I TEMPORARILY DO NOT HOST REGULARLY. I SERVE AS A BACKUP/EMERGENCY HOST ONLY

I am easy going, educated 42 y.o. male. Not demanding.

45 countries and counting.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Every person is a book you’ve never read. I love reading stories of people's lives.

I kindly ask all potential guests to read about my Couchsurfing philosophy.

--------------------

What couchsurfing is NOT

Couchsurfing is NOT a free hostel.

Once a while all hosts get a guest who arrive, drop their bags down wherever they please and then before they get too settled they’re out the door with a map and a set of keys at hand. They come back at all times of the night and day, barely say hello, and in some cases stay for a week without barely saying a word between going from the front door to their room.

Coming back to the the hosts location at 3am in the morning drunk and still in full party mode as if they were returning back to a hostel, the complete lack of communication or desire to interact with the host are some of the most common complaints from Couchsurfing hosts.

A famous saying goes that there is no such thing as free lunch. The reality is that you don’t get something for nothing, and the same must be said for Couchsurfing. It’s not really free. It’s costing someone money, it’s costing someone their time. This might be you, but it’s also very much your host.

Your hosts pay with their time and money for rent and utilities; they wash your bed sheets and towels after you left; once a while they need to replace dishes and cutlery damaged by their guests, fix shower or paint a stain on the wall. They take a risk of having a complete stranger in their house.

As guests, we must be aware of that and be ready to pay back with our time, bring a souvenir from your home country, cook meal, invite a host out, help with errands, spend night playing a board game, something else.

(inspired by http://www.angloitalianfollowus.com/why-couchsurfing-is-free-is-a-myth)

Couchsurfing is NOT Couchfucking

There are some people who use Couchsurfing like tinder. And that is how the word "Couchfucking" is born. A fellow traveler once told me how frustrating she felt when most of the men who offered to host her on "Public Trip" hinted sex.

A guest of mine has mentioned that once she posted a "Public trip" for herself and her husband, she received multiple invites from the males with no references asking if she wants to be hosted by herself.

A couple of girls sent me an urgent request to be hosted NOW around 5am after a host tried to join one of the girls under her blanket and touch her. After she refused, he asked both girls to leave immediately.

I read many profiles of females starting with a phrase "Couchsurfing is not a dating site" hinting that a problem may be more common that many think.

A word of advise, especially for female travelers: be smart when choosing your host. Look for references for him, especially from solo female travelers. If a host is an established couchsurfer with many positive references, most likely you are safe. If a host is a single male with no references and pictures, think twice.

Spending time with your future host or guest chatting in Whatsapp prior to your trip will usually hint if you should expect any "irregularities" and is strongly advisable.

Couchsurfing is NOT always better than hostel.

When you stay in a hostel, this usually means a central location, so you can do all your sightseeing without taking public transit. This means two things: saving time and saving money.

You are likely to spend more time commuting to your host than going to your hostel and you are likely to spend more money on public transit.

When you stay in hostel, you are a master of your time and you may come and leave as you wish. When you couchsurf, you may be asked to leave when a host goes to work and it may be considered a bit rude if you come home at 2am every night from a party.

In turn, you are likely to get more homelike stay and cultural exchange with your host.

As a bottom line, depending on your travel style, Couchsurfing may or may not be a better choice than a hostel.

Interests

• traveling
• classical music
• jazz
• scuba diving
• solo travel
• adventure travel
• travel
• travelling
• diving
• indie music
• scuba
• scubadiving
• scuba dive

Music, Movies, and Books

C.S.Lewis

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- climbed Kilimanjaro,
- travelled to Somaliland,
- slept solo under the stars in desert in the ruins of 4000 y.o. temple in Sudan
- did my Advanced Open Water Diver certification on Sinai

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Hungary, Sweden, Ukraine, United States