"Couchsurfing" Travel Takes Off On the Web 145
mikesd81 writes "The Associated Press writes about a growing network of people online who've gone a step beyond hotels, hostels and even apartment swapping in their travel planning: They sleep on each others' couches. A number of Web sites have sprung up to help pair travelers searching for a place to crash and hosts with a spare couch. Sites like hospitalityclub.org, couchsurfing.com, globalfreeloaders.com and place2stay.net are often free, serving only as middlemen and offering tips on how to find successful matches.
The sites are largely the creations of 20-somethings bitten with wanderlust and the hope of helping to bring together people from different cultures. They often depend on volunteer administrators to help manage the Web operations."
Check for freshly turned dirt in the yard (Score:5, Insightful)
None of these sites, TTBOMK, asks for or checks references. And the liability assumed thereunder would be huge if they did, so they probably never will.
99+% of the people in this world are decent folk, but some nutcase is going to take advantage of the situation. Young, often naive travellers who nobody will miss for weeks... Slurp! Yum!
Less horrifying but more likely is the following scenario: you are low on cash, you only speak 10 words of the local language, it is late in the evening, and the weather is turning bad. The couch owner says put out or get out.
Please pardon me for being cynical. I hope these optimists can turn the world into a place of love, brotherhood, and cheap lodging. We tried in the 60s with mixed results.
Great idea, but probably not good for the ladies (Score:5, Interesting)
While this is likely a great resource for men, I couldn't imagine using one if I were a woman traveling in Europe. Even the hostels were pretty sketchy, and the women we ran into often traveled in groups (or with a bunch of guys) to make it safer. While they offer feedback systems like eBay, it would be pretty easy for sexual predators to fake the feedback to lure young foreign women.
First-hand experience (Score:5, Informative)
I'm a Texan who recently went to the Ohio LinuxFest 2006 with three others. We've found a great male couple on Couchsurfing, exchanged some emails, and they seemed normal. We visited them, and they took us into their home for two nights as if we were their long-lost relatives. They were incredibly hospitable, made us a temporary code in their electronic entry lock, and were in general fantastic. And, they did not expect a dime from us.
After we returned to Texas, we bought them Woot Wine as a surprise thank-you gift, and they sent a grateful email after receiving it.
This kind of behavior from your fellow human beings really lifts the spirit and encourages similar kindness from oneself. Although I am certain there are some nuts on sites like this, it always is and always will be "caveat emptor". But if you find a good host, you will forever remember the experience.
Re:Great idea, but probably not good for the ladie (Score:1, Troll)
I don't know that it's a great idea for guys either, unless you consider anal rape a win win situation.
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I agree that this sounds like a cool service, but it only takes a few bad apples to really fuck it up.
Yummy (Score:5, Funny)
Don't forget about head lice, either.
This isn't new... (Score:4, Informative)
Back in my day, we had another word for this. (Score:5, Funny)
Meh, I've done the couchsurfing ProAm... (Score:5, Interesting)
I was a rock musician from 1978 to 1998 in unsigned bands, and there was an informal couch circuit among bands. An out-of-town band would play a club and make friends with the openers or headlining acts. Phone numbers would be exchanged, and when we hit their town we'd have couch space, maybe an extra bedroom or foam pad if we were lucky. Bands I was in would do three to six week tours and there wasn't room in the budget for a motel room every night. Given that all of us were riding in a van with all of our gear, sleeping in the van wasn't an option. Best case scenario was a couch five nights and a motel room or two for the rest of the week.
This sort of network could be a boon to unsigned bands, sort of an unofficial hostel system.
Then there's the amateur side: getting kicked out of apartments in Boston in the '80s because the landlord wanted to convert to condos, and not having the cash for first and last months rent plus security. The couch circuit was a way of making enough money to get that apartment. The alternatives were camping out in your band's rehearsal space (hey, cockroaches make wonderful pets!) or persuading your girlfriend to let you move in with her (hey, no farting in bed!).
Damn, I wish I had an internets back in 1982.
k.
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Moo (Score:3, Funny)
Been there... (Score:1)
She turned out to be a 20 something French ballet student that was studying a sexology related major...
In other news I have no more luck for the next 20 years.
On a serious note it was a great experience. We've had someone else from England stay over as well recently and that also worked out really well. It's a good way to meet interesting people.
College? (Score:1)
So far, so good (Score:4, Interesting)
As a guy, my risk of encountering predators may be reduced... but really, I think it's articles like the above that will attract the crackpots instead of relying on word of mouth to get the message to interesting folks.
Re:Great idea, but probably not good for the ladie (Score:1, Troll)
I don't know that it's a great idea for guys either, unless you consider anal rape a win win situation.
Trust (Score:2, Insightful)
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I don't know that it's a great idea for guys either, unless you consider anal rape a win win situation.
RE: Great idea but probably not for the ladies (Score:2, Funny)
I don't know that it's a great idea for guys either, unless you consider anal rape a win win situation.
Hmm.. (Score:1, Interesting)
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That's cause you're a boring fuck. What are you, like, 50? Grow a pair.
Like Netflix for serial killers (Score:3, Funny)
If you're a serial killer, your victims come to YOU.
LK
Just as likely... (Score:1)
Suicidal (Score:2, Insightful)
You can barely go out beyond midnight outdoor without it being
GoSleepGo.com (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Great idea [cut!] (Score:2)
Heh... couple of years ago my girlfriend and I sailed from Stettin (Poland) to Amsterdam (two-way trip was too expensive). We were planning on staying in A. for few nights and hitchhiking all the way back to Poland. Before th
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Sure, why not? Someone just needs to post a review like this:
And that will pretty much solve the pred
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Last I checked, in the last decade(decades?), just taking a ride in a stranger's car (and vice versa) was pretty much out of the question if you valued your ass.
You are correct, but it is only the perception of risk which has increased, not the actual risks. There are now 6 billion of us on this rock, and we hear about every bus accident and anal rape and then we fantasize about many more in our fiction on TV and in film.
In real life, the number of "horrible-things-that-happen per person per day" has
Sounds like fun (Score:2, Interesting)
Trust people, don't make the world a worse place (Score:2)
You are far more likely to be killed by someone you know than a stranger. Your children are far more likely to be abused by your friends or a relative than a stranger.
We have to make friends and trust people. A lot of commercial transactions depend on trust. eBay relies on trust. Open source is built on trust of others.
I'm on couchsurfing and have had good experiences. It works. We should trust others ra
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I also spent the 1990s in punk rock bands and it's the same thing. We play in your town and stay at your place, you play in our town an
Couch surfing? Try it for real... (Score:1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it6_G2_e1Jw [youtube.com]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyG_DR_KIck [youtube.com]
This is a travesty! (Score:2)
Go out there on your mission to seek out strange new worlds, rip your shirt and get it on with the green skinned women!
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Re: Suicidal (Score:5, Insightful)
You are correct, but it is only the perception of risk which has increased, not the actual risks. There are now 6 billion of us on this rock, and we hear about every bus accident and anal rape and then we fantasize about many more in our fiction on TV and in film.
In real life, the number of "horrible-things-that-happen per person per day" has decreased dramatically... our fertility hasn't changed much (we didn't all of a sudden start having triplets) except to decrease in some places, so how is it we are attaining such high population densities? (yes, I understand exponential growth... But this doesn't happen to all life (else we'd be drowning in bacteria), something normally limits populations. Could it be that, on average, we are safer than before (from all risks, famine & disease to murder at the hands of highway robbers)?
People who've never even spoken to someone on one of these sites are all obsessing about how many bad people there are in the world... We keep focusing on serial killers and terrorists--sheesh, enough! Time to get our risk evaluations straight, and maybe live a little on the side. Time to read "If only gay sex caused global warming [latimes.com]" again...
Wow. (Score:1)
I couchsurfed this past summer (Score:4, Interesting)
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It depends on the situation, but this certainly looks like a viable alternative to hostels.
20 yo's? Try 60 yo's! (Score:4, Interesting)
It makes sense for older couples (50s/60s) whose children have left, who have big houses but time to travel and hang out and just socialise instead of work! Also, there is a more implicit sense of 'safety' when it's an older couple, and when it becomes networked - so-and-so stayed with them so they must be good etc...
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you'd be surprized at how many people think this is a greek phrase.
Note to the inept(mods): this is a poor/subtle attempt at facetiousness. The dry delivery combined with the inclusion of the 'all greek to me' cliche and parent's latin reference seemed fitting.
Global traveler rating system is needed. (Score:2)
I don't worry so much about just the houses, you also have to worry about the guests. As far as s
This scares me for another reason. Jeff Dahmer (Score:2)
I'm not saying a hostel is completely safe but at least it's well organized. This is free, but it needs to be organized better, a least of names, a list of alias's, just something so people can know who they are dealing with.
Yes the
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They even had 0 feedback, but they were just using a posting ID, and had more than 1000 positives on their main ID if I remember correctly.
Common interests (Score:5, Informative)
I think the mitigating factor here is that, although these are people from the internets, they're not from a general "find a place to stay" sort of site. These are folks who are willing to spend 24 hours straight watching B-movies (http://www.b-fest.com/), and who have interacted with other groupies long enough to achieve at least a virtual sense of familiarity. So, couch surfers? Sure. But strangers? Only in the physical sense.
Besides... IMO, if someone is willing to watch 24 hours of fare like Tiny Town, Plan 9 from Outer Space, Let my Puppets Come, Kingdom of the Spiders, Robot Monster and Orgy of the Dead just to rape and murder me afterwards, well dammit, they deserve it, and God bless `em. The moral of the story is that I can't vouch for people who're only known by their desire to couch surf at your house. I also can't vouch for people who share whatever quirky interests you happen to be into. But I can vouch for B-Movie fanatics... they tend to bring unexpected housewarming gifts & to leave your place cleaner than they found it. In crowds, they also tend to round up dramatically when a collective restaurant tab goes `round the table. They got my vote.
I've used CS (Score:2)
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How about you get onto the site and check it out, see the Verification system and read the guidelines and tips?
Get a clue. This isn't a setup for people like you who expect to be coddled all their lives.
Take responsibility for yourself, check things out and you can get a good feel about the person you are looking to stay
Let's Celebrate! (Score:2)
For the 600th time, another generation has actually discovered sex, drugs, and rock & roll!
People have been crashing on other people's couches since the couch was invented. Of course everything seems so new and exciting when you say "Yes, but now this activity has a web site!"
Networking with other people, socializing, long distance communication, and traveling around like a hobo sleeping wherever someone will let you is not new. The kids who believe web 2 is revolutionary because it fosters social
Hey (Score:5, Funny)
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lift trashing (Score:2)
mmm vagueness (Score:2)
from 2 to 3 is growth
"A number of Web sites"
zero is a number, so is 8 billion
Sounds like another web-fad the media will be all over for a couple days and we'll never hear about again, described in their usual vague, trying to make it sound explosive and epidemic, manner.
If my wife kicks me out of bed... (Score:2)
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it puts the lotion in the basket.
enough with this sexist shit already! (Score:2)
It's a matter of doing your research properly and trusting your instincts.
In all my discussions with other travellers, men and women, it's men who are mor
cs.com (Score:2)
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Travel in Esperanto (Score:2)
It always seemed to me that this would be a fun way to travel. You can go to foreign countries, get a place to crash, an interesting host, and not feel like a clod for only speaking English. I guess I like the idea of traveling and meeting people half-way.
Plus, it's a way to expand your mind and make a statement for peace and global understanding by learning esperanto (as if you needed a reason!)
Hmm
Scifi convention goes have been doing this for ... (Score:2)
Where's itsatrap? (Score:2)
image a beo- (Score:1)
But the only new thing here is the internet being used to hook up people.
Most interest groups like bands, SCA, rpg/con/fandom etc have used something like this.
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Couchsurfing has a few different types of checks. A simple one is that 3 other "verified" members must vouch for you and then you can become "verified". Another verification check is done with a credit card.
I've hosted many people and I've surfed many, many places.
Just so you know, there's 2 different types of experiences here:
1. The people hosting you pass you a key, tell you to not stay out late and want to know when y
im on ur couch (Score:2, Funny)
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I'm an American, but moved to Europe several years ago. I currently live in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The whole "wacko apartment" thing is fairly non-existent here.
As an example, here in St Pete, if you want to go anywhere, just stick out your arm. A car will immediately stop to take you where you want to go for an extremely reasonable price. This sort of thing wouldn't last 5 seconds in the States without people getting robbed, raped or murdered.
I feel
Surfing since 2 years (Score:1)
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That should get you breakfast thrown in then I reckon.
NOT TRUE (Score:1)
That simply isn't true. I can't speak for the other sites, but Casey Fenton, who started couchsurfing.com, is a friend of a friend. I registered with the site a few years ago and am pretty familiar with it. There are multiple forms of verification and safety checks. They are all optional, but it allows you to be fairly discerning about who you stay
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Not entirely true.
At least with hospitalityclub.org, there's a kind of ad-hoc peer-reviewed identity checking. Example: you stay at my house. I check your passport/other ID and verify your identity. I can then say on your profile that you were my guest, and that I verified your identity. Likewise, you can check my identity and post on my profile that you
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You don't get out much, do you?
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None of these sites, TTBOMK, asks for or checks references. And the liability assumed thereunder would be huge if they did, so they probably never will.
That simply isn't true. I can't speak for the other sites, but Casey Fenton, who started couchsurfing.com, is a friend of a friend. I registered with the site a few years ago and am pretty familiar with it. There are multiple forms of verification and safety
Re:Great idea, but probably not good for the ladie (Score:2)
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Re:Great idea, but probably not good for the ladie (Score:2)
There are civilised parts of Europe, you know? Or have you seen "Hostel" recently?
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Crime rates in general have been much lower over the last couple decades than in the decades before that, at least in the US. Why would taking a ride in a stranger's car have gotten more dangerous when everything else has gotten much safer?
I think it's more a function of increasingly pervasive news coverage. Two decades ago, there wasn't room on t
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However, when reading the terms and conditions, it was clearly written that my personal information would be released to "third parties that support our operation". Advertisers?
So, on one hand, it seems to me that it defeats the point to sign up with a throw away e-mail address, on the other, I'm not registering my e-mail on a site that says right front that they're handing
Re:Great idea, but probably not good for the ladie (Score:2)
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Couchsurfing definition? (Score:2)
how come no-one has mentioned .. (Score:2)
(and may not actually be valid, as I am AT work and this URL is from, cough, memory
I imagine this is more closely described as "geobedding" ...
Don't be an ass. (Score:2)
Only the most idiotic of wackos would risk doing something in the knowledge that you have got information about him.
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maybe you wanna take a gun with you, for 'protection'?
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Hosted several people from Couchsurfing.org (Score:3, Informative)
We host couch surfers because we have traveled a good amount and we know how much better your trip is when you get to meet and hang out with the locals. We also expect to take advantage of couchsurfing when we travel next, and so we feel it is only fair that we host others. On top of that we know how expensive it is to stay in NYC! Hosting someone here really saves them a *lot* of money
I highly recommend hosting a couchsurfer if you can, expect to learn a lot about different parts of the world, and to make some new friends.
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KTHX, dad. Seriously, this level of paranoia is unnecessary. The "what if I meet a serial killer" fear can be applied to any situation, at any time, and in any place - including the supermarket and the restroom. Leaving the itinerary with a friend is always a good idea, and as long as you pay attention to the "weird-o-meter" and have a plan B, you'll be fine.
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Homicidal (Score:2)
You can barely fake a name on a month-to-month in a shady district... But now we have the convienience of being invited to the victim's apartment, saving
Other organizations (Score:2)
I'm sure there are others, such as Freemasonry, that would allow similar ways to meet potential friends abroad (although the Mason's per se, aren't typically a younger, hipper, net-enabled crowd).
No thanks (Score:2)
I'm sure there are lot of good experiences, but I don't want to sleep on someone's semen and farts.
Couchsurfer Here (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm a member of Couchsurfing.com, Hospitalityclub.org and Globalfreeloaders.com, but I only actively participate in CS as they have a fairly thorough precautionary system. They offer a rating system where hosts or travelers base their experiences with you to warn or encourage other members. They verify a mailing address for members. The address remains secret from users but if you do not complete the process, all users are made aware. You can choose to only travel with people with high levels of verification and high scores from other users. It's a very cool system that favors people who have been members for a long time and who travel frequently.
The disappointing part is with more and more press, people simply looking to save money will undoubtedly flood the site. Nothing wrong with that, but hopefully they don't miss the point entirely. Cultural exchange.