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Is there a good alternative? Does couchsurfing still work WELL if you’re willing to pay membership fees?

by EGreg 5y ago

dopidopHN 5y ago
I think the community is kinda broken.
- EGreg 5y ago
  Can I reliably get a couch in most countries where the owner won’t try to rape, kidnap or rob me? Then it’s good enough for me
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
carlsborg 5y ago
Membership fees was a horrible idea. They should have done a Wikipedia style "We need to pay to keep the lights on.. make a donation" and maybe offered a badge in return.
- thomasahle 5y ago
  It's also strange they made the paywall for hosts and travelers the same. Who wants to pay to host other people?
  - xapata 5y ago
    The same people that wanted to host in the first place. When I was really into Couchsurfing, my girlfriend and I searched for apartments that made it easy to host, the same way that people seek ways to host via AirBnB. I enjoyed hearing stories from travelers, and showing them around town.
    - bakuninsbart 5y ago
      I didn't know about the changes but actually wanted to reactivate my CS account after a couple years of absence. Now that the travel restrictions are mostly gone and me and my girlfriend finally have a flat with a nice living room I wanted to give something forward. But I'm not gonna pay for it to an at this point frankly dubious middleman.
    - thomasahle 5y ago
      I guess some people may still want to host. At least if the community is still as good as when I used to host. Personally I'm sceptical that it is, and not going to pay to find out. I'd rather support the newcomers on Couchers.org and the like.
Arubis 5y ago
Probably? There may be a smaller one available for you. Couchsurfing basically needs three things: a way to establish trust (Airbnb accomplishes this by appealing to a central authority), a demographic that’s able and interested in participating, and a way for folks to connect. Of these, trust is probably the hardest. What, in your own life, might enable this? In my own experience, the inbuilt trust between returned Peace Corps volunteers (from an American long-term international service organization) stemming from shared experience led to its own internal couchsurfing culture that was alive and well when I last checked (pre-pandemic). What other affinity groups might work? Work, school, religious groups, hobbies, music? Are you a part of one, or could you be?

Is there a good alternative? Does couchsurfing still work WELL if you’re willing to pay membership fees?

by EGreg 5y ago

Is there a good alternative? Does couchsurfing still work WELL if you’re willing to pay membership fees?

dopidopHN 5y ago

I think the community is kinda broken.

EGreg 5y ago
Can I reliably get a couch in most countries where the owner won’t try to rape, kidnap or rob me? Then it’s good enough for me
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

carlsborg 5y ago

Membership fees was a horrible idea. They should have done a Wikipedia style "We need to pay to keep the lights on.. make a donation" and maybe offered a badge in return.

thomasahle 5y ago
It's also strange they made the paywall for hosts and travelers the same. Who wants to pay to host other people?
- xapata 5y ago
  The same people that wanted to host in the first place. When I was really into Couchsurfing, my girlfriend and I searched for apartments that made it easy to host, the same way that people seek ways to host via AirBnB. I enjoyed hearing stories from travelers, and showing them around town.
  - bakuninsbart 5y ago
    I didn't know about the changes but actually wanted to reactivate my CS account after a couple years of absence. Now that the travel restrictions are mostly gone and me and my girlfriend finally have a flat with a nice living room I wanted to give something forward. But I'm not gonna pay for it to an at this point frankly dubious middleman.
  - thomasahle 5y ago
    I guess some people may still want to host. At least if the community is still as good as when I used to host. Personally I'm sceptical that it is, and not going to pay to find out. I'd rather support the newcomers on Couchers.org and the like.

Arubis 5y ago

Probably? There may be a smaller one available for you. Couchsurfing basically needs three things: a way to establish trust (Airbnb accomplishes this by appealing to a central authority), a demographic that’s able and interested in participating, and a way for folks to connect. Of these, trust is probably the hardest. What, in your own life, might enable this? In my own experience, the inbuilt trust between returned Peace Corps volunteers (from an American long-term international service organization) stemming from shared experience led to its own internal couchsurfing culture that was alive and well when I last checked (pre-pandemic). What other affinity groups might work? Work, school, religious groups, hobbies, music? Are you a part of one, or could you be?