Have You Tried Couch Surfing?

Discussion in Travel started by JulianWilliams • Jan 19, 2015.

  1. JulianWilliams

    JulianWilliamsMember

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    Have you tried using CoachSurfing to find people willing to host you for free? I haven't tried it yet, but i do plan on doing a bit of travel this autumn and would love to save a bit of cash, but I am a bit uneasy about doing it. What experiences have you had.
     
  2. LitoLawless

    LitoLawlessActive Member

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    I've never tried it personally but there was this girl that I was seeing that used it for a little bit. She said that she woke up once with a guy standing right over her. I know it's pretty funny, I can't stop laughing myself as I type this, but I would've been FREAKED OUT! She said besides that all of her other experiences weren't bad.

    I think you guys would meet up for coffee or drinks or something so you can get to know each other. If you guys hit it off (I guess) they would let you stay with them for a bit.
     
  3. Kitty Reeves

    Kitty ReevesActive Member

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    Can't save I ever have. I've read accounts of couch surfing where they loved it and thought the experience wonderful and others where it was awful.

    This girl has a blog and talks about how she couch surfed around Europe, and how much she loves it! She's a comic artist, and did a comic about couch surfing and about not being afraid to try it!

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    It's a great comic, and her experiences are really fun to read.

    Just make sure to do research before couch surfing, like proper etiquette and where to find safe locations and such. ;)
     
  4. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    I personally haven't done it and would never do it because I love my own space too much. I would also find it very weird because I'm very precious about certain things like hygiene, coming and going, noise etc. It wouldn't be suitable for someone like me at all, but I can see why people do it. I guess it's a fantastic way to meet and interact with new people and saving money.
     
  5. JulianWilliams

    JulianWilliamsMember

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    I don't see how that would work. If you head to a city you need accommodation from the first night you arrive, you can't rely on the hope that they'll like you. That part seems to happen online.
     
  6. shother

    shotherMember

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    I haven't tried that before and I would be a bit scared to do so to be honest. Maybe I would try that if I was on that particular trip with three or four of my friends but never alone.
     
  7. LeopardJones

    LeopardJonesActive Member

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    The closest I ever came to this was staying with an online friend I’d been talking to for about five years prior to my trip, but we hadn’t met in person. It was a fantastic experience for me, but we did have the benefit of all those online chats beforehand. I might try couch surfing but I’m not sure I’d want to do it alone, and I think I’d have to talk to the person online for quite some time before I’d feel comfortable.
     
  8. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    I'm with you there, LeopardJones! You can never be too safe with these things. There are just too many horror stories and weird people out there. I too would have to go with at least one other person to feel safe.
     
  9. DreekLass

    DreekLassWell-Known Member

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    I do website usability testing, and the other day I stumbled upon a test website that was about couch surfing. I didn't really understand what it was about, or the concept. Well, i did but very vaguely. Now this thread has explained it in more detail to me. I have not tried it, and I don't think that I would, unless I had been talking to the person whose couch I was surfing for a long time.
     
  10. wannatakeawalk

    wannatakeawalkNew Member

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    I have hosted, surfed, and just used it as a way to meet locals and other travelers when I'm visiting a city. I've had a lot of fun with it. There is a review system so if there's ever been anyone I'm not sure about based on their reviews, I just don't visit with them.
     
  11. missbishi

    missbishiWell-Known Member

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    A couple of years ago, one of my favourite bands were playing in my city and I ended up letting someone from their Facebook group stay the night on my sofa so they could get to the gig. However, I'd spoken to them online for about a year previously so it wasn't really random as such. Anyway, we ended up having a great laugh that night and we are still the best of friends today.
     
  12. Thejamal

    ThejamalActive Member

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    I'm confused. I thought couch surfing was when you went from friend to friends couch to sleep? You guys are making it seem like you do this on stranger's couches.

    Regardless, I wouldn't do this unless I had a vacation planned out and would be visiting friends along the way. Even then, I wouldn't be visiting more than one friend during a trip. So no, this wouldn't be for me.