10 life hacks to help avoid paying for accommodation when traveling

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Our guest - a big lover of independent travel and just a creative person - shares a couple of useful tips on how to properly use the site for couchsurfers and choose the most hospitable host.

Several years ago, a young and promising graduate student in my person received a promising invitation to speak at an international conference in Milan. A fly in the ointment in this story was the need to independently pay for travel. If you are familiar with the living conditions of young scientists, you will understand that a trip to Italy is associated with non-graduate income at all. But, in addition to the conference, I would like to see the country as well. Damn it, this is Italy!

I believe that when you want something badly, the Universe gives you a chance to get what you want. I came across a short announcement about a project for independent travelers. It is an international hospitality network whose members provide free assistance and accommodation to travelers from other cities and countries. What for? This is a way of communication between people of different cultures, ages, nationalities and races. International friendly get-together. Today they help you, and tomorrow you will be able to help.

Thanks to this network, the owner of a family restaurant in the center of Rome, the famous violinist from La Scala, NASA aerospace engineer in Los Angeles, fashion director in Lyon, banker and wine taster in Paris, marathon runner in Naples, conqueror of Nepal and many other no less interesting personalities.

These people gave the opportunity not just to spend the night for free. Thanks to them, I tried real local cuisine, tasted homemade wines from my own cellars, visited unusual places not listed in any tourist guide, participated in local holidays as a guest of honor, and not as a tourist. You can endlessly talk about the benefits. But it's better to try it! Here is a list of practical tips based on many years of personal experience of using couchsurfing.

Filling out a questionnaire on the website

This requires at least minimal knowledge of English. Special headings will tell you what information to enter. When filling out the form, I advise you to imagine yourself in the place of the reader. Would it be interesting for you to meet such a person? Would you like to invite him to visit?

Requirements and obligations

One of the most frequent questions: "Does this service oblige me to provide accommodation in return?" No way. In the questionnaire, you will find a special section where you can describe how you can help in your city. If you have the conditions for providing accommodation, then indicate how many days you are ready to receive guests.

If conditions are not available, many travelers will be happy to share lunch or a cup of coffee with a local or ask for advice on places to visit. Do you often have to be a guide for foreigners in your city? This is a great chance to have such an experience.

Choice of host (person providing overnight stay)

The questionnaire is ready, we have decided on the direction - you can start choosing a place of residence. According to the rules of couchsurfing, both the host and the traveler leave reviews about each other after they meet. This helps to form an impression of a person, his attitude towards guests and the world in general. The more positive reviews (and often hundreds of them), the more likely it is to have an interesting pastime with your host.

Correct reading of the hosts' questionnaire

When choosing a host, pay attention to what may unite you. For example, favorite books, music, films or profession. There are exceptions, though. So, in Los Angeles, I accidentally found a profile of a real NASA engineer. We had absolutely nothing in common, but I could not miss the chance of such an interesting acquaintance.

Space, NASA is fantastic! I wrote to the host quite honestly about this, and, oddly enough, he agreed.

In general, if you meet someone on, you are already united by at least a love of travel.

Correct writing of the request

The recipe is simple: honestly, sincerely and from the heart! If you include in your request any aspects of the host's profile that especially impressed you, the chances of success will increase.

I wrote a request, but did not receive an answer / the answer came negative

It happens. Especially when you are going to places of mass tourist pilgrimage like Paris, Rome or New York. You have no idea how many tens, and sometimes hundreds, of requests are received by people living there. Therefore, you should not pass before the first refusal. I usually write 5-6 requests at once to one city, and then select.

Tricks

Some couchsurfers at the very end of the questionnaire write some code words or characters that they ask to insert into the request text. This is done to check whether you have read the entire questionnaire or are writing to everyone in a row. Therefore, study the profile that interests you to the end. From my own experience, I can say that it is these people who turn out to be the most unusual and creative.

Accommodation conditions

One of the common misconceptions: independent travelers are forced to live in uncomfortable conditions. This is not true. In the Accommodation Conditions section, you can find information on whether you will have a private room, bed linen or a sleeping bag.

By the way, in all my travels I received not only a separate room for use, but often also a private bathroom. So it is quite possible to live in conditions that are not inferior in their comfort to a good hotel.

You have received a positive response. What's next?

Be sure to confirm your arrival and check the host's plans ahead of your trip. This can be done directly on the couchsurfing site or, for example, on Facebook. I often find future hosts on a social network, where I try to make friends with them in advance and get to know them better in correspondence.

You are going to visit strangers. How to behave?

This question first caught up with me in Italy, in front of the house of the future host. The first feeling is paralyzing fear! What am I doing in a strange city, going to live with strangers? What if?.. Imagination helpfully slipped frightening pictures, fanning the horror to cosmic proportions.

Many of us grew up in the post-Soviet space: total mistrust and expectation of a dirty trick are in our blood. The good news: it goes away after talking to all sorts of people. The time spent in the house of the first host was eventually remembered for the atmosphere of incredible kindness, friendliness and hospitality.

Get-togethers in Paris with Host Gilles

Host Eva in Prague

Rome host and restaurant owner - Christian

Joint walks, homemade breakfasts, conversations about everything in the world: Italians, even without knowing the language, can get anyone to talk. The best local coffee shops and homemade restaurants that I have never met a single tourist. And this is in Milan, where every second is Russian. Needless to say, we parted as good friends and with tears in our eyes.

If you decide to try couch surfing on your next trip, don't forget to buy a couple of souvenirs from your hometown. Let it be Russian chocolate, gingerbread or just a magnet. Tune in for an unforgettable adventure - and go!

When you open your heart to the world, it responds to you in such a way that you could not even dream of. Believe me, you will not return from this trip the same. The sadness of parting with yesterday's strangers, who so quickly became friends to you, will encourage you to repeat this experience over and over again.