Why Couchsurfing is a Great Way to Travel
Couchsurfing is one of my favorite types of accommodation when traveling. It’s a community of like-minded travellers who are willing to let you crash at their place for free. While the name certainly implies that you’ll be sleeping on a couch, this isn’t always the case. When searching for a place to sleep, you can read profiles and search for people who have private rooms available rather than a couch, which comes in handy for couples and families. I have found couchsurfing to be the best way to meet friendly locals. Think about it – they are letting you stay with them for free! You can view their profile and see if you both share similar interests and if other people found them welcoming. Couchsurfing is much more work than Airbnb, hostels or hotels because you need to sift through your potential hosts, read their profiles and send messages to each and every one of them, waiting for a reply as to whether they can host you or not. You can’t just book it like you can with the other options. Also, couchsurfing is not the best option if you only plan on staying one night or have no interest in the host themselves. Hosts generally expect that you spend a little bit of time with them. After all, you’re staying in their house! Couchsurfing is built as a community so if you’re looking to actually meet and hang out with the hosts, this option is for you!