Amongst the immense travelling websites, there are plenty for planning trips, booking hotels and getting to know your destinations. In fact, finding a local tour or local homestay is also easily possible nowadays. But what makes CouchSurfing different from others is the idea of it.
The main motto of this platform is to create a way for travelers and explorers to look around the world without costing a fortune. Not everybody can afford a $50 hotel but it’s a beautiful world, and CouchSurfing encourages the idea of travelling.
The website promotes not as a travel platform but rather as a communication between the locals of different country. If you are a traveler and willing to explore new lands, in CouchSurfing you can find the perfect host who will not only let you stay for free (yes, not even a dime. But of course, donations are preferred) but show you around.
CouchSurfing lets you stay anywhere in the world for free and also interact with your host. Mostly it promotes a healthy bond between individuals and that is how I also a social networking platform.
How can I join CouchSurfing?
The idea of joining CouchSurfing is fairly simple. You have to sign up and create your account and then you can browse through the people who are willing to host you.
For Example: If you want to visit Munich, Germany just search for hosts in Munich and a list of all people will turn up. You can now send them requests based on your dates and wait for their messages to turn up.
Is it Safe?
The primary concern for this kind of platform is the safety. How can you actually trust a stranger and end up living in their house? Well, CouchSurfing takes safety issues very seriously.
CouchSurfing requires members to get verified with their credit cards as well as physical locations. These verifications provide assurance of the originality of the person. However, it is always better to be cautious than sorry.
Precautions to be taken in CouchSurfing
- Before you randomly select a host or decide to host someone in your house, check out the tips below to avoid unwanted circumstances.
- View the member’s profile carefully and read the reviews left by other CS members.
- Always prefer a host or a surfer who has a fully verified account
- Value the ones with positive feedbacks
- Never leave the keys to your house with your surfer
- Communicate with your surfer via skype or other messengers before finalizing
Is this platform recommended?
After considering the different cons, I would still recommend this platform because, in the end, it is trying to harmonize our community and that in itself, is a very noble approach (and unique).
If proper precautions are taken much more can be experienced staying with the locals and seeing the cities from different perspectives.
In the end, it is a leap of faith but what can we say, after all, it is a wonderful world and it demands to be explored.