KasiaRecommends: Couchsurfing #3 - how to remain safe.

in #travel7 years ago (edited)

In my previous posts, I wanted to present you the idea of Couchsurfing – the platform that gathers “hosts” i.e. people who offer a free stay at their home for a short time and “guests” i.e. people who use that hospitality.
Yesterday I wrote about it more in detail and I showed how to create an account and what kind of information you will actually need to fill in in order to make your profile trustful.
Today I want to tell what the ways to stay safe on the platform are.

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There are various ideas that are important to Couchsurfing community. Like “participate”, which in this particular environment means:

Spend time with your host or surfer. Make new friends and help each other discover new things about the world. If you’re new to Couchsurfing, tap into your local community first. It helps to know people near you, so meet other Couchsurfers in your area by joining groups and events.
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Many people have asked me how on earth I could trust someone I never met before and stay at his/her house. Well, I think that this idea is not for everyone. But I will write about that later on.

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Verification

There actually are 2 types of accounts: verified and not verified. Verification doesn’t take much time but it costs 60$. I cannot judge if this is crucial or not, back when I was using it the most – 2015 and 2016 I could find a “safe” host without a problem. But that could have changed since then. And what are the pros of buying the “verification”? You have unlimited messages to the members of the community. The profile is more trustable as verification helps to confirm the identity. You can count on the help of Couchsurfing’s “Trust and Safety team”, which is available to you “around the clock”.
But to be honest the team is there to help everyone in need so I think this is more a marketing move. The vast majority of accounts are the ones that are not verified. What to do then?

Another crucial concept is to:

“Connect”: Finding a place to stay is just part of the Couchsurfing experience. More importantly, it’s about human connection. When you write a couch request, let hosts know why you think you’d enjoy each other’s company and what you’d like to contribute to your stay. When you’re there, get to know your host and their way of life. See what you learn.
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Safety first!

The members’ safety bases mostly on the idea of trustful references. As I explained before each account has a “Reference” section, where other guests and hosts leave their comments about you. Based on those comments you develop a reputation. If they are neutral or negative chances are pretty small that you will be able to interact and profit from the community. But the essential is to be honest! About everything you encountered during the visit. The system reassures that your reference will only be seen once the counterpart has written his/her reference, or until 14 days have passed. Why s that important? Because after 14 days, members cannot write the opinion or change it.

One of the most important things on the platform is to carefully review member profiles! It takes a lot of time, I know. I may be frustrating at times. But yes, it is essential if we want to remain safe and have only good experiences. Of course, no one will guarantee that the person that you have chosen will be a perfect host/guest. But. If you read all the opinions carefully the chances of a fuckup get significantly smaller.
So you have your Couchsurfing host. You arrive at his/her place and immediately your intuition screams “run!”. Please be prepared for those kinds of situations. I am not saying this may happen to you – it didn’t happen to me – but it is always better to be prepared.
So what can you do? The easiest thing – be aware where I the nearest hostel where you could spend a night if your couch arrangement didn’t work out. It is much better to pay for one night than to spend that night in an uncomfortable/unacceptable environment.

In case you have more questions, some of them have been already answered in this section of couchsurfing.com.

Sending joy! :)
Pura Vida and enjoy the travel!
Kasia

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interesting ..
Great post well done. Thanks for the advice
I liked it ... better to be reassured

yes! we need to always make sure we remain safe!

I have been using Couchsurfing for the longest time I could remember. That's one of the reasons why that I have now been a traveler. Travelling around the world to meet new people. Ps: It's also the place where I met my partner :) Good article, keep it up!

oh, this is so romantic! :) i love it! so you are a perfect example of why one should do it! :)

Coachsurfing seems like a very interesting platform. The chance to interact and make new friends is definitely a plus. Of course there is always risk for this sort of service, so safety should be the priority. Still I find this quite attractive so I might give the site a visit and see what the platform have to offer. Thanks for the great article. Have a nice day.

Thank you for this comment:) this concept is not for everyone, but it is definitely worth recommending!

This is very good advice. I have many friends who do this in many parts of the world and I am always worried about them being safe. I will share this with them and also get them to join Steemit. I have never done it. Not sure if I have the courage. Have you ever couchsurfed? If so what was it like? Thank you so much.

thanks for your comment. I did Couchsurf, otherwise I wouldn't feel comfortable to recommend it ;) i really enjoyed it, i have written a post about that if you fancy to read it:)

Thanks and I will read it. :)

I have always had a hard time to find a host on CS, but right now I am staying with a guy in Denmark who is hosting me. A very nice and friendly guy. Many have started going over to airbnb and use it to make money instead.

Yes, this is the sad true about airbnb... the same with long-term rentals - people stop that and rent rooms in airbnb cause the money are better. i'm glad u made it in Denmark :)

I started using couchsurfing years ago but it was only to meet locals for drinks or getting info from locals. I stayed with a wonderful host in Nigeria for the very first time. It's an interesting platform.

yes, this platform offers many ways to interact with each other! Nigeria? it must be stunning!

Haha it was an interesting experience 😊

when I can be like @k-a-s-i-a yes, it's really amazing.

haha, you are so funny @saifulanwar ;)

thanx very much.this is realy nice post .
i followed and upvoted , you please too

thank you for that!

A better way to travel safely...

yes, that's super important!

Hey good post, talking about staying safe while traveling is always good content!

i agree, thank you! :)