How To Trounce It On Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing is 1 of the oldest sharing-economy go websites out there. It (and sites similar it, such every bit BeWelcome, Servas, Hospitality Club, as well as GlobalFreeloaders) is 1 of the best ways to connect amongst locals, acquire off the original tourist go path, brand novel friends — as well as salvage coin yesteryear getting complimentary accommodation. All of these websites were started yesteryear people searching for a fashion to go out of the hotel/hostel paradigm, connect amongst locals, as well as acquire to know a identify deeper.
I’ve been using Couchsurfing since I started traveling inwards 2006. My origin host was a adult woman inwards Athens who allow me remain for ii nights. My instant host was a guy who allow me remain inwards his guesthouse (with a pool!) inwards Commonwealth of Australia for every bit long every bit I wanted. (After coming off 8 months of backpacking inwards Southeast Asia, it was much-needed luxury!) I’ve been taken on tours of cities as well as to stone shows, college parties, as well as fifty-fifty a family’s Dominicus dinner. Couchsurfing has opened upwardly a footing of amazing people to me piece helping select downward on the biggest costs inwards travel.
So it should go no surprise that the service is really pop amongst travelers — as well as hosts acquire inundated amongst requests!
In fact, I listen from a lot of people who tell they never acquire a response when they apply for stays. For example, a traveler staying at my hostel of late commented that he had a null response charge per unit of measurement from hosts when looking for a identify to remain inwards Austin. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 friend who was amongst me said she ever replies to people as well as openly wondered what his emails said. Maybe the number was how he approached hosts.
If you’re sending out dozens of requests as well as non 1 host writes dorsum — fifty-fifty to tell no — as well as then something is incorrect amongst your approach. Hosts tin commonly odor the travelers who but wishing to exercise them for a complimentary identify to remain a mile away (a lesson I learned the difficult fashion early on).
So how produce you lot succeed at Couchsurfing? How produce you lot discovery people who volition tell concord to host you lot but won’t go full creeps? Show that you lot wishing to go involved inwards the community. That you lot care. That you lot took the fourth dimension to fill upwardly out your profile inwards particular as well as aren’t but using this every bit a fashion to avoid paying $30 for a dorm bed. To that end, some tips follow:
Always receive got multiple (and current) profile pictures
This but shows me, every bit a potential host, that you’re a existent person. Have pictures of you lot amongst your friends, from your travels, as well as having fun. I tin catch you lot took fourth dimension to seat the photos up. It shows you lot attention as well as you lot receive got a social life. Moreover, brand certain they represent your age. If your profile says you lot are thirty as well as your photos expect similar they were taken 10 years ago, that’s a fleck weird. Keep them updated. I am constantly adding photos from my travels. I currently receive got 5 uploaded. I don’t think at that spot is whatever magic number to this but the to a greater extent than the better.
Have recommendations as well as reviews
Both hosts as well as travelers tin accrue recommendations from other hosts, friends, as well as guests. As always, the to a greater extent than positive reviews, the better. If you lot catch that other people receive got stayed amongst the host as well as had a fun as well as condom experience, you lot likely volition too. You mightiness non acquire along amongst the host inwards the end, but at to the lowest degree you lot know they aren’t a creep or volition pocket your stuff.
The same plant for you, the potential guest. Hosts wishing to catch that you lot aren’t a creep too!
However, if you lot are novel to the service don’t receive got whatever reviews, inquire your friends who exercise the service to write you lot a review as well as clit you lot every bit a friend. I select a lot of people every bit guests because, piece they are novel to the service, they receive got positive reviews from people they know (who also receive got positive reviews), from other people they’ve met traveling, or from Couchsurfng meet-ups.
Attend meet-ups
One fashion to start the procedure of getting the social proof required to succeed at Couchsurfing is to attend meet-ups as well as local events. After all, Couchsurfng is to a greater extent than than but staying amongst people. It’s virtually beingness purpose of a community. Each metropolis has lots of activities, groups, as well as events that you lot tin attend, fifty-fifty if you lot aren’t staying amongst someone. Meet people — whether every bit a local or a traveler — as well as acquire to know them. Go places. Hang out. Get reviews from people. Not all your reviews postulate to come upwardly from people who receive got stayed amongst you!
Plus, this is a bully fashion to brand novel friends who similar to travel!
Be a host first
One fashion to earn reviews is to host people first. Being a host isn’t ever virtually having people remain amongst you lot either. Sometimes it’s but beingness a tour guide. I’ve had amazing hosts who but showed me their town — from the daughter inwards the Ukraine who brought me to a academy party, to the guy inwards Oxford who took me rowing, to the friends inwards Munich who took me an amazing stone concert.
So, if you lot don’t wishing to receive got people inwards your home, offering to select people out as well as exhibit them to a greater extent than or less your city. If people receive got spent fourth dimension amongst you lot — fifty-fifty if they haven’t stayed at your identify — you’ll growth the likelihood people volition consent to receive got you lot at their house!
Fill out your profile inwards detail
If you’ve taken the fourth dimension to fill upwardly out your profile, it likely agency you lot are serious virtually this site. It volition laissez passer on people a gamble to larn what form of mortal you lot are instead of guessing based on the 1 e-mail you lot wrote them as well as that ten-year-old photograph you lot speedily seat up. Profiles amongst idea as well as particular acquire a lot to a greater extent than responses. I wishing to know virtually the stranger I am going to receive got inwards my home, as well as your consummate profile lets me produce that.
Get verified
Couchsurfing offers dissimilar levels of verification. Members tin go verified yesteryear other travelers, amongst a mailing address, or amongst a credit card. Knowing that a mortal has been verified reduces the likelihood that they are going to go a crazy psycho killer. However, if someone isn’t verified but has a lot of reviews, that’s OK amongst me every bit a host. Verification isn’t a must, but it does help! (Note: I haven’t gotten verified yet myself!)
Write a captivating as well as personal email
Write a personalized e-mail virtually why you lot wishing to remain amongst someone. Talk virtually what you lot liked virtually their profile, why you lot would go a proficient fit, your habits, what you lot wishing to go out of it, as well as fifty-fifty what you lot tin offering the host. Be interesting as well as go personal.
The argue most people neglect at Couchsurfing is that they ship out boring, generic, cut-and-pasted emails. Here is an instance of that:
Hi Matt,
I’m coming to Austin side yesteryear side calendar week for 3 days. Can I remain amongst you?
Sam
I would ignore or response no to that email. It doesn’t enjoin me anything virtually the person. I receive got to produce the extra operate to become to the person’s page, click around, as well as figure out on my ain if this mortal is normal or not.
A much improve e-mail is would be:
Hi Matt,
How are you? I’m coming to Austin side yesteryear side calendar week for iii days as well as saw your host page. Like you, I’m also a large fan of Game of Thrones, whiskey, as well as Thai food. It would go awesome to receive got a host who could exhibit me those things to a greater extent than or less Austin. I’ve heard lots of wonderful things virtually the metropolis as well as am looking to acquire outdoors as well as explore. I also dearest to gear upwardly as well as would similar to gear upwardly you lot a repast from my country, France! I’m quiet, clean, as well as won’t go inwards your fashion if you lot postulate to operate or something.
– Sam
That’s the form of e-mail would acquire a response from me! Moreover, Benny Lewis of Fluent inwards 3 Months, who has hosted over 2,000 couchsurfers, offers this advice:
Think of what you lot tin produce for that host. People tend to go really self-centered inwards their emails as well as tell how amazing a mortal they are, which would brand me curl my eyes a lot. But the odd e-mail would go from someone who picked upwardly on something on my profile, such every bit a linguistic communication I’d similar to learn, as well as maxim that inwards telephone commutation for the couch, he tin learn me some of that language. That would pique my involvement as well as acquire me to host them more!
When at that spot is a feel that someone deserves to go hosted, forgetting that I’m giving them the roof as well as local tours, etc., complimentary of charge, it’s a breath of fresh air when someone says that if I select him to a local club, he’ll learn me hip-hop trip the lite fantastic toe moves.
Don’t go self-centered. It’s obvious you lot are looking for a complimentary identify to remain but you lot receive got to become beyond that. Let hosts know what you lot tin produce for them as well as why it’s going to go a fun experience.
Send out multiple emails
Part of Couchsurfing is playing the numbers game. It’s but a fact of the system. If you lot e-mail but 1 or ii people, peculiarly inwards a metropolis amongst few hosts, it’s doubtful you’ll discovery much success. Email every bit many hosts every bit possible to maximize your chances. Saying “sorry, I’ve constitute some other host” is non going to displace whatever bad blood, as well as most hosts recognize you lot are mailing multiple people. I don’t e-mail potential hosts who haven’t been active on the site inside thirty days because it’s less probable they volition response to you.
And ever holler back to go a proficient invitee — go respectful, go clean, go tidy, as well as follow whatever “house” rules laid yesteryear the hosts.
Sumber https://www.nomadicmatt.com
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