I have only ever hosted CS’ers (as I’ve not been backpacking since I joined) and it was 99.99% awesomeness! I would give them spare keys, show them around if I wasn’t working and help where I could. I’ve met some amazing people and had some incredible conversations thanks to CS.

I always checked all of the things which Turner has mentioned in his well-written article, using my common sense to avoid me being robbed blind by travelling bandits, heh.

For me though, what really did it (as I hosted many CS’ers who were first timers and so had no references at all) was how they approached me in the first message. People who were friendly, open, honest and mentioned a few of their interests and passions were much more likely to get a nod from me than anyone who just said that they needed a place to stay and could I help.

My advice is to always search for people who have similar interests to you, so you know that you can relate to them in more ways than just being someone who likes to travel. For example, I had many people stay who were also into health or music or Surfing (as in waves) and so we instantly had loads to talk about. Generally you can find one or two places where you agree, so focus on those in your initial contact.

This all may seem to be common sense, but I’ve come to realize that often sense is not all that common;).

CS rocks my world, some of the friends I’ve made on there will be friends for life and I can’t wait to use it to find couches to lay my head upon when I’m in need!

Love to all
inJOY

My #1 tip would be when sending a request, make sure to mention something personal about the person you’re trying to stay with, so they know you actually read their profile. That is far and away the best way to increase your chances of getting a “yes” response.

The #2 tip is to send your request out at least a week or two in advance instead of waiting to the last minute.

I recommend it to EVERYONE and if u don’t like to sleep in couches, just go to hostels but join Couchsurfing people because they are doing plenty of things everywhere you go!!

Trust-trust relationship for the indecise ones!!

Cheers from Barcelona, spain

Meets usually have a mix of locals and Surfers who are just passing through, giving you the opportunity to meet people from a wide variety of backgrounds, many of whom have good local travel recommendations. There’s even the possibility that they may be doing something fun the next day that they’d love to invite you along for.

So, even if I am unable to offer a couch, when I’m living abroad I always come out to meet-ups, and I usually end up showing around other travelers. I’ve also been trying to organize the community in my local city (Morgantown, WV, USA). In this way, even though I’ve only hosted or surfed a total of 7 or 8 times, I have about 28 references, all from people who know me well. Remember, CouchSurfing is about PEOPLE, about having a greater travel experience and making lifelong friends. The free couch is, and should always be, secondary.