4 ms·

$100/year, $0.27/day is not in the realm of privilege. The groups you mention spend more than that a year to upgrade gear/etc. I call bollocks on this.

solardev 3y ago
I think this is missing the point. It's not "Can I afford $100 for a year's worth of travel", it's that communities have been sharing hosting/staying for a long time already, for free or nearly free. Then suddenly a new company shows up, offers the same service, but now wants to charge hosts and guests $100/yr for doing the same thing as before. Why should they pay that? What does the new company offer? FWIW, it is a genuine question, and depending on the answer could make the service actually very valuable. For example (only): * If they manually vet each member not just with a basic ID check (ID.me etc.) but also with a background check and a Zoom interview, or otherwise improve community trust and relationships * If they provide a built-in calendar/scheduling system and provide support for last-minute cancellations, rebookings, etc. * If they provide vastly superior UX or support compared to Couchsurfing and Warmshowers * If they provide support for international travelers, especially for accidents, medical issues, translations, whatever. But so far this seems to be within California only. But from their website it's not clear that such value-adds are being done, so then the question is not whether $100/yr is affordable, it's what $100/yr gives you that $30/yr does not. If you're rich, that's not a big deal. If you're poor, that $70 a year DOES make a difference.
- latency-guy2 3y ago
  They did not miss the point.
- jmspring 3y ago
  I didn't miss the point. The groups you mention spend significant sums on equipment each year. They probably also drink coffee from places like starbucks/etc. They have disposable income and $100/year is a pittance. Your point of pre-existing free services is a whole different matter and has merits of it's own to discuss. I think, as someone pointed out, couchsurfing.org got kinda weird/shady. I was a member years ago and just stopped paying attention (I recall when there were mailing lists/news groups for such). I think money spent on verification makes sense these days.

solardev 3y ago

I think this is missing the point. It's not "Can I afford $100 for a year's worth of travel", it's that communities have been sharing hosting/staying for a long time already, for free or nearly free. Then suddenly a new company shows up, offers the same service, but now wants to charge hosts and guests $100/yr for doing the same thing as before. Why should they pay that? What does the new company offer? FWIW, it is a genuine question, and depending on the answer could make the service actually very valuable. For example (only): * If they manually vet each member not just with a basic ID check (ID.me etc.) but also with a background check and a Zoom interview, or otherwise improve community trust and relationships * If they provide a built-in calendar/scheduling system and provide support for last-minute cancellations, rebookings, etc. * If they provide vastly superior UX or support compared to Couchsurfing and Warmshowers * If they provide support for international travelers, especially for accidents, medical issues, translations, whatever. But so far this seems to be within California only. But from their website it's not clear that such value-adds are being done, so then the question is not whether $100/yr is affordable, it's what $100/yr gives you that $30/yr does not. If you're rich, that's not a big deal. If you're poor, that $70 a year DOES make a difference.

latency-guy2 3y ago
They did not miss the point.
jmspring 3y ago
I didn't miss the point. The groups you mention spend significant sums on equipment each year. They probably also drink coffee from places like starbucks/etc. They have disposable income and $100/year is a pittance. Your point of pre-existing free services is a whole different matter and has merits of it's own to discuss. I think, as someone pointed out, couchsurfing.org got kinda weird/shady. I was a member years ago and just stopped paying attention (I recall when there were mailing lists/news groups for such). I think money spent on verification makes sense these days.