Quick Guide to Couchsurfing Website, Filling Couchsurfing Profile and Sending Couch Requests

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:

1. Fill in Couchsurfing Profile
2. Search for Couchsurfing Hosts
3. Send Couch Requests
4. Explore Other Activities
5. Use Couchsurfing App

» 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]

• ACCOUNT & SETTINGS » You can start by answering a few basic details about yourself. Next, go to
• MY PROFILE » Edit My Profile » 
  • About » Make an effort to fill up all the questions below on your profile. Say something about yourself. Let the host know you better through your description. An empty Couchsurfing profile is a no-no and will stand a low chance for acceptance.
    • About Me
    • Why I’m on Couchsurfing
    • One Amazing I’ve Done
    • Teach, Learn, Share
    • What I Can Share with Hosts
    • Countries I Have Visited
    • Countries I Have Lived In 
  • My Home » Fill up this tab (beside About) only if you are planning to host people. Otherwise, leave it alone.

[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:

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.

• METHOD A: Post a Public Trip
  • Scroll down the dashboard. Look for MY TRAVEL PLANS » Create a Public Trip. Anyone can see your travel date in Upcoming Visitors and may offer to host you. See Image [4A]

• METHOD B: Find a Host
  • On the Couchsurfing website header under EXPLORE » Enter the city name where you want to go. Click Find a Host on the left row. Go through their Couchsurfing Profiles and send them a couch request.
  • On the top left-hand side of your profile pic dropdown, select See Image [4B]

[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:

• Greet the hosts by their names » Instead of a generic “hi, hello”, address the person by their name, so it sounds more personalised such as “Hi Jeroen, …”
• Introduce yourself » Where do you come from, your age, language spoken if there is a language exchange.
• Any other travel partner? » Introduce this person as well. Some hosts may expect a separate Couchsurfing profile for them.
• Your Couchsurfing request date » 2 to 4 days with the same host is ideal.
• How do you arrive and your estimated time of arrival? » Some types of transportation will not be that punctual so the host will be less rigid over your arrival time.
• What do you plan to do in their city? » Provide them with an outline of your planned itinerary, if any.
• Any other requests? » Do you also wish that they can …
  • Go for a city tour with you?
  • Eat or drink with you?
  • Exchange Language with you?
  • Do something else together?

[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.