Hey everyone, just wanted to start a friendly topic. It’s a simple question but I hope it will lead to some interesting stories. Do you prefer being a host or a guest?
Being a host
Being a guest
0voters
For me personally, I prefer hosting, even though I do both equally. I think it’s because I like being able to “give back” for all the generosity I was shown as a surfer.
But also, I’ve become somewhat of a clean freak over the years and I much prefer offering a couch in excellent condition with freshly laundered linens to my surfers. Most of the time when I’m surfing, I get a weird old blanket and crusty couch…
If there’s one thing I wish I could tell from looking at host profiles it’s whether or not their house is clean… But on the whole it’s not so important while I’m surfing. I’m usually just grateful to be accepted these days!
So I guess on a broader note, I’m not really into the stress associated with surfing, and I am addicted to the stress associated with hosting…haha!
I voted “being a guest” but that doesn’t fully answer it.
I have hosted a few couples in the past. I loved it, but my now ex girlfriend hated it. She hated people in general so that didn’t help in hosting more people. Once I have a place of my own (temporary living in a mate’s house) I can’t wait to open my door to strangers.
As for being hosted: nothing but good experiences, so I enjoy that just as much as hosting. A bit 50/50 really.
I hosted much more than staying as a guest myself, but I chose being a guest here. I find it much more interesting and challenging to stay as a guest. I also put much more effort in looking for hosts than accepting guests.
Experiencing both sides is stil the most satisfying and insightful experience I’d say.
But I think the way you can host depends mostly on your place. I often had a spare room available for guests and that helps a lot in being easygoing and even ‘experimental’ about hosting. I also hosted in a small studio with hardly any privacy and I’ve certainly been much more selective about guests then.
Hi Emily,
i didnt answer the question bc i love hosting and surfing.
I understand that you want clean couch. I have to say i was lucky to often get a privat room, eventhough i did not search for it. One time a host even gave me his bed and slept on the couch. It was my first staying at a male host (but he lived with his mother) bc in the beginning i just stayd with womxn.
But i dont like when the references describe my home and not me. I lived in different homes in different countrys. I want my reference to be about me and not about clean blankets (eventhough they were clean in all my appartments, i am bit like you).
I hosted a lot trough Couchsurfing. About 120 guests so far.
Only been hosted myself like 4 times. I get enough of a satisfaction of giving others a good time hosting them.
I haven’t hosted or been a host through CS.
But I enjoy organizing and hosting events a lot!
For about two months now we’ve been hosting weekly meetups in Miami, and recently added a language exchange group as well!
All of our communications are done through WhatsApp at this time.
I love hoisting. I enjoy a lot having people over, in general. All the gatherings in my friends groups are usually at my place, dinners, birthdays, new years eve, it makes me happy to see my place filled with smiles so hosting travelers is a natural extension for me, and it’s an amazing experience meeting people from all places in an intimate environment, cooking dinner togheter, talking after until sleep time.
Surfing stresses me out, I usually don’t travel solo and it’s enough to have to accommodate to your travel buddies, having to accommodate around my host schedule on top of that would leave to little to improvisation, so I usually just meet people while traveling but I prefer to stay somewhere else.
Definitely hosting for reasons that have already been listed.
Never actually surfed, but might do that in the future.
When i was on C$ I mostly posted & went to Events. It was lots of fun meeting people from all over (including other travel-loving locals) and travellers astonished reaction with our public consumption of cannabis.
“The police don’t arrest you??” & “In my country the police would arrest everyone here and put them in jail”
I’ve done lots of both hosting and surfing. Although I love having people over to stay, I’m just too curious about how other people live and see things. Being a guest means that I’m travelling and seeing the world anew, meeting new people - that’s what I really signed up for. If I could never surf again and just host? No problem. And visa versa.
I am extremely demanding when it comes to cleanliness so I totally get what you mentioned, @Emily. I never really enjoyed surfing. It’s too stressful. I prefer to pay for my accommodation and meet people rather than stay someplace unclean and unhygienic. Obviously am not meant to be a surfer and I think people who have high expectations like me shouldn’t even be surfers (unless they are able to get in touch with hosts with the same standards).
On the other hand I enjoy hosting a lot. So if you ever come visit, @Emily, you can be sure that my place is clean, that you will get clean bedding and towels that weren’t used (and would not be used afterwards). And as a bonus there will be a home cooked dinner waiting for you just like it waits for all my guests.
haha… “a weird old blanket and crusty couch”, you know i never thought of giving people bedding for the couches and i only occasionally washed the covers for the blanket, it was never high on my to-do list to provide any kind of service that was not requested or required, if people mentioned it (which on occasion happened), i’d be like oh right and said they were clean, nobody ever complained about the sheets or the couches, i rarely do laundry myself but yeah, clean sheets are definetly nice to have, it has definetly happened that my place is in disarray when people arrive, i apologize for that and try to tidy up a bit but only for the first few occasions when i joined CS 10 years ago did i actually clean well before guests arrived, less and less over time did i bother with that, … i sound like the worst couch but people actually have a nice time surfing with me even though they definetly need to get out of their comfort zone if they are used to more “luxurious” apartments :Þ
i’ve surfed just a bit and it was definetly nice, but i haven’t surfed enough to have a preference as to whether i’d like surfing more than hosting which i’ve done alot of
When I started couchsurfing I didn’t have my own place. So all I could do and what I’ve enjoyed was being a surfer. I’ve slept in restaurant tables, on the floor, in a big house all alone, in an apartment overlooking the sea and many other places.
All the while i was waiting for the time when I’d have a place so that I could start hosting. Finally it did happen and I could enjoy hosting as well.
So in my case, like most other couchsurfers I do enjoy both. But being a guest is what I’ve picked because in that way I have more opportunities to search and find interesting people and design a trip based on that. Multiple times I’ve planned my whole journey, ie the destinations only based on couchsurfing hosts!
But on the whole it’s not so important while I’m surfing. I’m usually just grateful to be accepted these days!
so hosting travelers is a natural extension for me, and it’s an amazing experience meeting people from all places in an intimate environment, cooking dinner togheter, talking after until sleep time.
