A wide angle is totally the best @datych! I miss all the colour on the streets and the inexpensive food including exotic fruits, sweet treats, coffee and freshly squeezed juices. I miss especially the genuine smiles of the locals regardless whether you speak their language and can maintain a proper conversation.
I would be grateful for having travelers in St.P. at least just to go out together to feel the vibes. These days, couchsurfing.org asks a fee (because of covid, they say) but I doubt too many backpackers in the city. :(
London’s getting some international travellers right now. Now sure for how long though cause Covid related restrictions are expected to follow 🤔 I got this notification from Couchsurfing too and I thought that’s cheeky..@datych It’s the very opposite of the whole concept..It used to be a great way to meet like minded people and crash at somebody’s place if you need to! I myself couchsurfed several times in England 🏴 (Bristol and Manchester) and abroad: Argentina 🇦🇷 and Slovenia 🇸🇮
Yes, I had many guests and meetings through CS. And I surfed once but for a long while. There are some alternatives like trustroots.org and maybe some other... But this is not the proper time to grow a web travelling community. And the biggest one is paid ... a bloody awesome time.
CS has this on its homepage: "Due to the impact of Covid-19, we need your immediate help to keep Couchsurfing alive". And my answer is: "Due to the impact of Covid-19, I am saying CS f*ck off and burn in hell".
Where did you couchsurf for a long time @datych? If you don’t mind me asking of course 💁♀️
It’s really annoying nowadays how when you don’t get the service you booked or you’re charged more their usual response is that it’s all due to COVID. You can complain but it won’t make a difference really. So many things became not available due to shortage of staff. Why being understaffed? Cause many companies sacked half the employees when the pandemic hit while the government was even paying their salaries..
Long time CS -- It was in Cambodia in 2019, at a place of a Lithuanian guy. There were 20+ people at that apartment, come and go ...come and go. It was just great. And, again, I miss Phnom Penh ...my walks to the Central Market, shopping there, egg, veggies ... ...cooking fried rice with tofu and other stuff ...
And the community at the apartment.
I like travellers because they are a special kind of people at a special time of their lives. All races and ages, everybody is open-minded, nobody judges you, everybody feels a character of the greatest novel in their life... I don't need to be somewhere, I can be just in St.P. and meet people like that but ... alas.
Covid -- Sometimes, they have real reasons to charge more. But often they just use covid as an excuse. Let's hope this is the last, not just greed.
Anyway, asking for money hasn't brought them popularity I guess. Firstly, nobody likes it and, secondly, I don't want to pay when almost zero travelers in the city. There are too many cities in the world sharing the same destiny and too many people don't travel these days so probably there are not many people on CS.
I feel actually this is just the apogee. CS followed this path before covid too. It is even described on wiki:
Development of the website by volunteers (2006–2011)
And I would add number 3: 3) Change to a panhandler strategy in 2020
I am sure there are explanations and I don't blame (but it won't stop me from complaining and mocking 😈). But probably CS will lose its dominance and its place will be taken by other websites when travelling arises again.
I picture your stay at the apartment @datych in Phnom Penh surrounded by a vibrant community! That sounds like the perfect travel experience meeting people from all walks of life.
CS will never be the same again. CS shouldn’t be asking payments cause it contradicts the entire concept. COVID’s COVID. Full stop. It shouldn’t get worse for us after the pandemic. It should remain all the same even if some companies lose something. There should be more focus on well-being and that’s exactly what CS is to some of us.
I sometimes took photos from the back of a motortaxi in Asia. A wide angle is the best for showing the ride .... Miss it ... )
A wide angle is totally the best @datych! I miss all the colour on the streets and the inexpensive food including exotic fruits, sweet treats, coffee and freshly squeezed juices. I miss especially the genuine smiles of the locals regardless whether you speak their language and can maintain a proper conversation.
I would be grateful for having travelers in St.P. at least just to go out together to feel the vibes. These days, couchsurfing.org asks a fee (because of covid, they say) but I doubt too many backpackers in the city. :(
London’s getting some international travellers right now. Now sure for how long though cause Covid related restrictions are expected to follow 🤔 I got this notification from Couchsurfing too and I thought that’s cheeky..@datych It’s the very opposite of the whole concept..It used to be a great way to meet like minded people and crash at somebody’s place if you need to! I myself couchsurfed several times in England 🏴 (Bristol and Manchester) and abroad: Argentina 🇦🇷 and Slovenia 🇸🇮
Yes, I had many guests and meetings through CS. And I surfed once but for a long while. There are some alternatives like trustroots.org and maybe some other... But this is not the proper time to grow a web travelling community. And the biggest one is paid ... a bloody awesome time.
CS has this on its homepage: "Due to the impact of Covid-19, we need your immediate help to keep Couchsurfing alive". And my answer is: "Due to the impact of Covid-19, I am saying CS f*ck off and burn in hell".
Where did you couchsurf for a long time @datych? If you don’t mind me asking of course 💁♀️
It’s really annoying nowadays how when you don’t get the service you booked or you’re charged more their usual response is that it’s all due to COVID. You can complain but it won’t make a difference really. So many things became not available due to shortage of staff. Why being understaffed? Cause many companies sacked half the employees when the pandemic hit while the government was even paying their salaries..
Long time CS -- It was in Cambodia in 2019, at a place of a Lithuanian guy. There were 20+ people at that apartment, come and go ...come and go. It was just great. And, again, I miss Phnom Penh ...my walks to the Central Market, shopping there, egg, veggies ... ...cooking fried rice with tofu and other stuff ...
And the community at the apartment.
I like travellers because they are a special kind of people at a special time of their lives. All races and ages, everybody is open-minded, nobody judges you, everybody feels a character of the greatest novel in their life... I don't need to be somewhere, I can be just in St.P. and meet people like that but ... alas.
Covid -- Sometimes, they have real reasons to charge more. But often they just use covid as an excuse. Let's hope this is the last, not just greed.
Anyway, asking for money hasn't brought them popularity I guess. Firstly, nobody likes it and, secondly, I don't want to pay when almost zero travelers in the city. There are too many cities in the world sharing the same destiny and too many people don't travel these days so probably there are not many people on CS.
I feel actually this is just the apogee. CS followed this path before covid too. It is even described on wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CouchSurfing#History
And I would add number 3: 3) Change to a panhandler strategy in 2020
I am sure there are explanations and I don't blame (but it won't stop me from complaining and mocking 😈). But probably CS will lose its dominance and its place will be taken by other websites when travelling arises again.
I picture your stay at the apartment @datych in Phnom Penh surrounded by a vibrant community! That sounds like the perfect travel experience meeting people from all walks of life.
CS will never be the same again. CS shouldn’t be asking payments cause it contradicts the entire concept. COVID’s COVID. Full stop. It shouldn’t get worse for us after the pandemic. It should remain all the same even if some companies lose something. There should be more focus on well-being and that’s exactly what CS is to some of us.
🙏