People will do many things to save money while on vacation. Not eating out, getting an inexpensive hotel, not flying too far away and so on. Vacations can be expensive and something I heard of a couple of months ago was called couch surfing. I heard about it on the radio and the morning talk show host was trying to convince his intern not to do this and then many people called in and called her crazy also.
The website for this is CouchSurfing.
The website touts that this is very safe, and just like with Ebay, couch surfing hosts are verified and rated by others who have used their couches. This can be a very easy way to save money. Also, it’s not always a couch that you get, most people have extra rooms or beds for you to use.
I on the other hand have a hard time trusting someone. I don’t like the thought of leaving my stuff at someone’s house while I am sightseeing.
What do you think? What would you do to save money? Would you sleep on someone else’s couch/floor/room without knowing them? Would it be more about the experience of meeting new people who are locals or about saving money?
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Anna says
Absolutely! I've done it before and had great experiences. I think you can tell whether or not you want to stay with someone through the email conversations you'll have while coordinating the surf. It's easy to decide if someone just doesn't give off the right vibe for you and that's okay! If you're worried about your stuff, make sure you take a day pack with you that has your valuables. One good way to determine who you want to stay with is to look at people's reviews. If someone has had a lot of people stay with them and review them well, you're likely to be a-ok.
Stephanie says
Eek, I think I'd be scared to do this! But I'm not very adventurous travel-wise. Fortunately, I know people who live in most of the places I'd want to visit, so for every trip I've gone on, I've have a trusted couch to crash on. 😉
Michelle Parker says
Anna, have you tried Airbnb? It's kind of the same thing. I've used that before and it went well.And Stephanie, I wish I was more adventurous! That's why I posted this 🙂
Lottie says
what an interesting post!
BTHappyHomeowner says
I would definitely do this, and I plan to during next year's round of travel abroad (this year's is already covered in the hotel department thanks to some killer TravelZoo deals). I've also read up on that site, and I know people who have used it with great success!
B-Kat says
My friend's mom does this a lot. She's quite a bit older than her hosts and guests but she loves it. She could also totally afford to stay at a nice hotel but she choses this because it offers a real taste of where she is staying. She as a single person has travelled all over the world and this is her favorite "hotel" of choice.I am not that fearless, maybe when I'm in my 60's 😉
slobely838 says
I've thought about it. But I just don't know. I wouldn't want something like couch surfing to ruin my vaca
Anonymous says
I've been active on Couchsurfing since 2007, and have yet to have any bad experiences when hosting or surfing others couches. As Anna explains, you don't just let anyone stay. You check profiles, what others say about them, as well as converse via email. It's opened me up to people I would have never met, and experienced what I never would have in a tourist hostel or something of the like. You get real opinions on the city you're in, or on the city they're from, and it definitely has broadened my perspective of life after 4.5 years.
Red says
Oh, man! I've tried to convince Mr. Red on this one in the past! I would TOTALLY try couch surfing, especially if I could get my husband on board. Not only do you save money, but you have the knowledge of locals to give you restaurant recommendations, tell you which sights are worth seeing, etc.My response to "not trusting people" (which I really don't either) would just be to not bring valuable items on vacation. I'm lucky in that respect as I don't wear expensive jewelry, and I try to leave my valuables at home if at all possible. (For instance, I left my laptop at home when I went to Ohio for the weekend.) But, too, I think when you get to a certain age you feel like you deserve the privacy of a hotel room. Still, I think it would be a cool experience, especially in a foreign country.
Michelle Parker says
I really want to, don't get me wrong. My BF is fine with doing this. I think it would be a great experience especially since I've heard that the hosts generally like to show you around town.