Stay in London for Free
By Joshua Neil
For those without the money or the option to own a house in London, either renting or buying, there are a number of alternatives available which can cut out the cost of living in the capital while providing a roof over your head and a safe place to stay for a night, a week or even a month. One of these is couch surfing, the practice of moving from couch to couch throughout the city, staying in other peoples’ homes at their convenience.
#1 How Do I Get Involved?
The best and easiest way to start couch surfing is by going to Couchsurfing.com, a site that makes the whole process incredibly simple and efficient- just log on to the site, register an account and begin! You can create a profile to list your needs, abilities and talents for others to see and better understand you by, and then begin to search for hosts in your target city, looking around for the right person with the right room for you. Once found, send them a message and go from there. It’s that easy.
Become a Couch Surfer Here
Free Accommodation Everywhere- Couchsurfing.com
#2 What Do I Do?
Once there- anything you want! While it is recommended to help out those who are hosting you- either by doing any household chores to show your gratitude, or by helping them learn a new language or skill, and in couchsurfing.com’s own words, ‘making the world a smaller and friendlier place’. But as a general rule, once at the house you are free to do as you wish- if only everything in London were quite so cheap.
Connecting with Travellers Around the World
#3 What Else Should I Know?
Registration is free of charge, but you can get your profile verified for £13/year which will give you better chances find more hosts more quickly and build trust with the rest Couchsurfers. Another great thing about couchsurfing.com is that it holds regular events in most cities, allowing both new and regular couch surfers to meet up, either with hosts or each other, and discuss couch surfing at length. This should allow most to feel more comfortable with the idea, and learn new tips and practices to ensure their experience couch surfing is the best possible.
Meet Others at Couch Surfing Events
While couch surfing is one of the easiest and best ways of getting free accommodation in London, it does come with some responsibilities: being kind, considerate and attentive to your host is a must to ensure that word spreads and you may continue to find places to stay in London for free. All in all, there are few better ways to stay in the capital when you’re out of money, and the chance to meet new people and experience new ways of life only makes it better.
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You may want to have a look at our Room Search Tips and Advice.
