It is not easy to travel as a solo female traveler in a lot of countries. You often have to worry about lewd remarks, stalkers, high costs and what not.

Now, add to this mix the decision of choosing a stay which is not only safe but budget-friendly too. You often end up in a conundrum, right?

In my personal experience itself, I have faced so many problems while staying both in hostels and hotels that it really makes me hard to trust my hosts. This is why I was quite hesitant to try Couchsurfing, even though I knew that it could greatly help me in reducing my cost and could certainly give me a better exposure to the local culture.

I joined Couchsurfing community in 2016 but it wasn't until October 2017 that I actually gave it a try and oh god, what an experience it was. I not only started using Couchsurfing more frequently but also found it easier to trust people and talk to strangers.

Couchsurfing is nothing like you have ever experienced before. It is not only safe and reliable but a great way to mingle with locals and get to know more about your visiting country. Also, you have the added benefit of not having to pay for an accommodation anymore and you get free guides to take you around. Isn't that incredible?

A lot of people might have often heard that Couchsurfing isn't safe and that it is usually used as a dating or a hookup website but that is not true. I am not saying that this doesn't happen, it certainly does but if you choose your hosts carefully, you can easily avoid such scenarios.

For the first year that I joined Couchsurfing, I didn't really use it. I tried to search hosts for my Malaysia trip but after a couple of tries, I gave up. This was in 2016. Then, I planned a solo trip to Sri Lanka and that is when I decided that I will give Couchsurfing a try again. I started looking for hosts in all my planned cities and then did a proper RnD before making any decision.

What I basically did was to check hosts which are verified on the Couchsurfing app. This means that they have verified their identity via official documents and have paid a one-time fee to be a member. Once, I got the list of verified hosts, I sorted them according to the references count. So, I checked out the hosts who were accepting guests and had more references by other couchsurfers or hosts. I read through multiple references and checked for negative references as well and once I was satisfied, I sent them a message asking them to host me.

The whole process was frankly quite exciting and scary and once the hosts accepted my request, I was still unsure of the whole thing. I figured if it turns out to be uncomfortable then I can always shift to a hostel next day.

Thankfully, I never needed to do that because all my hosts were absolutely wonderful and helpful. My first host lived in Kandy and while I was a little skeptical about the whole thing, he put me to ease by talking calmly and nicely. He talked to me about Sri Lanka’s culture and history and how I could explore the best of Kandy. We talked about everything and anything, from philosophy to traveling to home and that's the first time I realized that maybe Couchsurfing is not a bad choice after all. Never once did he flirt or put me at unease which further increased my trust in Couchsurfing.

After Kandy, my next host was in Nuwara Eliya who was a hotel owner and again, he was an extremely pleasant and amazing guy to talk to. He helped me plan my trip to the Horton Plain National Park and also offered me a job when I told him I plan to travel full time. I haven't come across many people who are down-to-earth and friendly as him and who would be interested in helping out strangers. He made me feel like it was my home and even sneaked me into the local garden which charged a huge amount from the foreigners. And so, with my second host, I started liking Couchsurfing a little more.

Finally, I stayed with an Italian uncle who was the sweetest host ever. He let me watch TV, shared tales of the Maldives and his other countries adventures, made Pasta and Chicken for me, and was ever so helpful in everything that I enquired about. With him, I had such eye-opening conversations and I realized that this world is full of amazing and generous people. All you have to do is trust and it will be mostly rewarded with Goodwill.

After my Sri Lanka trip, I realized that Couchsurfing is not unsafe or scary. In fact, it is one of the most amazing experiences ever. All you have to do is open yourself to it and take the risk. And just be thorough with your research because, in the end, everything else tends to fall into place. I have used Couchsurfing for several other places after Sri Lanka too like Gujarat, Seychelles, Mauritius, etc. and each time, my experience has been positive and rewarding.

I hope my experience helps others travelers to give Couchsurfing a chance and experience the local culture more effectively. Trust me guys, Couchsurfing is the best way to solo travel and meet some amazing people on your journey! So don't be afraid to take a chance and give the hosts a chance to show you the best of their city!