I used to be active host on Couchsurfing and a few times stayed in other countries in someone’s homes. As I had perfect rating I was bombarded by personal messages from people who wanted free stay. It was cool until I got bored from it.

There’s different travelers and most of them was nice & tidy. But when I traveled I did not see the same level of hospitality as I provided for my guests. During my trip to Saint Petersburg I stayed in local host with good rating but flat was like a garbage box. Another time I stayed in Chisinau and my host was soo much into politics that I could take rest because of non stop blah blah blah.

After a few stays like this I felt that simple bed in dormitory is the best option. I stopped accepting any requests and never used Couchsurfing again. After I shifted to Mumbai from Europe I learned that Indian man consider Couchsurfing as “sex surfing” and believe that western women are easy to get (you know what I mean). This made Couchsurfing particularly unsafe in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, etc. In traditional society foreign travelers (especially females) considered rich and open minded (not always true). So, it’s always better to live in hotel or popular dormitory than to risk your life and stay for free in strangers home.

In developed countries it’s totally fine to use Couchsurfing but you must ensure that your local host provided for you real data. Ensure that location is safe, ask about “house rules”, ask about home pets (you may have allergy on fur), ask about level of privacy, food, etc. Don’t feel shy to ask.

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