“CouchSurfing is about regaining trust in the world. At a time when everybody lives in fear of the other, it shows that there are good people everywhere who are willing to share their home, stories, feelings and lives,” says Spyro Manson, a ‘nomadic ambassador’ for the site in Vienna.
Idealism apart, the site does have a referral and verification system to sift people who could misuse the network. For verification, you have to pay a small amount to the site through your credit card. Using this information, it checks if the name and address you have provided is correct. When you travel, you get to rate the host and vice versa. This rating then helps other travelers decide who they want to stay with. The site also has a network of local ambassadors, people who are most active on the site and know their areas well.

“But there are security issues,” says Dipayan Sen, a CouchSurfer from Mumbai. “Some people have different intentions,” he adds. “If any body complains to us about any misdemeanour, we contact the local ambassadors and the international administration and delete the profile of the person responsible.”
As she lounges in the south Delhi home of her CouchSurfer buddy Nilima (name changed), New Zealander Clare O’Rourke is eager to tell you how the website salvaged her trip. “I wanted to experience what the tourists did in Delhi. Sure enough I landed at Paharganj. But the tourists never spoke to each other; there was just no interaction.” Even the sites mentioned in the guidebook didn’t match up to the Indian experience O’Rourke was looking for. She went online and got in touch with the local CouchSurfing community—and found her friends. “I never expected to get such a welcome. If it hadn’t been for CouchSurfing, I would probably have left India the next day.”

... contd.