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I traveled for 2.5 months in Europe this summer and stayed in hostel or hotel a total of 5 nights.

I stayed with friends I knew, and friends of friends, and also used the website Couchsurfing.org.

My experience with meeting new people and staying with complete strangers was fantastic.  I traveled solo and am a female in my late 20's. That said, I was also safe.

I didn't stay with anyone that couldn't be vouched either by a) someone I knew well and trusted or b) that I couldn't get a good read from on their profile. 

Couchsurfing profiles are really important.  The more in depth they are and the more people leave positive comments about them, the safe I feel.

I arrived past midnight in Basel, Switzerland and a guy I'd never met before let me into his place for two nights, gave me a copy of the keys and let me have run of the place while he worked during the day.  It was amazing!  We had great conversation and he really contributed to me experiencing Switzerland in a much more authentic way.

I highly recommend it - but I also recommend traveling smart and listening to your gut - some situations are safe, others you should run from.  But you can tell once you meet the people, or what they tell you (or leave missing in some cases) from their online couchsurfing profiles.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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