As our trust structure changes from a top-down to bottom-up structure, we’ve begun to trust strangers more and corporations less. Uber, AirBNB, BlaBlaCar, and Couchsurfing all rely on a high degree of trust between strangers and have been skyrocketing in usage. While Uber, AirBNB and BlaBlaCar all involve financial transactions, Couchsurfing doesn’t. But that doesn’t make it free.

Well first, what is Couchsurfing anyways?

Yeah, no, not that. Their slogan “Stay with Locals and Meet Travelers” sums it up quite well. Couchsurfing.com is an online community birthed in 2004 as a small passion project to connect travelers at home and travelers on the move. It’s an incredibly genuine and beautiful network of wanderlust prone souls demonstrating incredible levels of hospitality to complete strangers.

So much of what we do online is doused in impersonality. Couchsurfing is the exact opposite. It’s about using the access we have in this highly technological age to enhance our scope of personal connection.

It’s a community built around the mindset of culture-sharing and experiencing the world. Sharing favorite local dishes, coffee shops, music, philosophies, etc.; it’s the host’s opportunity to show you why they love their city (and how comfortable their couch is).

If you’ve ever looked into affordable or budgeted travel it doesn’t take long to hear out about “free” accommodation through Couchsurfing.com. The mindset you need when approaching the community is culture sharing; it involves bidirectional donation. You share your culture, interests, favorite recipes and jokes as well. That means your plans also involve making friends with your host, not just cramming in sightseeing.

Because of the type of hospitality being offered, Couchsurfing as a group isn’t recommended either; any more than two people in your request and your chances of being hosted drop. It's all about respecting the host and the type of offer they're making.

As the travelers need hosts more than the hosts need travelers you may be wondering why the hosts participate at all. Many of the hosts I met are avid travelers themselves, very aware of what life is like on the move and how much it costs. It’s a way for them to give back to the community that helped them to see the world. Some call it the home office of traveling. When funds run low, or you’ve run out of vacation days, you can let the cultural experiences come to you.

Today Couchsurfing International Inc. is a global corporation with over 10 million users and as the community and concept have grown in popularity, they’ve begun to be abused by both hosts and travelers. Groups of teenagers on InterRailing sprees just trying to save money for vodka flood the market in the summer and frustrate community members. If you’re not interested in what Couchsurfing was created for, that’s fine. Find a cheap hotel to split amongst you.

Even if intentions are pure, though the structure of the social network may remind you of a dating site, Couchsurfing.com isn’t the place. It's come to my attention that some despicable men have realized they can play a wolf in sheep’s clothing as hosts and lure in solo female travelers to take advantage of them. These men intending to prey on young travelers need to be held accountable for their borderline rape actions and disgusting objectification of women. But we also need to be aware of these things and know how to stay safe as surfers.

The team at Couchsurfing International Inc. have tried to create an environment that stimulates trust and aids safety.

If you want to see more than what meets the eye in a destination, experience real life, share and make some of the greatest friends you’ll ever make, I highly recommend Couchsurfing. Some of my hosts were some of the greatest people I’ve met to date. Don’t let the harshness of the world steal your heart for travel, just know how to navigate it. Now go forth and explore!