Couchsurfing, homestay: reviews and test

Between authenticity, free and hospitality, the Couchsurfing platform promotes values and an increasingly sought-after way to travel!

When traveling, housing is obviously a priority. Much more than a place to sleep, the place where we put our bags — for one or more nights — can condition our stay. More and more travellers seek places of encounters, discoveries, pleasures and exchanges to spend their nights.

This way of travel, closest to others and deep immersion, also responds to an economic need. Many globe-troters, more or less warned, tend to save as much on travel. This falls well, since it is possible to combine cheap alternatives and authenticity.

The Couchsurfing platform perfectly illustrates this idea of the trip. The goal? Log in at home, for the best and sometimes the least good. But no panic, we'll give you our advice and feelings on Couchsurfing. Welcome to our "Review and Test" section!

What is Couchsurfing?

Literally, sleeping means surfing on the couch. The principle is simple: a couchsurfer is a traveller who enjoys a bed (or a sofa) free of charge to spend the night at home. In exchange, he commits himself to welcoming, at his turn, at no cost, another couchsurfer. The Couchsurfing platform connects these travellers from all over the world and allows the bedssurfers to find their host and vice versa.

Created in 2004 , the Couchsurfing association – finally becoming a global company – was born from the experience of its founder. Great armor and follower of the “real” meeting Casey Fenton Over the years he found that he had no trouble sleeping at home. A kindly request made later, he found himself to be staying with foreigners, always inclined to help, share and happy to have their country and culture discovered.

If some might have believed in too good optimism, the concept quickly attracted a large community of travellers. Today, the platform has more than 12 million members , distributed 230 Territories , ready to surf sofa in sofa and receive other surfers.

How does it work?

First, download the application free of charge . Then it's enough. create your profile . The aim is to provide the most information possible and useful: to present your travels, your qualities, your passions, your criteria, your conditions. All this makes it possible to secure and make the Couchsurfing experience enjoyable for each party. Then, it is enough to send your requests . Personalized, it’s always better!

You know, the couchsurfer must in turn welcome travellers. So we have to inform other users on your host qualities: reception capacity, presence or not of animals and the possibility of hosting them, smokers accepted or not, presence or not of roommates/family members, location of the house, photos of places, etc.

If Couchsurfing is based on a principle of human and voluntary exchange, the custom remains to render the same to its host. Especially since there is no guarantee that a surfer and a host will be brought one day to exchange roles between them. We must be able to show punctuality and cleanliness, do some shopping, cook, take care of the house or children, propose an activity, etc. In summary: to thank and respect the foundations of property.

In the same way, tradition wants us to leave comments on the profiles of the met bedssurfers. From what to need the others and/or value a person who takes his role at heart.

Couchsurfing: advantages and disadvantages

Benefits

We love Couchsurfing because we can:

• Sleep free
• Know good addresses and exclusive good plans
• Progress in the language of the country
• Create a professional and/or friendly network around the world
• (Re)to seek faith in the altruism of humanity
• Growing through meetings of all horizons

Disadvantages

We don’t like Couchsurfing because we can:

• Meet sleeping surfers with whom it doesn't fit at all
• Tomber on bedssurfers that confuse the platform with a meeting site
• Be planted at the last moment by sleeping or host
• Open the door to bedding without genes

Couchsurfing: the opinion of the editor

Correctly used, the Couchsurfing platform is undeniably vicar of exceptional moments . If the free look is attractive, it is above all the idea of spending time alongside locals that attract travellers to Couchsurfing. The journey becomes a promise of immersion, sincere and privileged contacts with the inhabitants of a country. The vast majority of beds surfers have always loved their experiences, as host or surfer. Everyone finds themselves there and draws great benefits — both human and financial — to use Couchsurfing.

Although ephemeral, the encounters generated by Couchsurfing are strong. The desire to give and receive, in the time of a night or hardly more, brings individuals to live the meeting fully. The exchanges are condensed and intense : culinary, cultural, musical, traditional, friendly, linguistic, philosophical sharing, the list is infinite.

In addition, Couchsurfing is based on mutual assistance . And it's good! Gratitude and sleeping are connected, and what a great feeling! Nevertheless, in order to fully enjoy the incredible potential of Couchsurfing, we must be in agreement with this way of travel and attentive to user profiles. Being welcomed to the inhabitant implies being flexible and capable of improvisation. Sharing cannot grow in a rigid time and a closed state of mind.

To avoid bad encounters, it is imperative to learn about the profile of the bedssurfers . If we read the comments of the other beds, avoid the empty profiles, select a person of the same sex, exchange upstream with his surfer or host, there is no reason that things are going wrong. Couchsurfing passes and passes our test!