4 ms·

I've got far too many things that I wouldn't trust some stranger around: cash, rare books, tens of thousands of dollars of tools, firearms, dogs. If it works f

by tjic 17y ago

I've got far too many things that I wouldn't trust some stranger around: cash, rare books, tens of thousands of dollars of tools, firearms, dogs. If it works for some people, great, but I thought the idea of CouchSurfing.com was insane the first time I heard of it.

jacquesm 17y ago
I don't think you are their target demographic, either on the offering or on the using side.
dkersten 17y ago
I'm pretty active in the Dublin Group of couchsurfing and meet up with people regularly. Just last night a crowd of maybe 15 of us (most of us knew each other already, butt heres usually at least one new person there) went out in town. Its great fun and you meet great people. I can't anymore, because my apartment is too small, but this time last year, I lived in a house with 4 other couchsurfers. We hosted people ALL THE TIME. I think over the 4 months that we hosted, we hosted 40 or so people. One weekend we hosted TWELVE people at once (there was an event on). Personally, I've NEVER had any problems and don't personally know anyone whos ever had problems. By now, I've met HUNDREDS of couchsurfers and have never heard of any personal bad experiences. Since we were all working too, often we weren't even at home. Often we gave people a key and let them come and go as they pleased and then hung out with them in the evenings. Not once did this cause problems. Never had anything stolen or broken, never had issues with privacy either (generally, people are quite considerate, if you want time alone). Of course, I DONT have tens of thousands of dollars of tools and I don't have any firearms (besides airsoft guns) and I rarely have more than €100 in cash at home. I DO have computers though and laptops. I imagine the laptops would be the biggest target. But.. if I worry about something valuable, I lock it away. Obviously there are risks and if you host someone or surf someone else's couch, you must be aware of the risks. Personally, I'm willing to take that risk - for me, the benefits are worth it. I've made tons of friends through couchsurfing and I find couchsurfers to be generally more open minded than others. I guess you have to be to share your home with strangers. Couchsurfing is also not actually about free accommodation either. Its about a cultural exchange. About meeting people, making friends, learning something new. In this respect, I have found it to work exceptionally well. Its sad when you hear of stories like this, though. It reminds you that there are bad people out there - and a site with as many members as couchsurfing is obviously going to have a few of these. I certainly hope theres not many, but I guess you never know for sure. I guess you need to be careful...

by tjic 17y ago

jacquesm 17y ago

I don't think you are their target demographic, either on the offering or on the using side.

dkersten 17y ago

I'm pretty active in the Dublin Group of couchsurfing and meet up with people regularly. Just last night a crowd of maybe 15 of us (most of us knew each other already, butt heres usually at least one new person there) went out in town. Its great fun and you meet great people. I can't anymore, because my apartment is too small, but this time last year, I lived in a house with 4 other couchsurfers. We hosted people ALL THE TIME. I think over the 4 months that we hosted, we hosted 40 or so people. One weekend we hosted TWELVE people at once (there was an event on). Personally, I've NEVER had any problems and don't personally know anyone whos ever had problems. By now, I've met HUNDREDS of couchsurfers and have never heard of any personal bad experiences. Since we were all working too, often we weren't even at home. Often we gave people a key and let them come and go as they pleased and then hung out with them in the evenings. Not once did this cause problems. Never had anything stolen or broken, never had issues with privacy either (generally, people are quite considerate, if you want time alone). Of course, I DONT have tens of thousands of dollars of tools and I don't have any firearms (besides airsoft guns) and I rarely have more than €100 in cash at home. I DO have computers though and laptops. I imagine the laptops would be the biggest target. But.. if I worry about something valuable, I lock it away. Obviously there are risks and if you host someone or surf someone else's couch, you must be aware of the risks. Personally, I'm willing to take that risk - for me, the benefits are worth it. I've made tons of friends through couchsurfing and I find couchsurfers to be generally more open minded than others. I guess you have to be to share your home with strangers. Couchsurfing is also not actually about free accommodation either. Its about a cultural exchange. About meeting people, making friends, learning something new. In this respect, I have found it to work exceptionally well. Its sad when you hear of stories like this, though. It reminds you that there are bad people out there - and a site with as many members as couchsurfing is obviously going to have a few of these. I certainly hope theres not many, but I guess you never know for sure. I guess you need to be careful...