EmailKid

That's what hotel points are for, if you have them @:-)

I have a bunch of points that I collected when traveling to various cities as part of my work, and now I use them once in a while when in a pinch or if hotel prices are too high.

And when I was still working in southeast Texas, I offered my whole house on Galveston Island Now that I'm working in Dallas, the house is rented out, and I cannot host since I'm only renting a room in Dallas.

jackal

This is Budget Travel. How many of us have enough hotel points to be worth using? Not all of us are/were lucky enough to have work paying for stays.

I recently started acquiring IHG and Choice Privileges points (IHG because the promotions are so lucrative that it's worth spending 50% more on a property just to collect the bonus points, especially if you can use them on Point Breaks properties, and Choice because they often have properties down around my preferred budget point anyway, so when they're offering their 8,000-points-for-two-stays promo, it's a no-brainer to stay with them). But other than that, I just have a smattering from the occasional odd cheap or split-with-a-friend Marriott/Hilton, etc., because my normal MO is to pick the cheapest place that scores at least a 3.0 on Hotels.com (and my average spend seems to be between $45 and $55/night, depending on what part of the country I am).

EmailKid

That is true, but you can get a boatload of IHG (Holiday Inn etc) points if you sign up for their credit card, and as you point out, these points are valuable as redemptions are lower than many other chains @:-)

In fact, haven't used a single Hilton point since my position was eliminated over five years ago, because I haven't found a way to get good value from them (I've had to buy something online to keep them active twice though).

And I normally use same strategy as you, find hotels in $50 range (and cheaper in Asia) and save my points.

beachmouse

You can also pick up 15-20K IHG points per year from e-Rewards, and I've been getting a few thousand beyond that when My Coke Rewards has them as a reward about once a year. Pretty budget to get two nights free at a Hotel Indigo like I did last spring by collecting bottle caps and package flaps, and then using them on a PointBreak weekend.

jetsarefast2

I've had mostly positive experiences with Couch Surfing (CS). Sometimes I have received uncomfortable CS invitations. "Hey, I like to sleep naked and you would be in the same bed as me. Cool?" can be easily filtered by ignoring or politely declining the invitation. If you're into that, it's available.

Best to check their profile and see reviews from their peers before making a decision. I've met some wonderful people from all over the world through CS. Sometimes they live in an amazing location, sometimes it's out of the way. You do save money by staying at their flat or in their home, and hopefully you'll give back in some way (e.g., cooking a recipe from home, cheese and bottle of wine, doing the dishes, a handwritten card, or paying for their public transport — depending on where you are).

There are many ways to meet with locals too if you're unable to find a place to stay or your host is busy and a CS'er is available to have coffee. Couch Surfing is all about the personal and cultural exchange.

If a Couch Surfer agrees to host you and bails at the last minute (a day or two before), try joining an "EMERGENCY or Last Minute CS" Group in the area where you'll be travelling.

mpc7488

I've only hosted, but had some really great experiences. After hosting 6-7 international students (three times), I cut back my maximum # to 4, it was just a bit too much. The other groups I had were great and I really enjoyed getting to know new people.

Chris1984

I use couchsurfing since 2008 and actually wrote a little article for the Huffington Post for people who have no idea what it is, check it out if you like

ryandelmundo

Couchsurfing is pretty cool. The people are always really great to meet.

I prefer to try and meet them (there is a 'meet for coffee' invite as well as group get togethers)

When you stay with someone else you need to be a good guest. Be clean. Be considerate. Let your hosts know what you're doing. Etc. It's kinda like staying with family. That's not really my thing.

When I'm traveling I prefer to be more independent. So I stay in a hotel

I try and catch up with the CS folks without actually staying at their place.

Sure, free is great, but remember nothing is free. Your host is doing it for a reason - and often that reason is to spend time meeting you. So you may spend your time meeting and trying to live up to your hosts expectation. This often leads to lots of cool experiences but sometimes its a little claustrophobic.

As always, YMMV. I recommend starting with very short stays and see how it works for you.

skyewalker

YES YES YES!
It is a great network, I discovered it in 2009 and since then have hosted and stayed with over 100 people. Stayed in some amazing places, met incredible people, eaten fantastic food AND ALL FOR FREE!
However Couchsurfing is NOT about doing stuff on the cheap it is about sharing and learning about others lives and cultures. I always take a small gift or cook a meal for my hosts and I expect my guests to do the same. I expect to spend time with guests and hosts and its that interaction which makes it enjoyable for both parties.
I only now accept people with complete profiles and at least 2 bona fide references. I also refuse requests from locals (i.e. from my home country) as in my experience they are just looking for a free B&B to visit friends or attend some function or other.

So if you are travelling in my area (Cambridgeshire England) and want to visit me and experience my world; head over to couchsurfing.org and look me up 'esjaybe'.

S

cbn42

You can always mention that in your couch request. Say whether you intend to spend time with your host, or go out and do your own thing. Some hosts enjoy spending time with their surfers, other don't really want to but feel obligated to. Communication is key.

lakers6902

Been doing it since 2008 and love it, have hosted/surfed about an equal amount of time.

I'm now happily married to someone who surfed on my couch a few years ago (south Korean)

chandras

I've used it. Once in 2007 when I visited during 2007.
Since I had to stay for an extended period of time, I requested the Host to help me find a place and he obliged.
Different, awesome experience to be with CS.

willcoop

I used CS when I went to Van in Eastern Turkey in 2013. The host family took me skiing, let me stay for a few days, cooked all the meals, and paid for my food at a restaurant. It was great.
I continued the trip throughout Eastern Turkey and into Northern Iraq and got a lot of offers to stay with people but due to poor access to internet I wasn't able to connect with them and just stayed in very very cheap "hotels" instead in Iraq.

I tried it for other trips after that but I tend to not know my itinerary ahead of time and make it up as I go so it makes it difficult to connect.

However, I think CS is great.

mpc7488

Nice story! Love it.