11
Jan
How Does Couchsurfing Work? Navigating Couchsurfing Website Profile
by MissSJ
How does Couchsurfing work? This article is created for the first-time Couchsurfer newbie on the technical know-how in navigating the Couchsurfing website to:
» If you have entered into this page by mistake, exit with one of the articles below Couchsurfing.
[1] Register a Couchsurfing Profile on the Couchsurfing website with an email address or a Facebook account. After login, it will take you to www.couchsurfing.com/dashboard.
[2] On the top left-hand side of your profile pic dropdown, select See Image [2]
[3] Go to PHOTO » Upload a few pictures of yourself or with friends. One photo is not a problem as I also have only one on my Couchsurfing profile. The photos must show your face clearly. If you do not upload a photo, you cannot send a couch message to the host later. This error message will appear instead:
UPLOAD YOUR PROFILE PICTURE: Couchsurfing requires all members to have a profile picture before they can participate in our community. Don’t be a faceless stranger!
Once you have completed all your Couchsurfing profile in Step [2] and [3] above, you are good to go. You can start looking for a host now.
[4] There are two methods to look for Couchsurfing Hosts on the website. To maximise your chance, you can do both at the same time.
Tips:
❖ When searching for hosts, look for those that state Accepting Guests, followed by Maybe Accepting Guests.
❖ Check their last login time before sending them couch requests. If their profiles state their last date to be months or even years ago, these people may no longer be active, so don’t waste your *quota on them.
*Quota: Limit to 10 introduction messages per 7 days when you initiate a conversation with a member for the first time using the Message or Couch Request system. Pay USD 60 as a verified member if you want to have unlimited introduction messages.
[5] Send a couch request message to the hosts. Not a 2 – 3 liner message but a reasonably long one mentioning the following as a guideline:
[6] If you have confirmed a host’s invitation to stay at his place, make it a responsibility to cancel the rest of them. Alternatively, reply to those that you do not want to stay there anymore when they accepted your request instead of not giving them a reasonable response. If anything goes wrong with the first host such as a last-minute cancellation, you can always get back to those which you have politely declined in the first place.
[7] What else can you make use of the Couchsurfing website? Other than searching for free accommodation on the Couchsurfing website, there are more engaging activities which may interest you to participate. You can find all the activities below on the same page after entering the name of the city. See Image [7]
PLAY HOST » You can play host and select someone from Upcoming Visitors in your city since travellers can submit their travel trips publicly. Anyone who wants to host these people can hit the button Offer to Host and communicate with them.
EVENTS » Find events and activities to do in a city. You can also organise one to meet new people. There are often Couchsurfing Meetup sessions in several cities. I have been to a blind dinner at someone’s house in Paris where people did not know each other. Each guest had to bring some food. The other one was a brunch in Lille outside a cafe for a food sharing activity.
GROUPS » Here, you can also join a group based on a common interest in the long run. When someone posts a message in the thread, you will receive it by email which you can set the frequency of the mail received or leave the group anytime. Many subjects are principally revolving around travel, accommodation, languages, meeting up, city-based activities and events.
DISCUSSION » Different from GROUPS above. On the Couchsurfing website, people can start a conversation on a short-term interest to get some help on a topic, invite people to a travel trip, find a teacher to learn a new language, find a rental etc. The possibilities are endless. You can ask anything you want.
HANGOUTS » Find someone to hang out in a city. You have to download the Couchsurfing App on your mobile to perform this activity.
[8] Download the Couchsurfing Travel App from Google Play Store or iTunes. The highlight of this Couchsurfing App of what the desktop version cannot do is the HANGOUTS activity. It displays a list of people around you in the city who also want to hang out and do something. If you are interested in meeting them, send a message. You must first enable your GPS location for this service to work.
1. What is Couchsurfing?
2. Is Couchsurfing Free?
» Giving Back to Host
» Payback Time
3. Is Couchsurfing Safe?
» 9 Tips to Safe Couchsurfing Trip
|1| Blank Profile
|2| Female Couchsurfers’ Reviews
|3| No Review
|4| Desperate Hosts
|5| Certain Groups
|6| Choose a Verified Host
|7| Exchange Social Media
|8| Maintain Communication
|9| Keep Valuables with You
1. Couchsurfing Host Profile
2. 15 Tips to Look Out when Selecting a Couchsurfing Host
① Guests: Accepting, Maybe or Not
② Last Login Time
③ Gender Preference
④ Maximum People to Host
⑤ Furry Friends
⑥ Sleeping Arrangements
⑦ Age and Occupation
⑧ Interest
⑨ Hanging Out Together
⑩ Precise City Location
⑪ Length of Stay
⑫ Experienced Couchsurfing Host
⑬ New Couchsurfing Host
⑭ Spare Keys
⑮ WiFi Access
3. Backup Plan
4. The Negative Conclusion
1. Importance of Couchsurfing Review
2. Bad Couchsurfing Review of a Host: Will You Still Give Him a Chance?
3. Reducing Negative Couchsurfing Reference on Your Profile
4. 10 Couchsurfing Review and Experiences Unveiled @
|1| Toulouse, France ~ Ivan
|2| Barcelona, Spain ~ Cristian
|3| Lyon, France ~ Nicolas
|4| Rennes, France ~ Pierre
|5| Nantes, France ~ Claude
|6| Paris, France ~ Maxio
|7| Paris, France ~ Eddy
|8| Paris, France ~ Laurent
|9| Paris, France ~ Rémi
|10| Lille, France ~ Vincent
5. Heartfelt Opinion
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Hi, I'm MissSJ, your virtual travel guide here. Travelling, Google Maps and YOU are my interests. I enjoy amplifying my stories and tips with online maps to calculate the distance figuratively and navigate the direction so several points of interests are conglomerated in the same area as possible. With a virtual assistant, take my ride and join me!
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