Safety First!


When a lot of people hear about CouchSurfing, they wonder if it's OK to invite someone new into their home, or stay with someone they've never met. Our members think about safety, too -- and that's exactly why CouchSurfing is a safer way to meet people than you might think. As a tight knit community, CouchSurfers help protect themselves and each other by educating themselves and sharing information.

With CouchSurfing, you have a lot more information about new people than you do in most circumstances. Think about when you meet someone at a hostel or on a train. What information do you have? Just your own first impressions. Through CouchSurfing, it's more like meeting a friend of a friend. You have the chance to read all about other members' experiences with that person, whether positive or negative. You have a full profile's worth of information about their interests and perspectives. You can see who their friends are and how they know them. And you have the ability to correspond with them as much as you want before you meet them.


Safety Features


Here are some of the ways that CouchSurfing gives you the information you need to make informed decisions:

  • References are feedback members write on each other's profiles describing their experiences with one another. A member cannot delete or change any references left for them. References give you insight into a member's actions within the community and are a valuable tool for predicting what they would be like if you met them yourself.
  • Vouching shows a strong bond between two members and is a carefully considered sign of trust. A member's vouch says that they stand behind another member and their actions. Anything that a member does, whether good or bad, reflects on those who have vouched for them, so this tool is used very carefully.
  • Verification 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 identity and physical location, indicating that they are who they say they are. The Verification system makes it much more difficult for someone to misrepresent themselves as a CS member. If you'd like to become a verified member, read more about how it works!
  • Friends listed on each member's profile are people they really know – not just a random assortment of acquaintances and former schoolmates. A friend link is a statement that describes the closeness of each friendship and how the members got to know each other. If you're browsing potential hosts, you can quickly see which of their friends met them through hosting and surfing. This helps you see which references will be the most relevant for you.
  • Learn about attempted scams. Members share information and that helps spot would-be scammers. Check out this list to make sure you're up-to-date on attempts that have been reported. We will update this page whenever we receive relevant new information.
  • Individual judgment is the most important safety measure! All of CouchSurfing's safety features and all of the information available on member profiles are designed to help members make educated decisions about who they'd like to interact with. By reading messages carefully, looking at profiles thoroughly, reading references, and communicating clearly about guidelines and expectations, individual CouchSurfers can interact according to their own personal comfort level. For more advice, check out our tips section.
  • This icon indicates that a member has had their name and address verified.

  • This icon indicates that a member has been vouched for.