When i started using couchsurfing I spent a whole year hosting, attending to meetings, before even plan my own trips. Then later I would mainly just use the forum to ask local opinion. Ill find a new site to compare it with. LOL! But we let it slide and stayed on board, because the site meant so much to us. Even when they turned for-profit and ads started going up everywhere, the community still survived. I used it regularly up until 2014. Thank you for all this information! If you log in to your Couchsurfing account today, this is the screen you will see: What's more, everyone has been locked out of their accounts until they pay the monthly fee. Sure, I hadn't used it for a while, but I was an active user for a long time, both hosting and surfing. Personally I mostly gave up on CS in 2013. It is not about the money, as Bren has stated correctly, but about the way Couchsurfing has turned a great and open spirited idea into a some Venture Capital venture, wasted the venture capital money according to a current Couchsurfing employee on our Facebook group and now they make a significant change to a subscription only model (they said they would never charge for Couchsurfing a few years ago) without ANY newsletter sent out so people just got locked out and saw they had to pay to even log in? Well, their trick is that they didn't change the validity of lifetime verification: they just created an additional fee independently from it. I have always admired that nice connection to our country. Its a fool me once fool me twice (or ten times) scenario now, and I dont want to be the fool anymore. Thank you so much for this and your thoroughness!! Yes, India is a mindboggling country to some, but, apart from the obvious eyeopeners such as taking horrendous overnight sleeper buses, I LOVED India.. Really. However, that does not mean that CouchSurfing cannot be beneficial to a traveler. I just want to thank you. And instantly youd have awesome people to hang out and explore with. Is Couchsurfing Dead 2020? - Kembrel.com I prefer it this way, because when you pay for things like these, theyre usually way better than the free stuff. Is Couchsurfing still a thing 2021? Perhaps it's time for a fresh look at some 2023 CouchSurfing alternatives, or sites like CouchSurfing. Sad, and thanks for the information on what else is out there. Hi Bren, Name it. from them by invoking GDPR? Thats exactly how it was with the new Couchsurfing. I am in a situation with another Couchsurfer where my immediate safety, or the safety of my possessions, is in danger. Well, since you are so educated about the subject, how about a Brazilian couchsurfer who said in our Facebook group that her entire small family has to live on about 65$ a month? And if enough people are happy to pay and it makes the owners happy I dont begrudge them any of that. Unfortunately now it makes no sense for an old man like me to host travelers who have just passed through multiple households or hostels on the way to my place. Millions of page views a week. So basically CS is simply extorting money for their service from guests or couchsurfers. Can you share the form/note you wrote for GDPR to get your data? Start paying me $3 per month and I will gladly do so. So Thank you for this article, even if it's dated, it's valuable info and I'll be going to the sites you mentioned. In fact I logged on precisely because of such an email hmmm. I disagree with paying the fee for all the reasons you mentioned. How much does Couchsurfing cost? - Couchsurfing FAQs The problem was hosts were going to put all this effort into hosting, and then the fee wasnt even going to the host! Unfortunately, after around 2012, the typical pattern was male hosting single female. Good to know there are some alternatives. What I do care about is who I pay this money to, and how they use it. This was a notification I got in 2016 when a host confirmed I could stay with them: Again I have no issue with paying a small fee like this. Lets just give a conservative $1,500 per 100,000 views. Victor, that's a great idea. I guess the new "owners" tend to lie. You need a moderate amount of implication, which acts as a sort of filter for people who only want to goof around. Unfortunately, I feel like theyve lost the true meaning of what made CS special in the first place. Theyre doing around 22 million page views a month. They were just waiting for the right time. As the huffpost URL is wrong, do you think its possible to update your article ? CS has been hugely important to me. The employee reviews on Glassdoor are similar. But seems like its time to parte with CS and explore other communities that you hava mentioned. I found CS by chance and as soon as I saw the concept I started to host travellers. According to some trustful internal sources and some discussion between current management and ambassadors, there is literally no money left. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading, but you covered the story very well, and I even learned a bit as I had already become a bit sparse on the plarform by 2016. (Read the glassdoor reviews, skip past the obviously fake ones). Volunteers from every continent donated tens of thousands of hours of work to keep the site operational and the community growing. Best wishes. It's good to get a timeline after feeling dumbfounded by the lockout message. You volunteer to work for burning man and maybe you get a ticket. Couchsurfing, in comparison to hospitality club, always felt like it provided a lot more of the freeloader type of traveler, who just needed a place to stay and wasn't interested in meeting people. I am unsure of their budget but they are a registered UK non profit. I came across many male hosts who preferred hosting females only. To give you a comparison, imagine if Facebook rehauled their site, and overnight every single Facebook Group disappeared. I had stopped a long ways back when suddenly the local meetups seemed to have disappeared and things seemed scant and haphazard. I wasn't told until the morning I was leaving that the quiet guy I met in the kitchen the day I arrived was Casey, the founder and that this house, as well as the one next door was actually the Batcave or CS headquarters. Those of us who were verified, i.e. Stated differently, a great Buddhist master once wrote: Even the finest meal turns to excrement. So whether or not you meditate at length on that burger and fries, itll turn to shit within 24 hours. Check us out and let us know what you think, and if you have any input AWESOME, Donna I already pay monthly subscriptions for Spotify, Headspace, multiple blogging tools, multiple WordPress plugins, Audible, a couple of premium newsletters quite a lot of stuff, actually. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks again for your precious time and the information of alternatives. I mean, just yesterday Twitter apologized on behalf of its biggest troll who daily destroys public life and the rule of law. Like many others, I found this article after trying to login to my CS profile and being shocked to see the paywall. Thank you for the write up! Everyone loved Couchsurfing. So far, they seem very serious and professional about setting up a new community with all the good things CS featured and more good things CS lacked. Is Couchsurfing still a thing? https://www.zdnet.com/article/couchsurfing-investigates-data-breach-after-17m-user-records-appear-on-hacking-forum. 10 Reasons Why You Should Try Couchsurfing - Travelettes I received no responses. CS had somehow became a hookup site. I think Trustroots is owned by some guy from Estonia who maybe hopes to get rich. I often met CSers who had only 1-2 references because they were the only member in a way off-the-beaten-track place. In my opinion, there's no better way to get closer to a new culture than to share the life of its habitants, you get to see what it feels like to live in the place, not what is shown in the media, but the true colors of the place! The third incident was a big one, but inevitable. Theyre both great. When we Couchsurf, what are we actually trying to find? Which led to the biggest question of all. Couchsurfing changed my life too, and I have been so sad to see it decline over the years. Now it's a product or a service. These websites run on Donations(the analogy is not perfect because it would be hard to monetize this website as the children are not potential consumers and the donors are but the numbers are very less and most of the time it is a one time donation so its hard to monetize that in comparison Couch surfers had way more people just surfing their website ogling at the locations, that alone could have bought them so much Ad revenue. Couch surfing is a term that is generally defined as when an individual moves from house to house, sleeping in whatever spare space available, often times a couch or floor, generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house. I discovered your article when I mentioned CS in a magazine interview. I understand all the anger and resentment and confusion. So yes, what they said about not making money from ads was a PR stunt and they are lying. Watch this space it looks promising. pros of Couchsurfing. The revenue from Google Ads was irrelevant. So I ask, whats being done with the membership fee if theres no customer service at all for a paying member? The old CS forums had essentially become threads where anyone can coordinate meetups, which is ok, but that can be done on any platform. After taking their VC millions in 2011, they published a blog post that said (I quote): CouchSurfing will never make you pay to host and surf. It didnt go to bloggers, influencers and unofficial ambassadors like myself, who for years recommended the site to friends, readers, fellow travellers, while also putting together beginner guides like this to grow the community. I am signing up to TrustRoots, BeWelcome, and when I get some money, intend to join NomadList. No access to my profile, friend list, posts, etc. Is couch surfing homeless? - People and Society Again, thanks for your words! Talking with your hosts, getting to know them will teach you more about the country you travelled to than any tour you might join. So the fee wasnt the problem. Then once COVID hit, no one was traveling and then CS became a ghost town almost overnight. After he found a cheap flight to Iceland, he realized he didn't have a place to say. Maybe a combination of the two. I just noticed that you posted this earlier this year, I only got locked out last week. Just to stay credible ? So then you descend with a very solid analysis into the same whinging Ive heard since I joined. Havent logged into my CS for a while. Getting immersed in the culture. I always saw it as being very much a one-on-one experience. He played Gregory Alan Isakov while he made breakfast and I've never forgotten that. They could have well I am not going to give those greedy scum free ideas to make money ..There was a lot they could have done especially with the platform they had. 10 FAQ on Couchsurfing | The Happy Hermit So those who had paid for lifelong verification still have it: if they pay the new fee, they'll still have "verified" status whatever it means now. It was good for me in the beginning at my remote station to meet and engage with energetic young people, I can't talk to folk my own age they are just too damn grumpy. And for being awesome. It didnt matter if you were one of the most active members of the community and had thousands of positive references and hosted hundreds of surfers per year, and even if you had paid for lifetime verification. They can kill the website, which they somehow did. I was deeply disappointed when they locked me out of my account. Great article. Oh, well, I'd be impressed if it survives and hasn't lost the vast majority of its users, and if it does survive will be a totally different thing to what it once was. Or theyre not lying, they really are going broke, and soon theyll disappear. Ive not defended their management and I only know how the company was run from the stuff that can be found in open sources as well as on Glassdoor. This can be either a good or a bad thing. Some CS-bashing can't be excluded, but there are enough reports from different people that I trust most of it to be true. I tried to verify my address but by the time I got the postcard, I see today that I've been locked out again, pending another donation. But CS was perfect for finding people who could give local context about places where I was traveling. Shrug, the world changes. How It Works | Couchsurfing I found many entries for help, of 14th May then one entry for "apology", where they wrote that in a weeks time they will release another more financially elaborate post And they did not. Things we loved are vanishing on a daily basis and a lot of them wont return. Thanks for that summary, it was just the information I was looking for. I hosted Couchsurfing meet-ups in the US and Russia and have joined dozens of meet-ups all over the world. Its not about the money but the way they did it for some of us. Now, when things have finally got to a stage where we might imagine returning to the wonderful sharing days of old, to encounter this message was a shock. Especially for solo traveling, nothing could beat it. Usually orgs get greedy and get worse over time. Members need to pay $2.39 per month (or $14.29 per year), which provides access to the platform and gets you verified (if you were already verified, you won't need to pay until 2021). Usually people to stay with, or people to hang out with. Logged onto Couchsurfing and what do you know? It uses evil algorithms to divide people and to silo them into tribes. I'm happy to know there are other options. You can choose between a monthly contribution or an annual plan. Even if we disagree on stuff, nothing will change the fact that you are amazing. Also you have the wrong URL for huffpost. I also got surfing requests from travelers with bare profiles and no references, saying things like they were only in town for a few days or wouldnt be around much. Of course you can think about a business model for CS as a selected club for people ready to meet new ones, only if you club is a real clean place, but this is not longer the case. This takes time ( document verification, managing complains and reviews, which bacame often a backstabbing system when they because double blind ). I'm super thankful and will not be paying this fee either to re-access my account. I can still access my profile (?) At the time, I had a room in a loft with a bunkbed and the couchsurfers slept in the top bed. Idea's anyone? Now we just need to "find" a better alternative. I only recently got into travel. and that is too much to pay? Just to cross check again and make sure were in the right ballpark, heres the Travel Channel SimilarWeb results: Their traffic (very interestingly) hasnt been affected by Covid. It seems it was a year ago they started to ask money, on the dot that is. Also Im aware some verified members have been given temporary access, but even those who paid for lifetime verification are being told theyll be locked out in 12 months unless they start paying monthly again. All the best to them. And bird for bird, this one needs to die so a new phoenix can rise from the ashes. But the officials is already getting salary for doing the job. But rather than blooming because it was such a beautiful site (it wasnt) it bloomed because of what it stood for. And its not impossible to do that for free; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Google, all do it, all are much more complicated than Couchsurfing and have never charged me a cent. I've hosted hundreds of people, and I always provided a personalized itinerary and food for my guests. Not to mention, those volunteers that had worked endless hours on the site for years got none of that big payday money. I do not normally take take the time to read blogs in full, but as a former CS-member, this was a touching read all the way. I realized I had to start vetting my guests pretty strictly in order to ensure that they understood that hospitality exchange was about both parties benefiting from the experience. What i thought was really weird was that CS is a free service, from what i know and heard, people do not ask for money to stay at their place. I'm like, What Fee! RIP Also thanks for the Huffington note, I dont read huffpost so didnt know their url changed. The changes that have happened over the years all rubbed me in the wrong way. I haven't been active for six or seven years now, but when I checked the site for a recent trip across Canada I was a little surprised. After having been off couchsurfing for so long, and after the world has changed so much, I would need to confirm that couchsurfing is still alive before committing to joining a subscription service. Thanks for the list of other upcoming sites; I'll also share with other CS'ers. I dont design my whole life around it or go out and start campaigning against everyone I dont like but I simply spend my money elsewhere. Im not gonna contribute into their (CS) aggressive strategy and disapear ideals. The investor money just paid the salary of the few people still working there, the server costs and the legal costs. Hi there, I've been a member of CS since 2004 (yes almost 20years!) Would love to have this void filled with something even more exciting . Thank you so much for this thorough explanation. I have also seen the 2008 financial statements, shown to me by the volunteer accountant from back when CS was a non-profit (us legacy CSers stay pretty tight Even then they were bringing in a million per year in verification fees/donations, but with a tiny fraction of the members they have today. Join Couchsurfing to see Arthur's full profile. Heres their score in SimilarWeb, which ranks sites purely on traffic: Couchsurfing ranks 32,000 globally, and is the 42nd most popular travel site in the world. Nobody made any money from the site, it was funded purely by donations and 100% a labour of love by travellers around the world. I found this blog now due to the login for an event of someone who is very new to the platform. I do not have access to Couchsurfings financial statements and everything is a best estimate based on the information and tools mentioned. While it can be a great way to travel for free and meet cool people, creepy couch surfers and hosts can also make it a total nightmare. That worries me much more than whatever Casey Fenton might have done wrong X years ago. I still cant. When I traveled abroad, I knew how good it felt to arrive from a long journey to the smell of a good meal. 2. Found this article today when I got locked out. One can't help but, feel a blind sided with how this was rolled out by Couchsurfing. Note: I saw all those reports on BeWelcome, where many disgruntled members have migrated. In the words of The Count Of Monte Cristo: Theres a history here that you dont understand! These Are the Best Couchsurfing Alternatives Before starting my career I still have plenty of time to travel around to meet new people and to learn new things. May 27, 2020 If you're a part of the Couchsurfing community, you've no doubt heard the news. $23 million squandered over the years on CEOs we never asked for and who never talked to us, fancy offices nobody needed, being bombarded with ads on every page of the site and app (which still doesnt work properly), numerous other money grabs over the years which I wont even go into right now, all the other incidents I havent even mentioned, and finally it had come to this. Great analysis!! 6 Best Couchsurfing Alternatives in 2023 | Hobo with a Laptop ;). I was a member of globalfreeloaders.com, place2stay.net, couchsurfing.com and hospitalityclub.org. During all my trip I looked for old hosts because I loved their spirit and who they described the inicial concept of CS. It gave me an ability to give and connect with others whereas I never would have had the opportunities without it. Hi Bren, thanks for this great article. Just this was the right time to launch it. I have a feeling of saddness and waste. To make this a double insult, we all knew exactly where those fees were going. We would need to know their traffic. Seems to me the approach taken is disrespectful and twisted IMHO. However often used local groups to met people. Always. We're 64 now, but it'd still be our first choice often. It changed my entire trip and life really. Wasnt around in 2007, but can only imagine how great it was. But in the past two weeks I have seen a lot of false information and a lot of bile spew by people who didnt bother to login in the site since years. Wow, this was superbly written and struck my heart in so many ways. Lets have a look. The second is TrustRoots. I'll be looking into those alternative sites and maybe I'll still get to hang she tales to tell of my own. I doubt that most of the leadership has ever even couchsurfed in their life. But once they imploded the original communities that the site had been built on, it meant the membership started to disband and finally give up on site (or become much less active), and newer, less loyal members started to make up the core membership. How much did Casey Fenton cash out at? It was quite the era. As you said, its not about the money. After that, I hosted many people at my house in Dublin, Ireland and made many friends. I guess this isnt a surprise; this is what happens when you take big investor money. I have made many deep connections with the most amazing humans and it changed my life forever. I prefer it actually. Instead of settling for a pricey hotel, Fenton hacked into the University of Iceland's student database and e-mailed 1,500 students asking for a place to stay. Its heartbreaking because with the community we had, we really could have been something great and different, a free community that thrived and built something revolutionary like Wikipedia or Afrikaburn. no more profile =(. I think I might have promised someone they could stay here before the end of the year and a few maybes for next year but now I have no way to contact them. That was fantastic, thank you so much for your commitment. Is Couchsurfing Dead 2021? - Sage-Qa In last years (using AirBnB or booking.com) I realized how much I miss the comunity, the additional value in travelling! I'm so sad to hear about the change of the business, but am glad the community is still a strong caring one. This was 2016 and Couchsurfing were leasing some fancy new offices over in San Francisco: We were all sleeping on floors and couches while these guys were playing nice in Silicon Valley. To be 1,000% clear I am not against paying fees, and Im not at all against paying a fee for Couchsurfing. I have seen very little activity on Be Welcome, but I really hope that changes. Im returning to travel and was just researching ways to reduce my cost and had considered CS. Because how did we get here? It didnt go to the volunteers who spent thousands of hours building the site for the first seven years of Couchsurfings life. Thanks man you were one of us believers who tried to make a better world. As you said, it may survive but it will certainly be changed. Since i'm in between jobs and on a tight budget, i did not consider paying at all. We were older starting in our 40's but our kids loved having so many cool people in our home. Because we can see the ads on the site, how many there are, which network theyre from, and we know the rates (because we use the same networks). 90 percent of cs members had shell profiles and were just looking for a free crash pad. I too was an ambassador of it sharing thoughts on my blog and even in travel articles like one I wrote for the Chicago Tribune about it. They typically havent ever relaunched well. Of course my numbers are estimates and may be wrong; Maybe its only $4 million per year. Today i login to the account, not for a particular reason, just to have a look, only to find a paywall. This guy gives a masterclass in delivering a shit sandwich, even if you can taste the dripping sarcasm between the buns. Frequently Asked Questions | Couchsurfing Couchsurfing: How to Make Local Friends Without Staying Over Youll see on Glassdoor ex staff claim the new CEO had this subscription model being readied for a while. I had so many questions and your perfect article helped me a lot! I have added you as a resource at https://www.semmy.eu/warning-about-couchsurfing/ today as I got scammed out of 56 and wanted it to share with you! Make sure you ask for your data to be deleted if you had any payment methods saved, theyre charging them without approval. In the meantime for what it's worth I host on helpx.net, workaway.info, pasportaservo.org, hospitalityclub.org (which alas looks broken now, perhaps died of neglect which is one way volunteer driven sites go). As of today it suddenly asked me to pay. I have a few hundred refs and been on CS for 8 years. Got it after about 6 weeks. I remember hearing, long after it happened, about the CouchSurfing Collective in Nelson NZ of early 2007. Yeah the excuse is verification but how much can we trust them and if that was a verification charge then why charge it monthly or yearly you verify a person once and then hosts will rate them. It serves you right. But I no longer like what Id be buying. I was just logging on now to research places I could visit after COVID lockdown and found this page.
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