dmu

Hello to you all!
I'm just zapping from the French forum, but I've got a specific question to ask.

My daughter (22) is going to visit her cousin in San Francisco at the end of the week and intends to visit L.A., San Diego, Las Vegas, too, to make the trip from Europe worthwhile. Having done couch-surfing in Europe, she is thinking of getting such accommodation in California/Nevada, but I'm not overly keen on the idea!
So I wondered whether anyone out there knows of British expats in those cities who would be willing to put Claire up for a night or two, say mid-July. She would obviously pay (although this couch-surfing is apparently free). I would feel more at ease if she stayed with BE forum participants or their friends!
Thanks in advance for any hints.
have a nice day
Diana

nethead

Hadn't heard of couch surfing before, does she stay with strangers or only people she knows? Just out of curiosity not being critical.

Anyway if there aren't any people here able to put her up, all of those cities have good youth hostels as do most American cities (privately run and YHA), shouldn't have to pay too much for a dorm room.

Ray

Presumably she wil be renting a car .... and Motels there are a plenty ...

Irn-bru

I hate to put a negative note in here but just because someone is on BE doesn't mean they are OK, I wouldn't be at 'more ease' if they were from BE! (unless you are a regular reading here and know the poster at least with e-mails etc)

To me this is a very risky type of traveling I realise you know that but I would put her of it completely. If she is young and good looking and is traveling alone and is going to relative 'strangers' houses sleeping on their couches...well enough said about what could happen!!

Duncan Roberts

I would be happier with couch surfers actually since they at least have some sort of vetting process even though it isn't perfect.

My sister and her boyfriend have done it a few times and had good experiences. They were in Asia and not the US though. Oh, and to put the opposite spin on things. The host is at just as much risk as the person looking for accommodation. On the website you'll almost always find some very high ranked members both as hosts and surfers. A high ranked host is almost certainly going to be OK and I would assume in major cities there will be a number of them. They can also act as very good tour guides as well!

Irn-bru

Your sister was with her boyfriend though, OP seems to imply her 22 daughter is traveling alone.

Octang Frye

She can stay with me. Hold on a sec, there's yelling in the other room.

Sorry about that. My lampshade was just telling me to go out and cut women.

Duncan Roberts

True, but I know people in the same situation who have done it. Actually, on of the hosts was a single (tiny) woman in her mid 20's. You always need to be careful but safety is the organizations primary concern and they don't take it lightly. It's not like craigslist, you get ranked, rated and verified so it's pretty easy to find a safe place. If they want to accept you is another thing entirely.

The OP said she has done it in Europe with no problems, why would the US be any different?

Irn-bru

She is on a forum asking for strangers to put her child up! Its not like it was an official vetted 'club' which is what you seem to be talking about.

If there is that type of vetted organisation here, I'd like someone to post the link to the OP to help her out rather than some, forum stranger offering, if her daughter is set on doing it.

Duncan Roberts

That's what couchsurfing is, couchsurfing international is the organization, and the OP's daughter has already done it.

I originally said I would rather go couchsurfing than ask on a forum. It would seem that you haven't heard of couchsurfing before which lead to confusion about what I was talking about.

Ozzidoc

http://www.couchsurfing.com/

Irn-bru

sorry if I came across 'getting at you' or anything. It wasn't anything to do with official 'couchsurfing' etc it was the fact someone came onto a board of strangers asking for someone to put up their 22yr old daughter and shes not a regular - the 'worry-wort' came out in me! I know its none of my business etc, I couldn't help it.
(I know the OP was worried as well obviously!)

well I'm sure the OP will be glad there is a US equivalent.

Duncan Roberts

No problem. CouchSurfing is an international non profit, I think it started in the US. There are about half a million people signed up and about 25% of them are in the US. For some reason it sounds like the OP is fine with her doing it in Europe but not in the US which is a little odd since it's the same organization and same principle all over the world. It's probably overall safer than a hostel since you just turn up and they let you in so you really have no idea who is sleeping in the same room as you.

dmu

Thank you all for your replies, both positive and negative. I'm overwhelmed at the response.
Maybe I didn't put my question properly. I meant to ask whether any one out there was in the couch-surfing thing or knew some one in it. The people on the French forum are virtual friends and I'd feel easy recommending a friend's daugher to them for couch-surfing if the occasion arose. Otherwise the hosts are absolute strangers, which is a bit worrisome, to say the least, despite what Duncan Roberts says.
As it is, Claire did a lot of it in East Europe this Spring with friends and it worked out very well. But this was Europe and she wasn't alone. I just wanted to avoid the danger of her contacting a nutter (and maybe some of the BEs in the Forum are nutters after all, I'll certainly warn her to avoid Denver) and, in any case, I've meanwhile managed to persuade her to consider our paying for a students' hostel. Just keep your fingers crossed she doesn't share a dorm with a serial killer...
@ Ray, unfortunately she won't have a car, so can't consider a Motel.
Thanks once again for all your comments, I really appreciate them, even Irn-bru's.

Ray

Her movement is going to be very restricted then ...