Free Accommodation? Sign Me Up!

Looking for free accommodation? Look no further than this. The Couchsurfing app is very popular amongst travellers and locals. It offers many different experiences other than "couch surfing." You can use the app to find people nearby to meet up with, join events and message other members.

In regards to staying with strangers, this really depends on your confidence in other people and whether you will feel comfortable. The CS app has helpfully set up a review system, where other members can review their stay with locals. Personally, I would advise staying with people who have a lot of positive reviews on their profile. Admittedly, there are a lot of people out there trying to take the piss—Tinder failed them miserably and they’re just not getting any. Those are the type of people you wanna avoid and the best way to do so is being very selective about who you decide to meet or stay with.

Let me share some of my experiences with you so you can make up your own mind:

Eric, Kuala Lumpur

Eric was the first person that I decided to stay with while I was travelling. Remember, I’m a solo girl, I need to keep my wits about me. Actually, I’d just downloaded the app and plugged in my location, I had lots of requests offering me accommodation in the city, but I was a little worried about taking that first step.

At the time, I was staying at Reggae Mansion, which was a great hostel but was working out at about £10 a night, which was wracking up a bit of a bill. It was Eric who messaged me, offering me a place to stay in his home. He had over 200 recommendations and was happy to offer me advice about finding my way around the city. After careful consideration, I decided to accept Eric’s invitation to stay. I stayed 3 nights with him and 2 other CS members, he showed me around the city and taught me a little history about his hometown.

All in all, it was a positive experience, and all for free!

Member 121, Kuala Lumpur

I can’t say I remember the name of this bloke, but he’d also messaged me around the same time as Eric did. Immediately I saw red flags. Why? He offered to move me into his hotel room, pay for everything and wanted me to do so NOW. He was extremely demanding and I regretted agreeing to meet to discuss over a drink.

So I was honest, and I told him that he didn’t make me feel comfortable and I didn’t want to stay with him. In response, I was sent abusive messages to my CS app and my phone. I’ve blocked his number, but every so often I get another message from a Malaysian number asking if I’ve "washed my dirty monkey ass" yet. Not entirely sure what it means but he’s still trying.

Frank, Koh Tao

There weren’t many hosts on Koh Tao; it’s a small island and the accommodation was pretty pricey. So, when Frank contacted me, I decided to take a chance. Frank didn’t have any reviews on his account, but he was very helpful advising me on how to reach the island and also worked in a dive shop (I wanted to complete my Open Water here, as Koh Tao is the cheapest place to do so).

He picked me up from the pier, helped me sort out my diving paperwork, then showed me his place and we chatted over coffee. I stayed with him for four nights. Again, another positive experience and a place to stay if I ever visited again.

So if you find yourself spending more than £10 a night on hostel accommodation, maybe the couch surfing app would be a good place to find somewhere to stay on the cheap. Maybe you’ll even make some friends on the way!