Like anything else it can both ways, but usually it’s very positive. In fact, we’re preparing for Romania, and with very little effort we have an invite to stay with someone, they’re picking us up at the airport, and they’re planning on introducing us to their other friends with kids. We have another family interested in meeting up as well. So, I’d say largely positive. 😉

Thanks for sharing your post. I have been toying with the idea of couchsurfing for a while as a way of connecting with others while we travel. It sounds like it can be very positive, but has the potential to not be so great.

Yes, definitely. I’ve had some of those moments, too, where I just don’t feel like I want to socialize and share my space. Those are the times when having my own room or place are essential.

It’s truly a shame because it’s a great cultural exercise. But looking for hosts in Christchurch has brought me back to thinking I’ll probably not be using it much in the future. Most of the hosts respond to requests about 60% of the time. Why be listed as a host if you aren’t going to bother responding? Just change your status to available for meetups only or something.

That said, we haven’t been using the service as much since we have reached the cheaper parts of Asia. It’s not that we don’t want to surf, but I am an introvert, so I need to space out our Surfing with private stays and because we are so picky about who we’ll even send requests to (we rarely send out more than 3 requests for a given location), it takes a lot of time and effort to set something up. We always like to interact with our hosts and make time for them, so when I am feeling selfish and just want to do my own thing, I know I need to find my own lodgings rather than look for a host.

I think it’s always important to show both sides of anything. 😉

I was hesitant as well, but I’m glad I went through with it. Even if I did have a few less choice experiences.

There is also the option of just meeting people for coffee. That way you get the benefit of meeting a local without the awkwardness of sleeping in their home.