Riccardo G.’s profile on CouchSurfing.com, the web site that partners intrepid wanderers with prepared hosts, records which he lives when you look at the “best community to head out and possess drinks,” that he delivers a “cozy/clean/nice sofa/couch” and that he’ll also allow you to bring your “small dog, in the event that you just can’t live without him.”
He defines himself as “amazing, outbound, funny, smart” and states their passions consist of buddies, eating, drinking, the gymnasium and puppies. Their pictures reveal the good-humored Latin american— that are native, handsome, and fit — in exotic locations across the world, from Cairo to Capri. Nowhere does the profile state clearly that if you should be an attractive feminine tourist, you could miss out the settee completely and end up in Riccardo’s sleep, but it’s an excellent possibility.
In eight months utilizing the ongoing solution, Riccardo, who’s 32 and works well with an advertising agency, has let eight site site visitors crash at their apartment, of whom he’s hooked up with five, for a 62 % “success rate.” Then fell asleep, the percentage climbs even higher if you count the additional two who climbed into bed with him for a cuddle and. (Riccardo as well as other Couchsurfing users quoted in this specific article asked become identified by pseudonyms.)
The crowdsourced hospitality site has been experiencing a rough patch lately on the business front. After having a controversial change up to a for-profit model in 2011, which brought $22 million in capital into the previous couple of years, growing problems have actually occur. In layoffs claimed an estimated 40 percent of the staff, and CEO Tony Espinoza announced his departure — giving an opening to competitors like BeWelcome and Hospitality Club october.
The experience of users like Riccardo might suggest another path to profitability although the company has initiated a doubling down on mobile.
I just have no idea of a simpler method for a man to obtain set with exotic feamales in exotic nations. Long live Couchsurfing!
Never mind OKCupid and Tinder. The nearly decade-old Couchsurfing, that will be for sale in 100,000 towns throughout the world, has become the go-to hookup app for a specific course of young globe tourists. Bloggers like Maverick Traveler shall help you spot the “8 indications of a 
Slutty CouchSurfer Girl” by decoding her profile, and advice that is female-centric YouQueen has also provided great tips on “How to Use CouchSurfing as being a Dating internet web Site to get Away along with it.” Meanwhile, a niche site called CouchBangs.com, which declares that “Couchsurfing is not simply for Couchsurfing,” offers a forum for proud couch-cuddlers to generally share their experiences via quick articles with titles like “French Girl in Istanbul” and “Brazilian Girl in brand brand New York.”
CouchSurfing’s Community instructions warn against contacting explicitly other people for dating, noting, “we will think about this harassment” — albeit without stipulating exactly what the penalties are for breaking this guideline. In a contact meeting, the site’s interim CEO Jen Billock told Business Insider that “members are . motivated to report other users that are abusing the website to the Trust and protection group, that will just just simply take appropriate action, in accordance with our policy, whenever Terms of good use violations are reported or seen.”
Possibly, but utilization of the web web web site to locate intimate lovers (a training understood in a few bro-friendly sectors as “cooch surfing”) is nevertheless quite routine.
“Get within my bed”
“All of my buddies, they love these stories,” Riccardo informs company Insider over beers in a peaceful club in Midtown Manhattan. “They call me personally the day that is next just exactly exactly what took place. I’m like, вЂYou understand, whatever, we sought out, had sex. ’ They’re like, вЂNo, no, no—tell me personally when she got here, where you went, do you kiss her, each and every detail.’”
We’d the questions that are same.
“My first Couchsurfing hookup occurred once I had been sticking with my pal in Miami,” Riccardo recalls. “ He has a studio and had been hosting two girls from France.” He slept for an air that is inflatable with one woman, while their buddy shared their sleep using the other. They didn’t get most of the method. “She had her period,” he describes. Months later on Riccardo got a telephone call through the exact same girl, asking if she could remain at their invest new york. This time around, it was made by them formal. “I never ever talked to her once more,I mean, we’re buddies on Facebook.” he admits, incorporating, “”
Couchsurfing came to be after a budget-conscious tourist known as Casey Fenton sent a mass request rooms in Iceland and received 50 invites from pupils with a free of charge extra futon. Fenton quickly recognized people all around the globe may well not mind sharing their additional area gratis while making brand new buddies along the way. Today, all the site’s 7 million people features an unique profile which checks out like your own ad, showcasing passions, places traveled, information regarding their rooms and, most significant, recommendations. This technique enables buddies you’ve made globally or locally to vouch you being a serial killer for you and the unlikelihood of. Users can request a settee, host a tourist, or find brand new buddies to get together with locally.
Riccardo agrees to host only female travelers and stipulates which they be more youthful than him. He takes them predicated on their attractiveness “of program,” but appearance is not the criterion that is only. “I’ve seen girls that are cute have boring images and I’m like, вЂYou look boring, sorry.’ By the end of this i’m going to spend three days with you day. I would like to have three times with someone i will talk to. Maybe perhaps Not someone simply empty.”
In Riccardo’s situation, it all begins with a ask for approval — from their pal in Miami. “I’m always sending him links like, вЂHey, do you would like this chick? Should we invite her?’” he says. “There’s more folks arriving at ny than Miami, therefore he’s constantly like, вЂYou bastard!’ Then he constantly asks to accomplish Facetime because he would like to see them.”