Hey guys, what are some good ways to meet other travellers or locals whilst travelling solo?

thanks

How do you politely decline people who straight away request to stay over 5-7+ days and tell them you'd rather do 3 days? Especially when they maybe could seem like an alright person from their profile but they haven't given any details how they could be encouraging to be hosted like helping with dinner or dishes for example. Every time I host I offer tea/coffee, occasional snacks or cook breakfast/dinner for the guest once but if they don't communicate their food plans with me I feel guilty eating and not offering them any, how do you go about it?

I need help!

Hello everyone!

I am currently working on a research project about Couchsurfing, and I would really appreciate your help. If you have experience with Couchsurfing—whether as a host, guest, or both—please take a few minutes to complete my survey.

Your input would be extremely valuable and would help me a lot in my research. The survey is short and completely anonymous.

Here is the link: https://1ka.arnes.si/a/58c64217

Thank you so much for your time and help!

Hi, I’ll be in Borneo in February and am thinking about trying Couchsurfing for the first time. Has anyone experience with Couchsurfing in Borneo, especially in Brunei, Miri, Bintulu and Kuching?

It’s supposed to be about connecting with people, sharing experiences, and fostering this cool sense of community, right? But nope—too many people are just fake as hell. They’re overly nice, acting like they’re your best friend, and then boom, you realize they’re only there to freeload off your kindness. Free bed, free food, free everything, and they’ll butter you up with compliments just to leave a nice review and keep their freeloading train going.

Hi,

I am going to Alexandria next month and i postet my stay on couchsurfing. I never couchsurfed myself but we had a few couchsurfer at our place so I can't really tell if the egypten offers are scam or not. I heard that some egyptians expect cash afterwards for some things that would be free in germany. For example hitchhiking

Do you think it is a legit offer or does the person expect cash afterwards?

The person has over 10 friends on couchsurfing but no references.

I got two more offers that Look similiar and I don't know what to expect. Thanks :)

A few days ago, I was looking for potential people that could host me in one of my destinations in March. For some reason, I can't see a bunch of them anymore (on the normal search), however I was able to search them by their username and name, message them, and request to stay. Is this normal or just some sort of glitch? There's no way that all 10 of those people blocked me since I can still see their profile and I only messaged one of them.

I'm looking for a place to stay: In France, anywhere, preferably nearby to Lille, but could be ok naywhere 😁 Nearby in Belgium good as well! 😁 I travel alone.

I can offer stay now: In Tirana Albania, easy travel with bus to the Tirana Center. Stay preferaby with those who could give a stay later back that I will need next time in France. I'm interested to travel later anywhere 😁

From France, easy travel for example with Wizzair Paris-Tirana. Warmer weather possible here 😁 It was perfect clear sunshine lately, good to see the city, with some light rainy days possible that are still mostly warm in the day.

I have 5 free bed here in Tirana for 5 people group and more possible in couch if ok in couch 😁 Here are also separate lockable cabinets but it's safe anyway and in the location many shops nearby, with bus stops near to travel to the center.

We can discuss the time in message

I speak english and I recently started to learn French, mostly just a few words yet, I'm trying to improve! 😁

After a friend’s suggestion, I joined Couchsurfing and tried the Hangouts feature. There, I connected with someone living in Gurgaon, and we planned to meet for drinks. I assumed we’d go to a bar, but he invited me to his place instead, saying it was “better and cozy.” Curious and amused, I agreed.

When I reached his location, I was stunned. His house was a luxurious villa with every amenity you could imagine—a private elevator, recliners, and even a jacuzzi. He welcomed me warmly, and we shared drinks, snacks, and stories about travel and life.

He was intriguing but had a tendency to dominate the conversation, constantly flaunting his achievements, which I found both impressive and a bit over the top. His perspective on life and relationships was unconventional—focused on freedom, independence, and avoiding emotional ties.

The night took an unexpected turn when he made a move on me, which I politely but firmly declined. The situation became awkward, but he apologized, and we moved on.

The next morning, over coffee, we talked about spirituality, tech innovations in his house, and random musings about life. Despite the odd moments, it was a memorable experience—a mix of luxury, eccentricity, and a dash of unpredictability that left me with a story to tell.

Lesson Learned:

Couchsurfing is a great platform to meet new people and experience different perspectives, but it’s important to set clear boundaries and trust your instincts. Always prioritize your safety and be prepared for the unexpected when meeting strangers.

Feedback for Couchsurfing:

The app has immense potential to connect people from all walks of life, but adding features to verify profiles more thoroughly or encourage transparency about intentions could make it safer and more comfortable for users.

As a context i’m a white male who’s both hosted and been hosted by other people on this platform. I’ve really liked the concept of CouchSurfing and made some friends along the way but recent experiences using the platform got me a bit weirded out.

I’ve tried CS in two different asian countries recently and both of the times the host has been a nice person and we’ve managed to connect on some level besides the cultural differences. However, without any permission from me, these hosts have both created posts on their social media pages talking about me and other travellers who’ve stayed in their house. It feels super weird that someone just posts pictures of me and writes ”descriptions” of me underneath their posts as if I would be a super close friend or a rare item they’ve found. In both cases its been some snapshots they’ve taken of me in public without me noticing or giving permission and then they’ve written stuff like ”my adventurous friend x from x country is having a blast because i’ve done this and that”. Type posts. So basically they are using me as a token to boost their own imaginery social status.

I’m too non-confrontational to ask them to delete the posts so i’ve just opted out blocking them. Has anyone else encountered this or what would you do in this scenario? I’m really not a big fan of someone who I barely know creating posts and publishing pictures of me on their feed without my permission. Thank you

I’m thinking to start using the app, so that when I travel I can meet locals and maybe find hosts. What I wanna ask is: if I request for a host or find a local there and they accept, how do you know for sure that they will meet you, for example.. what if you have agreed but they just decide to ignore you after you have arrived there.

I have a question about crime safety in a specific area in Pasadena.

I found a place for I’d like to rent North of the corner of N. Los Robles Avenue and E Mountain St. in Pasadena. I plan to sign the lease tomorrow. I’m curious about what you all think about the level of safety in that area. Los Robles is a big street so I feel like it might be a little loud but other than that, is it safe? Would starting over here be the smart choice, specifically in terms of crime safety? Could I take my dog for a walk at night and feel okay about it?

I know a lot of the questions I’m asking are subjective, but I just want to know the general sense that everyone here has about it. Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.❤️‍🩹

Hello all going up to Portland from SF Bay Area taking a little road trip with my time off from work right now got a few weeks going to visit some friends never use this before but just look in for recommendations or how does it work trying to save some cash cuz I'm going to be renting an Airbnb for 9 days when I get to Portland and they are a lot more expensive than I remember haha if anybody can inform / enlighten me on the whole couch surfing thing greatly appreciated and have a happy Sunday

We had a weird conversation about the hitchhiking prior but thats all. I’ve been hit-on on couchsurfing before, so might be overly cautious. Not sure if I overreacted or he was out of line. Opinions?

In English: Hello, I have a Schengen, but no money for a ticket. Moscow-Paris, if you are ready to sponsor, write)

I hosted two female friends, "A" and "B", they had similar ages and cultural backgrounds.

A is a seasoned traveler with many references, while B doesn't have an account and was traveling for the first time outside her country, tagging along and relying on A for organising the trip.

A is an extrovert, and B is an ambivert.

Surprisingly, I spent more time with B, who asked to stay longer due to A's controlling behavior and unwarranted criticism. A even bullied B to the point that I was concerned for B's safety. B asked me to stay longer with me but ultimately made the choice to leave together. A also had hygiene issues and despite seeming a nice person, the experience left a sour taste. They both struggled with house rules a little.

I kept in touch with B, who shared more troubling incidents involving A during their trip and they never spoke since the end of the trip .I hoped A would write a reference first, but she hasn't and time is nearly up, what would you do?

I’m in Melbourne area looking to spend a couple nights in Miami hopefully close to south beach if there’s any hosts out there. Thanks

Happy to buy dinner or make something in return for the nights stay, would only be Saturday the 18th

with the wiki by trustroots gone and no other wiki page about couch surfing around, where can i point my new surfers to read about couchsurfing?

I'm not sure how far & deep this message will go, but I'm looking for all the friends that I already host last time in my old CS account.

For those who have been at my place please DM me if you read my messages.

Under the name of Matin, beach house in Johor Malaysia..

Who I can remember: Max (Germany) Danish (Russian) Maite & Ruben (Spain) Shizuka (Japan) Su (Germany) Sarah (Portugal) Muriel (Switzerland)

And many more from France,Belarus, Turkey, U.S. Egypt,Korea and so on..

I'm opening my new shelter soon in Malaysia and this time around is Jungle House, I wish you all could come back or anyone of you who pass by Malaysia could visit it..

Peace to the world!

I received people in my place really often, I'm an active member, and I'm poor. I shouldn't have to pay for receive people, I think.

Do you know If there is a way to pay less or to don't pay ?

Edit : as an answer to the reply : I know trustroots, couchers, bewelcome and I'm already on it

Hey Guys, I’m completely new to couch surfing and hoping I can get some advice here?

Me (18m) and my mate (18m) are doing 4 weeks in France and 3 weeks in Norway from Mid Jan 2026 - Early March 2026. We’re really into the idea of meeting new people and learning about the local living in these places. Especially the language aspect :)

The issue is that I’m a big planner and like to get things organised in advance. What is an acceptable amount of time before asking a host to let us stay for a week or less (is that too long)? Also how do we improve our reputation on sites like couchsurfing and BeWelcome? I saw posts saying 2-3 weeks in advance is good for asking and not to stay longer than 3 days? I’m new to this etiquette and wanted to confirm?

Anything helps since I’d hate to get trapped doing all the touristy things for my first time there :)

This has been bugging me for a while now and i'm honestly curious. I'll see posts often about how the CS app sucks or the fee is absurd to have/too expensive to all sorts of, very valid, points. But time and time again i'll check the CS app and its just much much more popular than any other site. I get that its ingrained and such but if the app, the community, and all of it combined suck so much, why isnt there a bigger push for other options?

What do you all think?

We are doing a project and addressing the problems foreigners face while traveling to India and offering some solutions.
We really rely on travelers who wanna visit India/who have already visited India.
We ask you to kindly fill the google form for improvisation of our project.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeMRsYwakkXTToeqEBBGduIceL-lSCQEghvsD9GwEW7jqFcdQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Does anybody know of this weird scam where someone asks you to receive a package for them. It asks for your address? I'm at this current point, but google says that eventually the couch surfer dips and then asks you to re-route the package elsewhere?

This gets a bad rap, and unwanted advances are creepy and dangerous. However as a change of pace I was wondering if anyone has met their partner on this app.

I’m now 1 year and 8 months into a relationship with my girlfriend who I had hosted first over 2 years ago. The most beautiful and softly spoken girl I had ever met.

Hi everyone!

I know my question is stupid but do you think it is really safe for a solo traveller to go in any couchsurfing ? Since its not free anymore inwpuldnsay it adds some guarantee but I'm still wondering rather someon would expect something in exchange... 😅

I got accepted by a CS that mention "women" on his interest and I must say that's a big red flag ! Bit he as so many good reviews and also from women so I don't know what to think anymore!

Do you or anyone you know got a bad/dangerous experience from CS ?

Thank you for your help !

I spent three months couchsurfing across India and absolutely loved the experience. The hospitality there was incredible—people are kind, helpful, and eager to introduce you to their culture. I was amazed by how many hosts there were on the app, even in remote rural areas. It allowed me to explore places I wouldn’t have been able to on my own.

I didn’t encounter any scammers, and I had zero bad experiences. Plus, the fact that many people speak good English really allowed me to immerse myself in local life.

I also tried couchsurfing in the Philippines for shorter periods, but the experience wasn’t as fulfilling. For one, it was much harder to find hosts on the app, especially outside of major cities. Secondly, I found that quite a few hosts were using the app more as a dating tool rather than offering genuine hospitality.

I had hoped to try couchsurfing in Indonesia, but the number of active couchsurfers there was very limited. I couldn’t find many hosts outside the larger cities.

Does anyone have recommendations for countries in Asia where couchsurfing is a great experience? Or do you think I should return to India?

I have been couch surfing for four years now trying to get places or myself together just sometimes need a better direction

Am I doing something wrong? I have to pay 20 bucks a year to host people at my house?

Hi guys!

So initially I've travelled to Europe with my highschool besties but unfortunately they weren't keen to visit Spain so we decided that I visit spain while they're in Switzerland.

I'll be solo from jan 12 fo 20 and I was wondering if anyone was interested to join me! I'm interested in good food, conversations and I also like to party!

Shoot me a dm if interested:)