Can we get a couchsurfing thread? I had this really bad experience hosting for the first time and I need to vent.
>had this asian american female couchsurfer over
>said she needed a place for the weekend
>wants me to pick her up at the train station
>is well over 30 even though her profile said 26
>has like 4 huge and heavy bags with her that she couldn't possibly carried all the time herself
>asks me to carry that shit
>we arrive at my place and I ask her if she wants to go out with some friends grab a drink
>reluctantly says yes
>barely talks. doesn't drink. Any time i try to initiate a conversation she annoyedly replies with short answers
>this continues throughout the whole weekend. short awkward conversations
>ask her if she wants to see any sights. she just wants to stay in. watches cat videos on youtube all day
>doesn't go out. doesn't buy food. I guess I am supposed to feed her.
>complains about the food i cook because it has little bit of cheese in it and she claims to be lactose intolerant even though she took like 4 yogurts from the fridge without asking
>i just avoid her at this point and stay at my roommates room. can't wait for her to leave. don't want to leave the house and leave her alone with my stuff
>finally the last day. discloses to me that she will be back in two weeks to get the rest of her stuff because she can't carry all her luggage with her.
>she leaves only to call me 5 hours later to tell me that she "missed her flight" and need to stay another night
>refuse her even though she begs me and says she got no money because her money got stolen also
>feel like a piece of shit the whole day
I just wanted to host people to get reviews. But now I have serious doubts about the whole thing. I just felt used and wanted her to leave as soon as she arrived. Is couchsurfing always this horrible? Or am I just too socially inept?
Didn't she have any reviews on her own?
I honestly don't like Couchsurfing very much. Unless I'm traveling in a developed country, the time it takes to find a decent host is enough to offset the cost of paying for a dorm room in a hostel.
When I was in Iceland back in 2014, I spent nearly two weeks petitioning people in Edinburgh and Glasgow to stay for a night. My profile was filled out and had a number of positive reviews, but the best I got was a "Maybe" from a man who bailed at the last minute.
Wondering what I was doing wrong, I checked the references for the folks who were active users. Almost without exception, the men who frequently hosted guests only took in single women or groups of women, while female hosts did exactly the same. If you're a single guy trying to find accommodation in the developed world, good fucking luck.
I did host a Nepalese couple when I was living in New Delhi. They were both friendly and bought me some food because I fell ill shortly after I arrived. No hassle and left me a positive reference.
CouchSufing is basically sex-surfing, IME.
>>1232449
I think you need more than one experience to make your mind on the matter. She was shitty but maybe the next one might be a delight to have stay over. By the sound of it you were a good host, and it may just take the right kind of person to appreciate that. Give it another go
>>1232453
So you are saying that it is easier to get a host in a third world country?
Could a single guy get a host without many reviews there?
I think that makes sense since the culture there tends to be more hospitable.
>Didn't she have any reviews on her own?
She had like one review but I figured it would be fair since I don't have any reviews myself.
>>1232454
I think that whole experience just made me realize that I don't have the energy to host and trust complete strangers in my apartment for more then a day. especially if they are completely passive and i feel the need to cater to them like I run hotel or something
I feel for you, OP. But shitty people are shitty people, it happens. From what I know Couchsurfing turned to shit over the last couple of years and indeed it became mostly a dating site. Try Trustroots instead. I have already hosted four times there and only once I regretted it afterwards (The guy wasn't a bad guest, but he was a muslim and he really had to tell me how great allah is and how fucked are infidels. It happens, whatever). Other people cooked for me, brought me gifts and were happy to exchange stories.
(It seems Trustroots just recently became invite-only, but if you want, I can invite you, no problem. You seem like a good person.)
just remember it's not about any bigger group, you just came across a very bad apple. Give her a shitty review and enjoy the thought of her not getting anymore accomodation. Or better yet stop giving a fuck altogether and grab a beer or something.
Cheers
>>1232449
Couchsurfing will be dead soon. AirBnB is the future.
The crux of the issue is that when one travels somewhere and they don't have a friend or family there, they must use a hotel or hostel. But these two options are often cold, lonely, and make it hard to get a real feel for the area.
So couchsurfing comes along and says "we can fix this". But the reality is that a stranger in either postion is often in an awkward scenario and it's just not fair without putting some money into the scenario.
So enters AirBnB. They make it a little more like a hotel, but cheaper, and not entirely about the money, but also about the relationship between the 2 strangers.
So.
>>1232461
There's nothing wrong with only hosting people for one night.
Personally I've only had decent-to-great experiences hosting people so far.
>>1232487
>So enters AirBnB. They make it a little more like a hotel, but cheaper, and not entirely about the money, but also about the relationship between the 2 strangers.
wew lad. do you honestly believe that bullshit?
>>1232479
Any chance I could get an invite as well?
>>1232487
nonsense. I use Couchsurfing because I want my relations with people not based on money, but genuine care. If I like my host I won't hestitate to cook for them, maybe help with whatever I can, give them some nice gift from my country. And invite them back, so that the cost for both parties actually becomes equal in the end
I don't want to pay, I don't want to demand service.
>>1232503
I don't know you. Change it and we'll see.
who are you? why do you want to become a part of the site?
>>1232449
>complains about the food i cook because it has little bit of cheese in it and she claims to be lactose intolerant even though she took like 4 yogurts from the fridge without asking
Over 90% of East Asians are lactose intolerant. Most of he world is, though 80+% of people of European descent aren't. Lactose tolerance is actually a genetic mutation. The natural state of mammals, in general, is to stop producing the enzyme that digests milk after weaning. The mutation first appeared in what is now modern Turkey and spread through Europe over 10,000 years ago. Other ethnicities have developed it as well, but none to he extend those of European descent have,
I've never used the 'official' website but I'm learning foreign languages with apps like HelloTalk and I have already hosted people from there, I have been hosted and it was always a great experience.
Though, in general those people have already become (semi-)regular Internet language exchange partners to me over time which means that I know a bit about them, I've seen their faces and they've shown me their room.
>>1232461
>So you are saying that it is easier to get a host in a third world country?
He is saying lodging is cheap in third world, so he doesn't bother. But would consider couch surfing in first world only because lodging is more expensive
>>1232519
This sounds strange, considering all the Mongols consume enormous amounts of dairy products and I'm pretty sure they didn't brought the needed genes from Turkey.
>>1232519
Why did she eat all my kinder penguins then?
>>1232479
Thanks for the offer. I already made a trustroots account when it was still open. Might look into that a bit more. Cheers.
>>1232487
>Couchsurfing will be dead soon. AirBnB is the future.
This post has just now convinced me that airbnb has made the BOLD jump into shilling on fucking 4chan
>>1232533
why didnt she tell you she was lactose intolerant before you started cooking? Fuck what if the dumb bitch had been allergic to something?
>>1232523
>>1232533
lactose intolerance doesn't mean you can't eat dairy. It just means you shit and fart if you eat too much.
As far as Mongols:
> For example, in east Asia, historical sources also attest that the Chinese did not consume milk, whereas the nomads who lived on the borders did. This reflects modern distributions of intolerance. China is particularly notable as a place of poor tolerance, whereas in Mongolia and the Asian steppes, milk and dairy products are a main nutrition source. The nomads also make an alcoholic beverage, called airag or kumis, from mare's milk, although the fermentation process reduces the amount of lactose present.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactase_persistence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance
>>1232449
If a dude is willing to host a dude what are the chances he's probably gay and expecting something. Specifically talking about CS. I'm a non gay dude that would host anyone,but the stories i've heard from cs make it seem kind of bad.
>>1232487
I'm not OP but if you wouldn't mind, I'd like an invitation to Trustroots. I haven't had a problem with CS but not a lot of surfers come to where I live. I love having people over and taking care of them for a few days so it would be nice to have another site that gives me the opportunity to do it.
I've only found hosts twice and they were in both single, German men. At the time I only had reviews from a couple I hosted so I can understand why most people rejected. But the few experiences I've had were memorable, I think it's a good service.
>>1232449
Your experience is unfortunate but don't let it turn you off from the site. At the end of the day, you did a good thing by giving her shelter and food. That's what matters.
>>1232597
Depends. If he's an older dude exclusively hosting young man he might be one of the gay.