Comments on: Is Couchsurfing bad for locals? http://www.goinglocaltravel.com/2010/03/21/is-couchsurfing-bad-for-locals/ A blog for travellers looking to break off track Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:50:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Local Travel Movement and PocketCultures | Topics of the world http://www.goinglocaltravel.com/2010/03/21/is-couchsurfing-bad-for-locals/comment-page-1/#comment-8290 Local Travel Movement and PocketCultures | Topics of the world Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:33:14 +0000 http://goinglocaltravel.com/?p=850#comment-8290 [...] Baker, who writes Going local travel, made a thoughtful response to the question of whether couchsurfing is bad for locals. Her conclusion: it depends how you approach [...] [...] Baker, who writes Going local travel, made a thoughtful response to the question of whether couchsurfing is bad for locals. Her conclusion: it depends how you approach [...]

]]> By: vladic ravich http://www.goinglocaltravel.com/2010/03/21/is-couchsurfing-bad-for-locals/comment-page-1/#comment-554 vladic ravich Thu, 27 May 2010 12:46:34 +0000 http://goinglocaltravel.com/?p=850#comment-554 I've had at least twenty great experiences on couchsurfing, but there is one draw back... it is a self-selecting crowd.... someone who lives more or less along, with internet access is usually financially well off. nothing wrong with that, but maybe not representative of most people's ideas or life. I'm travelling around Turkey and eastward into the Caucasus writing about villages and small towns. Come take a look at my blog, i'm new at this and love feedback: vladicravich.wordpress.com Vladic I’ve had at least twenty great experiences on couchsurfing, but there is one draw back… it is a self-selecting crowd…. someone who lives more or less along, with internet access is usually financially well off. nothing wrong with that, but maybe not representative of most people’s ideas or life.

I’m travelling around Turkey and eastward into the Caucasus writing about villages and small towns. Come take a look at my blog, i’m new at this and love feedback: vladicravich.wordpress.com
Vladic

]]> By: Travel Hotels | Mozilist http://www.goinglocaltravel.com/2010/03/21/is-couchsurfing-bad-for-locals/comment-page-1/#comment-414 Travel Hotels | Mozilist Tue, 11 May 2010 10:13:15 +0000 http://goinglocaltravel.com/?p=850#comment-414 [...] Going Local <b>Travel</b> » Is Couchsurfing bad for locals? [...] [...] Going Local <b>Travel</b> » Is Couchsurfing bad for locals? [...]

]]> By: James Smith http://www.goinglocaltravel.com/2010/03/21/is-couchsurfing-bad-for-locals/comment-page-1/#comment-371 James Smith Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:41:31 +0000 http://goinglocaltravel.com/?p=850#comment-371 I just saw this article : http://allthatiswrong.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/a-criticism-of-couchsurfing-and-review-of-alternatives/ posted on one of the CS mailing lists. It raises many interesting points....perhaps CouchSurfing is not bad for locals, but it appears it may be bad for anyone using it! I just saw this article : http://allthatiswrong.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/a-criticism-of-couchsurfing-and-review-of-alternatives/ posted on one of the CS mailing lists. It raises many interesting points….perhaps CouchSurfing is not bad for locals, but it appears it may be bad for anyone using it!

]]> By: Diving into Local Culture the Couchsurfing Way | Traveling Savage http://www.goinglocaltravel.com/2010/03/21/is-couchsurfing-bad-for-locals/comment-page-1/#comment-370 Diving into Local Culture the Couchsurfing Way | Traveling Savage Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:18:12 +0000 http://goinglocaltravel.com/?p=850#comment-370 [...] Is Couchsurfing Bad for Locals? [...] [...] Is Couchsurfing Bad for Locals? [...]

]]> By: Troy http://www.goinglocaltravel.com/2010/03/21/is-couchsurfing-bad-for-locals/comment-page-1/#comment-369 Troy Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:31:37 +0000 http://goinglocaltravel.com/?p=850#comment-369 I joined CSing while living in Laos and had some rather in-depth email conversations with some of the founders about some of these very doubts. In a place like Laos, where the tuk-tuk fare out to my house was often more expensive than a night at one of the cheaper hostels, 'freeloaders' were automatically excluded. I may be wrong, but my vision of CSing is an idea of give and take. One day I might be at your place while sometime later you may be at mine. This means that the people I stay with have the theoretical possibility of visiting the country I live in. Call it an elitist view, call it what you want, but there is some sort of balance there. Like the age old Bedouin code that has long been thrown off by jet setting tourists passing through. It used to be that you were taken in because some day it might be them...Can't see a Yemeni Bedouin passing through anytime soon. This of course doesn't mean that people without the means shouldn't sign up, just that personally the economic gap and the impossibility of reciprocation would make me feel uncomfortable. I joined CSing while living in Laos and had some rather in-depth email conversations with some of the founders about some of these very doubts. In a place like Laos, where the tuk-tuk fare out to my house was often more expensive than a night at one of the cheaper hostels, ‘freeloaders’ were automatically excluded.

I may be wrong, but my vision of CSing is an idea of give and take. One day I might be at your place while sometime later you may be at mine. This means that the people I stay with have the theoretical possibility of visiting the country I live in. Call it an elitist view, call it what you want, but there is some sort of balance there. Like the age old Bedouin code that has long been thrown off by jet setting tourists passing through. It used to be that you were taken in because some day it might be them…Can’t see a Yemeni Bedouin passing through anytime soon.

This of course doesn’t mean that people without the means shouldn’t sign up, just that personally the economic gap and the impossibility of reciprocation would make me feel uncomfortable.

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