When it’s come to free accommodation apps Coushsurfing is one of the most important ones for sure! Learning how to use couchsurfing is a big case. It is a web page and also an application that people share their homes for accommodation for free. Signing up to the website is quite easy. The website’s language is English and the language is being used in general. While you are signing up, you are demanded to share some informations about you and your home, which will be seen in your profile. You need to share some personal informations about the opportunities that your guest can access, where your guest can stay, your interests, why you are using Couchsurfing and your contact informations etc.

Writing your phone number and and your address details makes you seem like a trustful person. Also, you can verify your account for a small amount of money but it does not affect your usage so you do not need to do it. The references you get, already,  more important for trust when you host someone or when you are hosted by someone.

HOW TO USE COUCHSURFING

How To Find A Host In Couchsurfing

There are available“I can host a guest””I might host a guest”or “I can not host a guest”choices in your profile. You can choose the appropriate one for yourself. If you are not going to host someone, your name will not appear on the searching page in your location.

When you are going to visit a place, you can reach people who host people in your current location from “find a host”section by writing the name of the city and the country. You can send these people messages and accommodation requests by picking the date you want.

How To Send A Request In Couchsurfing

They have a well-considered comment system for security. There are three types of references;“references that come from guests”“references that come from host families”and “personal references”. The system sends you a notification to write about your accommodation experience after an accepted request in the end of your accommodation.

With this notification, you are asked to write a reference that includes your positive or negative experience for the person you hosted or the one you are being hosted. The opponent is demanded to write a reference until the date which is selected by the system. When the opponent do it, the system automatically shows the comments in both of you and your opponent’s profile in the same time. If the opponent does not write a reference, only your comment can be seen in your opponent’s profile. These types of references are categorised as a”references that come from guests”or as a “references that come from host family”.

How To Write A Reference In Couchsurfing

Apart from that, if your friends write you references without sending you a request, these types of references are categorised as a “personal references”.

How To Ask For A Reference In Couchsurfing

You can ask for a reference by going to the user’s profile from whom you want a reference and by clicking the section called “reguest a reference”.

How To Edit A Reference In Couchsurfing

Unfortunately, you do not have a chance to edit, delete or interfere in references. If you write an incorrect comment, you can get in touch with compenents. Ask for their help perchance  by saying that you want to correct your comment.

You can get an access by downloading the IOS and Android application in mobile devices.

Is Couchsurfing Safe?

There is no direct answer to this question. In many cases, people are just fine. But there are still some people who are not just looking for neither hosting nor help but trying to take advantage somehow. I have used Couchsurfing both as a host and a traveler for 4 years, hosted more than 100 people, hosted by more than 50 people from several countries and had only 1 bad experience in India.

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