What is the CouchSurfing mission?

Can you give me an example of how this system could be used?

1. You become a member of CouchSurfing.org. Create a profile and fill it out as much as possible, including photos. Be sure to link to any friends you might already have in the network.
2. Consider joining some discussion groups in your areas of interests or engage in the
3. You decide you want to spend two weeks traveling around Europe. You get a ticket arriving in Amsterdam and departing from Florence.
4. You log on to CouchSurfing.org and do a search for members within 20 km/miles of Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Zurich and Florence- your new travel itinerary.
5. You contact interesting prospects from the list and explain the sort of travel/stay you're interested in. Use the "Request to CouchSurf with..." button to include specific details.
6. You get several offers for places to stay. You decide that you want to spend a few days in each city.
7. You confirm with your hosts, adjust your travel plans, and excitedly fly off to Amsterdam.
8. Martin picks you up at the airport and takes you back to his flat in the Rembrandtplein section of Amsterdam. The two of you walk around the neighborhood and meet some of his friends at a lively cafe for dinner. You stay up late sharing stories and getting to know each other. Martin recommends some interesting places you might like to explore around the city. When he returns from work the next evening, he takes you to his favorite pub and you tell him about your adventures. The two of you laugh and connect; you make new friends at the pub, and you're grinning the whole walk home along the canals.
9. As an example of a good surfer, you do as much as you can to give back to your hosts. This includes doing simple things like, for example, washing the dishes, making dinner or helping out in some way. Maybe you have a special skill you're willing to share?
10. You say good-bye and move on to Brussels, Frankfurt, and then Zurich. In each location you've met some great people and gotten to experience being a part of the culture through your connection with your host. You go places you would have never read about in a guidebook, meet interesting locals, and spend time bonding with your host. You're actually experiencing those "deep and meaningful connections" you've read about on the site, and you're making friends for life.
11. You decide to stay a little longer in Florence and your host, Donia, has agreed to let you spend a week with her.
12. You spend the week talking with Donia about politics, travel, art, your hometown, and a whole lot of other things. She lets you borrow her bicycle and gives you a map she's marked with some fun places to check out. On the weekend she takes you on a side trip to visit some relatives in a small Tuscan village. You learn to make awesome marinara sauce, you take a hike through picturesque rolling hills and her uncle, a craftsman, gives you a handmade leather belt. You're amazed at the time you're having! Back in Florence, Donia takes you to her favorite gelato place and you know it's the best thing you've ever tasted.
13. By the time you leave on the bus for the airport, you feel that you've gotten a good feel for the local life in each of the places you've traveled. You've made many new friends and you hope Martin, Donia and others will visit you. You can't wait for your turn to show them the great things about your culture.
14. When you arrive home you are so excited about CouchSurfing you go immediately to the participate tab and start helping CouchSurfing.org community advance the mission of the project.

Is CouchSurfing safe?

Verification:
	This icon indicates that a member has been verified to level 3.
Vouching:
	This icon indicates that a member has been vouched for.
Ambassador:
	This icon indicates that a member is a CS Ambassador.

• References are an easy, on-going contribution that CouchSurfers make towards the safety of the community.  By publicly sharing information about our experiences, good or bad, we help each other make informed decisions about who to host or surf with.
• Verificaiton is a system that lets CouchSurfers contribute to the community’s safety in a few different ways. First, verified members have all made a donation to help CouchSurfing keep running, so they’ve demonstrated that they care about the community. Second, they’ve confirmed both their name and physical location, so that the community can see that they are who they say they are.
• On CouchSurfing, the friends listed on members’ profiles are people they really know – not just a random assortment of acquaintances and former schoolmates.  A friend link is a statement that shows that two people know and trust each other. When you're looking at a member's friends, pay attention to the colored dots next to each name: the brighter the green, the closer the friendship.
• Vouching is a very serious form of showing trust in another person.  When a CouchSurfer vouches for another member, they’re making a statement to the community that they stand behind the other member and their actions.  Anything that a member does reflects on the people who have vouched for him or her, whether good or bad, so this tool should be used very carefully.
• Our judgment is the best safety measure!  All of the website’s safety features and all of the information on members’ profiles is designed to help CouchSurfers make educated decisions about who they’d like to interact with. By reading messages carefully, looking at profiles thoroughly, reading references, setting boundaries, and asking questions, CouchSurfers keep themselves safe. We provide the resources, but in the end the best safety tool that anyone has is their own judgment and intuition. CouchSurfers choose each interaction that they have based on their own personal comfort level.

Do I have to let everyone stay at my house?


Not at all. You can pick and choose whom you want to host. You can meet people to hang out for coffee or a drink only, or you can even make your couch completely unavailable. Offering your couch is all about increasing the number of interesting people and possibilities in your life experience. You can easily decline surfing requests; there is never any pressure to host.


Where are CouchSurfing members located? Is CS just for U.S. travel?


Our members are located all over the globe! There's some speculation out there that CouchSurfing is primarily aimed at the United States and that maybe other sites are better suited for international travel. The fact is, we have 232 unique countries represented, (Antarctica too!), and more couches in Europe than in any other area. We have ambassadors in every region, and our network of 1221333 members (since January, 2004) is growing by thousands per week. You can also check out a visual representation by checking out the World Map. To learn more about who's on CS, just visit the statistics page.

Is CouchSurfing free?


Absolutely. CouchSurfing International is a non-profit organization dedicated to the global community. CouchSurfing was created specifically so that everyone can travel the world and partake in cultural exchange. Staying with your host(s) is also always free; it is contrary to the values of CouchSurfing and against our terms of use to charge someone to surf your couch. Many surfers like to bring their hosts gifts or treat them to a meal as a "Thank you," but this is not a requirement. There are infinite ways to reciprocate goodwill.


But this service is so useful! How can I contribute?


There are a couple ways you can help us out. First, if you have a skill you think could benefit this non-profit entity, we want you to get involved in the growth and development of the project (See next question). Second, a little cash never hurts. It costs a lot to maintain the site, and we're completely supported by member donations. We accept donations via credit card and PayPal.


How can I participate in the growth and development of CouchSurfing.org?


We're so glad you asked! Participation is what makes this community work. We're always looking/needing volunteers to take on specific projects. Please check out the participation section and tell us what you can do! CouchSurfing encourages members to take ownership of the site and it's development. We strive to create a climate where members' ideas are encouraged and implemented. We have an organizational structure in place that welcomes volunteers in an abundance of ways. If you'd like to help spread the mission of CouchSurfing, consider becoming an ambassador. You can learn about all the ways to get involved in the participation section. Member involvement is a vital part of the growth and development of the project. Simply put, we couldn't do it without you! To that end we have created the CouchSurfing Collective. CouchSurfing is a democratic entity led by the core team where every member can have a say if he or she so wishes. Member involvement is open to the degree that the user wishes to participate. We have great pride the initiatives and ideas created by our members. We are always excited by what will come next.


Is CouchSurfing International a non-profit organization?


Yes! We strongly believe the mission of CouchSurfing International is best served by being a non-profit organization. Our mission is to facilitate high quality experiences for people exploring the world and giving back to humanity. Our goal is to make diverse cultures of the world more connected, making the world a smaller, more peaceful place. We network travelers and locals on every continent, creating friendships and strengthening cross-cultural understanding. The goal of CouchSurfing has never been about money. The site is free to all members and supported only with donations and verifications. We are not now, nor have we ever pursued financial gain; we only strive to make the site self-sustaining.


What about Privacy?


There are six different privacy settings. Each setting you can turn on and turn off. You can select who can see your profile, which pieces of your personal information to hide from other users, and also if other members will be able to see your online status. You can change these settings by editing your profile and going to the privacy section.


Does CouchSurfing censor the members' emails or group posts?


CouchSurfing does not now, nor has it ever censored members' email or group postings. We allow our members to write and share whatever they wish, so long as it adheres to our anti-spam guidelines and is not considered defamation. We have a policy of inclusion. In addition, we welcome and have structures in place for member feedback and critique. We are a network for and by the people, and appreciate constructive criticism as a means to growth and improvement.


How did you come up with the idea for CouchSurfing?


Well, the idea solidified when founder, Casey Fenton, got a cheap ticket to Iceland for a long weekend one April. With his ticket in hand, there was one problem: he had no place to stay and no desire to rot in a hotel all weekend and play Mr. Tourist. So, he came up with the 'brilliant' idea of spamming over 1500 Icelandic students in Reykjavik and asking them if he could crash on one of their couches. After exchanging emails with many of the students, he had several groups of friends offer to show him 'their' Reykjavik. So, after spending an amazing, crazy weekend just south of the Arctic Circle, Casey decided he would never again get trapped in a hotel and tourist marathon while traveling. From that point onward, it was all about crashing on exotic couches and cultural exchange. And, thus, the CouchSurfing Project was born.


Who runs CouchSurfing.org?


The global CouchSurfing.org community is what keeps CouchSurfing.org going. We are a completely member supported and driven community. Dedicated volunteers work constantly to improve the site and spread the mission. The original founder of CouchSurfing, Casey Fenton launched the site in beta on Jan 1, 2003 with the help of several other founders. In January of 2004, the site Version 1.0 was made live to the world. After a crazy crash, Version 2.0 was re-designed, re-built and re-organized through the Montreal Collective 2006 and remote CouchSurfers around the world. Version 2.0 was launched in July 2006. That is our brief version; you can read more about our exciting history here.


What about other languages?


This site is translated into several languages, and we are adding new languages all the time. If you can translate from English into a language that you are an expert at, we invite you to participate! It's a good way to get involved in the CouchSurfing.org community.




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