I have never heard of this but I would not do it. I have three kids in the house and I would not feel safe with strangers coming in and hanging out. I suppose it might be okay for some people, but it is definitely not for me and I wouldn't try it.
We looked into it...and I think in the majority of cases, it's perfectly safe and fine. We decided to stay in hostels instead, which ended up costing us about $20-30 a person per night - so still cheaper than a hotel.
I agree with you because I have kids and I would never have a stranger in my house with my kids and I would never also go to a strangers house with my kids. Being alone or with friends would be a totally different matter though.
I don't think I would want to have strangers at my home, because we all know that there is a risk that that person may rob you or maybe do something worse than that. I'm very wary of strangers, so that type of thing is not for me, I guess.
We all have the same concern sidney, that is why this is such a revolutionary concept, you get to stay at someone's place for free. Also, if it wasn't safe I don't think it would have grown to the point of where it is right now, it's a really big community of couch-surfers.
Couch-surfing is great! I have been a participant for quite some time now, and through this practice i have made a lot of great friends! While i live in a small apartment, i did not have the opportunity to "host a couch", but i had the pleasure to help foreigners see a different side of my city and exchange different ideas from different cultures! I highly suggest it
That's interesting Steve, so you could not "host a couch" meaning that you could not receive people? In that case how did you helped foreigners, how did you meet with them? Have you stayed in someone else's couch?
Yes, i could not have people stay in my house because i live in a small house with no additional beds or couches to sleep. But i was receiving people, giving them advices about their stay in the city and going with them to various parties that i knew they would like and arranging for them to find a place to sleep. It is a really rewarding experience!
Really cool, I thought that couch-surfing was pretty much about letting people sleep on your place, but you also have this side of being a touristic guide what I find great. I think that we are too afraid of our fellow humans, w should trust more and benefit more from one another, like in this situation.
Nope, couch-surfing is more than a way of getting a free couch for the night! It is mostly about connection between people and multicultural exchange of ideas, having good time with random strangers and receiving help about a location without any thoughts of economic exploitation doubt "because you are a tourist". I totally agree that as a modern society we have closed the door to the people next to us. It's a shame that this has become normal nowadays. But internet has become a useful tool to overcome some of these norms.
That's really great indeed, I never thought that would be something so broad. Also, do you have an idea if couch-surfing is a concept that exists all around the world? I would feel less confident doing couch-surfing on a third world country because I'm afraid of the insecurity...
