r/couchsurfing

I am in new jersey and about to live in my hatchback for a few weeks while I level out finances. I know its only 5 a month, but ibwas wondering if anyone does this in nj and it helps ?

I’m new to Couchsurfing and considering trying it for my upcoming travels. I’d love to hear from people who have actually used it.
What has your overall experience been like?
How do you decide whether a host/profile is trustworthy?
Any tips or red flags I should know about as a first-time user?
Would especially love to hear about your genuine experiences, both good and bad.

Back with this for an update, you can correct any info or add another platform not listed.

We have:

• CouchSurfing (25,000,000+ users, free/paid, web+app).
• BeWelcome (280,000+ users, free, web).
• TrustRoots (140,000+ users, free, web).
• Couchers (90,000+ users, free, web+app).
• Servas (15,000+ users, free/paid, web).
• WorldPackers (web).
• WelcomeToMyGarden (web).

These are the generalist ones, excluding the ones only centered around women or cyclists or work or animals.

I’m curious how hosts would prefer this situation to be handled. I messaged someone a few days ago but hadn’t heard back, so I reached out to someone else. The second person replied and offered to host me, but they live about 1.5 hours outside the city. A few minutes later, the first person got back to me and offered to host me right in the city.

Obviously, the second option is much more convenient for me, but I don’t want to be disrespectful to the person who already said yes. What would be the best way to tell them that I’ve decided to go with another host? Would you be offended if a guest did this, or is it just part of Couchsurfing?

I hope that this post indicates I am trying to do things the right way, I'll take your advice.

I know you can get kicked off of CS for even mentioning the W word, but now that hangouts aren't working so well - does anyone know of any whatsapp groups in Switzerland - Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne, Basel - that you can connect me to?

In my city, the whatsapp group is very active and a great place to find connections and events.

I first used couchsurfing back in 2014 in Brazil and I love my experience I've made long life friends with the host since then and I've had many good experiences but I haven't used them since to be honest but the reason why I'm making this poses because I just got an email literally more than 10 years ago since I last used the platform about what's new and what's different and I feel like they've missed the mark I feel like they lost their brand identity and I feel like they lost a positioning the product really I just don't get what's going on they seem lost as a platform.

Like the website looks like AI slop, their career page is nearly unfindable and I don't know how this be saved like what happened to this website?

Are the app's references reliable? Can they be fabricated or altered? I see men with 70 good references but only young women, which makes me suspicious. I'm a young woman and I received too many invitations, TOO MANY, but it all seemed like a dating app not only hosts, very strange :(

Is there no light mode in the new update of couchsurfing?I never use dark mode in any of my apps, it’s super uncomfortable user experience for me.

Hey guys,

Couchsurfing now offers one month free trial to users, new and existing, I guess it's a little too late

Hi, I am not a paying member anymore. Yet I can use this new terribly designed AI-slop feature. Was curious if that is intended, a bug or related to the location I have set.

Thanks

Just discovered the new interface, didn't host much this year as we just moved in a new places, trying to plan a trip and discovering this... Thing.

Why has every search option disapeared ? You can't even know if someone accepts guests now ? Or search through last log-in date...? It was hard enough to dodge the ghost accounts but now it just seems... Impossible ? And i would not even have noticed how stupid this is as a host. I don't travel much and usually just host and without searching for hosts i would not know how bad this actually is.

Is there any.. Plug-in ? Or fix ? Are people leaving for a better place ?

Cant search for hosts and travellers function has gone.

Hi,

Suggestion out there. If you are an angel investor and believe in the community, can you please buy couchsurfing and make sure that the project is handled open source from now on?

The best way to make our community survive and thrive!

Thank you!

im gonna have 1 month to travel all in europe so im so concerned abt ittt, pls share ur experience with me

Hi everyone,

​I’ve traveled all my life and met wonderful people along the way. Now, I’m considering opening my home in Spain to host travelers—especially female travelers—who want to discover the area and share meaningful cultural experiences.

​Since I live alone, safety and setting good boundaries are really important to me. For those of you who host (especially women living alone):

​What safety tips or screening habits would you recommend?

​What has your experience been like, and what should I keep in mind before taking the plunge?

​Thank you so much for your advice!

​¡Hola a todos y a todas!

​He viajado toda mi vida y he conocido a gente maravillosa por el camino. Ahora estoy pensando en abrir mi casa en España para alojar a viajeros —especialmente a viajeras— que quieran descubrir la zona y compartir experiencias culturales significativas.

​Como vivo sola, la seguridad y marcar buenos límites son muy importantes para mí. Para quienes ya sois anfitriones (especialmente mujeres que vivís solas):

​¿Qué consejos de seguridad o hábitos de selección me recomendáis?

​¿Cómo ha sido vuestra experiencia y qué debería tener en cuenta antes de dar el paso?

​¡Muchísimas gracias por vuestros consejos!

1. Do long standing hosts still get extra features for free?

2. If not, I'm willing to pay. Is it still possible to find someone to host?

I live in a country where the alternatives are not known. I just want to find someone to host. Honestly I didn't give it a fair try, I gave up after ten minutes of being confused. I did update my profile.