Finding Accomodation In Italy Via Couchsurfing?

Julian02

Julian02

Community Member
Jan 14, 2015
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Have any of you couch surfed their way through Italy? What have your experiences been like? Is it easy to find people to host you or is it really difficult due to the limited number of people offering free accommodation and the high number of people looking for it?
 
I've actually heard about this from one of my teachers who'd tried it out. She likes it. However, I am very sceptical. I think it's very dangerous, living in a stranger's home for some time. You never know who it is. I bet it can be handy as well, but still, it's not a decision to be made lightly. You really must think about it a lot and investigate much.

Still, I don't think I'd ever do something like that... for some reason it seems reckless.
 
For some reason I find it a bit hard to believe somebody would use it as a means of ensnaring a potential victim, first of all because they'd leave a whole lot of evidence online. You have to give people your address online, and the website keeps a record as well, so it's not exactly conducive to criminal activities.
 
I know, but you have to put a lot of trust in one person, one family. You can always make a mistake. Who knows.

It's a risk. It's always a risk, especially online. You can get tricked at E-Bay. So why not at Couchsurfing?
 
Well yeah, you can get tricked, but I somehow don't think people would use it to search for victims. The people doing tricks on ebay do it by taking the money and not delivering the goods, that's completely different from inviting a person over to your house with the intent of harming them, specially as you'd be easily tracked via the website's records.
 
I do get what you're saying. It's not easy - inviting someone into your own home. You also have to make sure you won't get tricked and get someone crazy who'd steal or something. It's good that you can leave comment and rate (I've heard you can). So you can always see other people's experiences with the host. That makes it safer. But sometimes people "create" positive comments - believe me, I've seen things like this.

Anyway, to see it from the bright side - you can make new friends, meet new people and the locals certainly "know the ropes" of their home, so they can even direct you to nice restaurants or supermarkets where prices are normal (if you're a tourist, sometimes it can be very difficult to find these things). And it's also a bonus to have someone to show you around.
 
I have never really found accomodation through Couchsurfing -- I'm always too last minute, or the people were studying for exams or they were pretty out of town, etc. I'd sure love to try it though. I have a bunch of friends who couchsurfed in different countries, and other friends who hosted couchsurfers, and they were all pretty happy with the results and the new friends they made. If I had a place of my own with an extra room, I'd for sure invite people to come visit me! I mean, you aren't forced to go to any place you don't wanna, and you aren't forced to host people if you have a bad feeling about it.

I like the concept, really. I've rideshared and hitchhiked and slept at stranger's places before (not through couchsurfing, though in the end the concept is similar, lol) and I just love the idea that traveling can be so cheap and meaningful if we just rely on the kindness of others and be openminded!

Couchsurfing also list events and meetins in cities, so that's something to check out, also.
 
I think it's fine if you are young and don't have high expectations. I have couch surfed but among friends and it's fine short term, but sometimes you need some space to yourself and then there is the thing when you want to sleep and people want to stay up, (if it's open plan). It can work, but it's not for me unless it's a friend of a friend or there is a connection somehow.
 
I've never actually heard anyone mention couchsurfing as means of going on vacation... I don't even know if there is a place online that offers such a service, I'd have to check :P

However, I did find several people who are willing to rent their own rooms to tourists.
They are listed on various websites that people use to look for accommodation. When I search for accommodation, I don't use a lot of parameters, except for the dates (of the check in and check out) and the region, so I can find as many options as possible. I was surprised to see many people actually rent a room of their own house, at a cheap price too, for tourists who wish to visit various cities.
But these people are doing this for quite a while and, something tells me they pay taxes and everything, because renting your bed sounds like a business idea to me :) So, it's safe! And much cheaper than a hotel too.
 
Rosie said:
I've never actually heard anyone mention couchsurfing as means of going on vacation... I don't even know if there is a place online that offers such a service, I'd have to check :p

However, I did find several people who are willing to rent their own rooms to tourists.
They are listed on various websites that people use to look for accommodation. When I search for accommodation, I don't use a lot of parameters, except for the dates (of the check in and check out) and the region, so I can find as many options as possible. I was surprised to see many people actually rent a room of their own house, at a cheap price too, for tourists who wish to visit various cities.
But these people are doing this for quite a while and, something tells me they pay taxes and everything, because renting your bed sounds like a business idea to me :) So, it's safe! And much cheaper than a hotel too.
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There's a website called couchsurfing.com. That's where the name comes from. They have huge numbers of registered people offering free accommodation.
There's also airbnb for people renting out rooms in their apartment or entire apartments or whatever.
 
^ I see :P Thank you, I imagined I would find an Italian website, for some reason :P
I know about airbnb as well, my sister found some great accommodation options with the help of this website, it's not as popular as booking.com or trivago.it (which is basically the Italian version or booking..), but more and more people use it to find a place to stay!

Back to couchsurfing, the reason I expected it there to be an Italian website is.. well.. Italians don't really "love" foreigners that much. So, I would expect many of them to be reluctant to the idea of hosting a foreigner in their own home. I know said foreigner would be a tourist :) but most people I've met will not invite you in their own home unless they know you first :P I guess, in a way my point of view is similar to Aurelia's :)
I don't dislike the idea, I actually think it's great! But I can't imagine many Italians joining in.
 
Back in 2006 I couchsurfed during my travels. It's a lot of fun and makes seeing places more real because you have the perspective of the locals. I never ran into any major issues or fear for my safety. I honestly think the hostels I stayed in were more dangerous than CS. As long as you only stay with people who have a lot of good feedback and make sure they are verified you will be fine. This means that the couchsurfing website sent them a code to thier home address to verify they actual live where they said they lived. Couchsurfing is also great for expats because there is usually a pretty active group in the bigger cities like Rome. They get together for events and activities like dinner or going somewhere fun. When I lived in Verona the CS group hung out several times a week and were very close. We would take turns giving each others couch surfers tours around the city if the other person was busy. I actually met my now husband through couchsurfing. A fellow surfer I had met in London ended up being hosted by my husband and when I met up with her in Rome she introduced us. It's totally safe if your smart about it!​
 
Thank you for your input, serialexpat. This is actually very helpful. I am glad you'd enjoyed the website. I'd not thought it could be this safe. It's definitely helpful and can get you in touch with locals of different cultures, which is amazing. However, for people who don't trust the Internet that much, it could be a "no-no". Of course you're going to contact someone who has 20 good reviews rather than someone with mere 4 or 5.

Is the whole world mapped out in CS? I mean, do you pick just any place in the world... or must it be a bigger city?
 
Hi Aurelia! (I feel like there should be an introduction forum!) yeah it really is a reputable website you just have to understand how people are verified and read the feedback other people have left for them. There is also an option called vouching where longtime, verified members can vouch for the person. Just another layer of security that helps a lot. If you still don't like the idea of actually Couchsurfing with someone you can always meet up with someone on there for the day to get a coffee or whatever. I do that more now that I'm not in a super touristy area. Most people coming through here stay in hotels because they are cheap but still want to meet up with someone that lives here for the experience and insider perspective. I have always found couchsurfers in all the places I've looked. My current town is only 30,000 and like I said NOT at all touristy but the group is still pretty active here. Like with anything else the bigger the town, the more members and activities there are.
 
Hi serialexpat! (perhaps an introduction forum would be a good idea)

I really like the fact that there are so many safety measures introduced to couchsurfing. It makes me feel better now. Perhaps I would even use the website at some point in future, who knows.

How many times have you used it? Were you disappointed at all? Any possible flaws?
 
I know! It's so confusing because I don't remember who is who and what their connection to Italy is. Anyway.... Yes I still use the site but less in the last few years because of work/family/living out in the country. I also don't need to couchsurf anymore when I travel (husband likes hotels lol). I have been a member for 8+ years. Flaws I'm not sure. It's up to you how much you want to participate in it. There's also a setting on your profile that will list you as only available to meet up for coffee. You don't have to host or be hosted to use the site. Give it a look and see if they have a group page for your town and you can get an idea if it's worthwhile or not.
 
It's not something that I have ever tried or likely to do. I struggle to exist in the living space of someone that I don't really know. That's just me. I do really like the concept, though, and the idea that people from all over the world get to experience the real living environment of another culture. Maybe I'll get over myself and try it out in the future.
 
I have never done couch surfing, though I have heard a lot of people have tried it. I'm very socially anxious, so couch surfing probably wouldn't be a possibility for me, but it does sound very interesting! Though there seems to be a lot of trust involved in it. Trust that the person letting you crash on their couch isn't crazy or something, and trust that you are not crazy or a thief or anything else. :cool:
 
Kitty Reeves said:
I have never done couch surfing, though I have heard a lot of people have tried it. I'm very socially anxious, so couch surfing probably wouldn't be a possibility for me, but it does sound very interesting! Though there seems to be a lot of trust involved in it. Trust that the person letting you crash on their couch isn't crazy or something, and trust that you are not crazy or a thief or anything else. :cool:
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The trust comes from making sure the person has good verifications (reviews basically, of people that have met with or stayed with that person). The system in place is pretty good at weeding out weirdos.
 
Couchsurfing is okay if you're a guy maybe. The few female friends I know who've tried it all said it's pretty dangerous, since hostels aren't THAT expensive
 
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