks but will say they’re willing to host you? Demonstrate that you want to be a part of the community. that you value it. that you didn’t just use this to get around paying $30 for a dorm bed and that you took the time to fill out your profile in depth.
On Couchsurfing, here are some tips for success and responses:
Always use a variety of current profile pictures because it demonstrates to me, as a potential host, that you are a real person. Have pictures of you with your companions, from your movements, and have a great time. You spent time uploading the photos, as I can see. It demonstrates your concern and social life.
If you send out dozens of requests and no one responds, not even to say no, then your strategy is flawed. Hosts are usually able to smell travelers who are just looking for free lodging a mile away, a lesson I had to learn early on.
Keep in mind that the people you’re contacting have real lives and are giving you free access to their homes. They might not be able to accommodate the dates or they might receive so many requests (a common occurrence in popular destinations) that they simply do not have the time to respond to all of them.
So, how exactly do you win at Couchsurfing? How can you find hosts who won’t be total jerks but will say they’re willing to host you? Show that you need to be associated with the local area. that you value it. that you didn’t just use this to get around paying $30 for a dorm bed and that you took the time to fill out your profile in depth.
On Couchsurfing, here are some tips for success and responses:
Always use a variety of current profile pictures because it demonstrates to me, as a potential host, that you are a real person. Have pictures of you having fun with your friends, from your travels. You spent time uploading the photos, as I can see. It demonstrates your concern and social life.
The same applies to you, the prospective visitor. The hosts want to see that you, too, aren’t a creep!
But if you’re new to the service and don’t have any reviews yet, ask your friends who use it to write one and say that you’re a good friend. Even though they are new to the service, many of the people I accept as guests have positive reviews from people they know (who also have positive reviews), other people they have met while traveling, or at Couchsurfing meetups.
Go to Meet-ups in Your City
On the off chance that you’re new to the stage and have no surveys, go to nearby meet-ups and occasions. In the end, Couchsurfing encompasses more than simply staying with other people. It all comes down to belonging to a community!
There will likely be a lot of regular activities, groups, and events in every city, including your own. Get to know new people, whether you’re a local or a tourist. Move about. Settle in. Get surveys from individuals. You don’t have to get all of your reviews from people who have stayed with you!
Additionally, this is a great way to meet new people who enjoy traveling! The app’s “Hangouts” feature lets you connect with people in your area, suggest activities, and meet new people. This is the quickest method for gaining reviews and expanding your account.
Similar works for you, the possible visitor. Has need to see that you’re not a drag as well!
Nonetheless, if you are new to the help and have no surveys, ask your companions who utilize the assistance to think of you as a survey and portray you as a companion. I acknowledge many individuals as visitors because, while they are new to the help, they have positive surveys from individuals they know (who likewise have positive audits), from others they’ve met voyaging, or from Couchsurfing meet-ups.
Go to Meet-ups in Your City
On the off chance that you’re new to the stage and have no surveys, go to neighborhood meet-ups and occasions. In the end, Couchsurfing encompasses more than simply staying with other people. It all comes down to belonging to a community!
There will likely be a lot of regular activities, groups, and events in every city, including your own. Get to know new people, whether you’re a local or a tourist. End up in a good place. Settle in. Get feedback from others. Not every one of your audits needs to come from individuals who have remained with you!
Additionally, this is a great way to meet new people who enjoy traveling! The app’s “Hangouts” feature lets you connect with people in your area, suggest activities, and meet new people. This is the quickest method for getting surveys and developing your record.
Due to their financial difficulties following COVID-19, Couchsurfing will begin charging a small fee for platform use in 2020. For access to the platform and verification, members must pay $2.39 per month, or $14.29 per year (if verified already, they won’t have to pay until 2021).
Although there is a cost, it is insignificant. The community has a lot to offer, from its app to its forums to its free lodging. I would encourage you to pay the fee if you can. It’s worth the effort!
Make Your Requests for a Host Personal and Captivating When sending out requests, make them personal. Don’t just write a few sentences. Tell the host what you liked about their profile, why you would be a good match, what you do for a living, what you want to get out of it, and what you can offer them. Be unique and interesting.
The majority of Couchsurfers fail because they send boring, generic, and copied emails. This is an illustration of that:
Send out multiple requests Being a numbers player is a part of Couchsurfing. It is simply a systemic fact. In a city with few hosts, sending an email to just one or two people is unlikely to yield much success. To increase your chances, send an email to as many hosts as possible.
The majority of hosts are aware that you are emailing multiple people, so saying “Sorry, I’ve found another host” will not cause any friction. I don’t send emails to potential hosts who haven’t used the site in 30 days or more because it’s less likely that they will respond.
A great many people come up short at Couchsurfing because they simply use it as a method for getting a free spot to remain. They don’t put much effort into it, but they expect great results. A mindset, a way of thinking, and most importantly, a community are all part of Couchsurfing.
Even though some hosts don’t want to talk to their guests, they still want to meet and talk to interesting people. They put their home on Airbnb instead if they didn’t.
You need a positive attitude and a desire to be a part of a community to succeed on Couchsurfing.
You can’t just want to make use of other people for free space.
Furthermore, consistently make sure to be a decent visitor: respect the hosts, maintain order, and abide by any “house” rules they may impose.
