- published: 26 Mar 2015
- views: 39121
CouchSurfing International Inc. is a corporation based in San Francisco that offers its users hospitality exchange and social networking services. With more than 4 million profiles in 246 countries and territories, CouchSurfing has an Alexa Traffic Rank of about 1,700.
Couchsurfing is a neologism referring to the practice of moving from one friend's house to another, sleeping in whatever spare space is available, floor or couch, generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house.
The mission statement of CouchSurfing is:
At CouchSurfing International, we envision a world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter. Building meaningful connections across cultures enables us to respond to diversity with curiosity, appreciation and respect. The appreciation of diversity spreads tolerance and creates a global community.
Free to register, members have the option of providing information and pictures of themselves and of the accommodation they offer, if any. More information provided by a member, and other members, improves the chances that someone will find the member trustworthy enough to be his host or guest. Security is often measured in the reference established by networking. Volunteers may verify names and mailing addresses. Members looking for accommodation can search for hosts using several parameters such as age, location, gender and activity level.