What ?
Couchsurfing is an international network aimed at the development of of the travelers community through systemizing the free stay of travelers at host countries. Basically, it units travelers worldwide into a social network in which members would either « couch » others or seek to be « couched » by others.
It puts some organization and regulations to the online communities of travelers : those who offer the lodging mustn’t expect to be paid, and visitors are not expected to offer lodging to their hosts, in particular, in turn. It is a non-profitable website for non- profitable purposes.
How ?
It rather follows the system of rating. Couchsurfing allows surfers to get into contact with over two millions traveler across the world, and so chances to make friends with many of them becomes very easy. When a surfer gets positive references by hosts (and vice versa), he/she is more likely to be hosted by others, and even at best cases be taken in charge by them for the visa obtention process.
The basic idea is that the more the sufer travels, the more their chances to access other countries are possible : when the surfer’s passport reflects that he is an active traveler, visa obtention is no longer an issue. The travelers communities around the world are gaining more and more attention, Visa and other companies have tended to both encourage the community of travelers and to advertize for their benefits.
Nidhal Chemkhi