Advantages and Disadvantages of Couchsurfing Paper Example

Chapter 2: Reasons for Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is the best way to stay with amazing people around, make lifelong travel with friends or host travelers from all walks of life. In this regard, it helps online travelers meet potential hosts all over the world (Chen, 2018). Typically, hosts are former travelers or expatriates who moved to other nations and are committed to ensuring that traveling is made as enjoyable as possible. The interaction between locals and hosts develops into lasting friendships. Other than offering a free space to stay, Couchsurfing can enhance the trip in various ways such as:

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• Lasting friendships.
• Knowing the local's hotspots.
• Offering money-saving advice for insider activities and sights.
• Finding traveler meetups and hangouts.

The social network system of Couchsurfing is explicitly designed to weed out dangerous hosts and guests such as terrorists and other criminals. A lot of emphases are based on safety. The travelers should get a feel for their personalities and interests based on their public profiles (Chen, 2018). After comprehensively filling out the profile page, one can get involved in Couchsurfing. In most cultures, trust is a critical component of hospitality exchange, and most people would like to know the individuals they are hosting. In this regard, finding common interests, travel destinations, and values are a significant part of the whole process.

2.1 Starting out to couch surf

To get started with Couchsurfing, there is the need to fill the profile so that other people can know the exact identity. In personal description site, it is prudent to be true to who you are in the sense that one is required to be honest and detailed (Chen, 2018). There is no need to impress anyone but rather ask family members or friends for help because these people have better information than anyone else. One is then required to upload lots of pictures. While you decide what to share, remember that more information helps other people to know you better (Cherney, Davis & Metts, 2017). Before even surfing, it is critical to get references. Since Couchsurfing is a place that allows an individual to meet other people from all over the world, the primary focus is the goals and objectives of the travelers and the ability of the hosts to embrace them at any given time. One is also required to specify on the profile that he/she can be available for the meetup.

Other than allowing locals and travelers to connect with each other online so that they can share hospitality, cultures, and adventures, Couchsurfing is used to find other people who can host you for free (Decrop, Del Chiappa, Mallarge & Zidda, 2018 ). It is also possible to create groups or activities related to personal interests or locations. The use of open request function or emergency is another way to find hosts. Most people host because they want to spend time with interesting people or to share experiences (Decrop et al. 2018). Through Couchsurfing, one will be in a position to understand certain gigs or events that would have been difficult to comprehend before. When traveling, it can be refreshing to start spending time with the locals.

In order to help improve safety, Couchsurfing uses a feedback system. For instance, after staying with someone for a specified period, there is the need to leave either a positive, negative, or neutral feedback so that the other person (user) can see more about the other person in question (Chen, 2018). The feedback is critical in referrals. If a user refuses to provide details of their address in advance, it will be very difficult to stay with them. Users are required to verify their address, account, and phone number. Certain symbols are displayed next to their profile to show that they are trustworthy.

It is also necessary to set ground rules in the online contact especially before meeting other people (Kim, Lee, Koo & Yang, 2018). The user must be clear about expectations and should try to stay with people whose life and expectations are the same. In this case, both of them are likely to get a positive experience. At times, it is recommended for the user to have multiple profile pictures to show hosts that he/she is a real person. By putting the photos up, it shows the host or other users that you care and that you have a social life. Travelers and hosts can accrue recommendations from other hosts, friends, and guests (Kim et al. 2018). If the users feel that other travelers have stayed with the host and had a fun and a safe experience, there is a possibility that they (users) will contact the host for the same experience. In most cases, getting along with the host becomes a challenge especially if both parties have different interests and expectations. Those who are new to the service will not have any reviews, and in such cases, they are required to ask friends who use the service to write them a review.

Typically, Couchsurfing offers different levels of verification. Users can be verified by other travelers with a mailing address or with a credit card. Knowing that one has been verified reduces the likelihood of meeting people who are less trustworthy. However, most people argue that verification is not a must because some people might decide to write a captivating and personal email and talk about what they like about the profile and why they are a good fit without necessarily seeking for verification from other users. The reason most people fail at Couchsurfing is that they send generic, boring, and cut and paste emails (Lampinen, 2016). When writing an email, it is prudent not to be self-centered. Hosts should know the services offered and why it is going to be a fun experience.

2.2 Developing contacts

This is one of the best reasons for Couchsurfing. There have been discussions about how to handle safety reports at Couchsurfing and what should be done to protect the members. "Trust and safety teams prevent scams, spam, sexual harassment, and other crimes from happening on Couchsurfing" (Chen, 2018, pp. 106). There is the need to remove profiles of members that pose a risk to the community. Once the profile is removed, the decision remains permanent, and a person is no longer welcomed in the Couchsurfing community (Lauterbach, Truong, Shah & Adamic, 2009). This is the best way to develop contact with members who can be trusted and are ready to engage in the activity. When dealing with situations in which members have conflicting accounts, it is the role of the safety and trust team to investigate and use their extensive experience to make the correct decision in an effort to ensure that others do not have a similar experience (Lauterbach et al. 2009).

When a member creates a new profile, certain mechanisms can be used to detect the authenticity of such accounts, and if the account doesn't meet certain indicators based on reports, community guidelines, and flags, it will be suspended (Luo & Zhang, 2016). It is recommended to report duplicate profiles. To keep Couchsurfing safe, it is prudent to keep communication on the Couchsurfing platform and report suspicious profiles. Typically, the reference system is in place to help members of the Couchsurfing community to understand what it is like to stay with a particular member (Molz, 2012). People who are not comfortable leaving honest references can reach out to the Safety and Trust team directly. The team is in a position to review each case based on its merits.

Members who are only willing to host others on other social media platforms on Couchsurfing should not be engaged at all. They should be asked for the links to their Couchsurfing profile and are at the same time required to send an official couch request before accepting their applications (Picard & Buchberger, 2014). Usually, before the team makes any decision, it is advisable to ensure that there is no guarantee that hosts and travelers on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, or other platforms have active profiles. "Couchsurfing is an element of the sharing economy in which team members rent out something they are not using to a stranger and use a review system to garner trust on both sides" (Pultar & Raubal, 2009, pp. 88). It should be known that Couchsurfing is not a dating site. It facilitates human connection across global boundaries for shared travel experience and cultural exchange.

Chapter 3: Advantages and disadvantages

Couchsurfing enables an individual to meet new people and share ideas. Living with the local people means understanding more about their cultures. Similarly, one will not have to pay for accommodation, and will only need travel tickets, internet access, and some pocket money (Pultar & Raubal, 2009). Couchsurfing is the best way to pick travel tips and recommendations and create the opportunity for smaller communities within a global society. It is an opportunity to make new friends and to practice new language skills especially if it is in a different country (Pultar & Raubal, 2009). Another advantage of Couchsurfing is affordability. It is a community of like-minded-people, and it is based on trust, hospitality, and friendship.

Hosts open their doors to complete strangers to get to know them and enjoy the time they have together. However, common courtesy rules are much more in place (Pultar & Raubal, 2009). The community can facilitate a much more powerful change with more people having a positive experience with each other. Couchsurfing is undeniably one of the cheapest accommodation options. It gives the advantage of seeing the city through the eyes of its inhabitants.

Since one is welcoming a complete stranger into the privacy of the home, there is a possibility of welcoming criminals and people whose objectives are not primarily to couch surf. Concerns about safety depend on if one is a woman or if one travels alone. Sometimes, hosts might be too busy with their work to spend their time with you (Rosen, Lafontaine & Hendrickson, 2011). At times, hosts may have different interests which create hesitation on who to accept or not. It is an individual responsibility to make strangers feel welcome. Hosting someone from abroad can turn out to be the adventure of a lifetime.

3.1 Crimes committed using Couchsurfing

The rising trend in travelers making their accommodation and transportation arrangements through the internet can be a double-edged sword. In the interest of member privacy and in order to minimize the risk of abuse of members' safety and security, there is the need to discuss further specifics of the crime incidents related Couchsurfing. Safety of the travelers is a top priority (Rosen et al. 2011). Cases of women being sexually assaulted are prevalent especially when they stay with Couchsurfing male hosts. During Couchsurfing, everything can be dangerous. It all depends on the alertness of the traveler. Some clients are even drugged and compelled to engage in acts which are against their beliefs and practices.

There are also instances of murder. The host's residence is not always the most convenient. The traveler is not allowed to see other neighborhoods or suburbs because this might be against the regulations put in place by the host. Couchsurfers can be flaky in the sense that the host can cancel the plan at the last minute. There is always the need for a backup plan. Most cities have hosts with an emergency couch available if one is in need (Rosen et al. 2011). Travelers find it necessary to use Couchsurfing even in their future travels to expand their international connections, make new friends, and enjoy a unique form of traveling that only increases their knowledge about the places they find themselves.

It is highly recommended to check references and go through users' feedback before making any contact. In spite the fact that...