Home Basics of Couch Surfing How do I create a great profile?

How do I create a great profile?

Last updated on Nov 16, 2024

Tips for Filling Out Your Profile on Couchers.org

Your profile is your own personal introduction of yourself to other people in the community. Your profile is the first step in building trust with fellow couch surfers. A complete, detailed profile helps you connect with others and improves your chances of meaningful interactions. Here are some tips to get you started:

Why Is a Complete Profile Important?

  • Build Trust: If people can learn from your profile about who you are and what kind of person you are, it helps them feel more comfortable meeting with you for the first time.

  • Showcase Your Personality: Your profile is an opportunity to share who you are and what you’re looking for in your couch surfing experience.

  • Encourage Connections: Hosts and guests often look for shared interests, experiences, or goals when deciding whom to connect with.

Key Sections of Your Profile

  • About Me

  • My Home


Sections under the About Me tab

1. Who I am

  • Who are you? Who are you? Share a bit about yourself, like your personality and anything particularly interesting about you.

  • Why do you live where you do? Did you grow up there, move there permanently, or just passing through?

  • What makes you unique? You can include fun facts, interests, or what kind of traveler you are.

2. What I do in my free time

  • Do you have any hobbies? When or how often do you like to do them? With whom?

  • Are you into social activities? What do you like to do with your friends, guests, or hosts?

  • How do you like to start your day or relax and unwind at the end of a day?

  • What is your favorite art, books, movies, or music? Share them in this section.

3. Additional Information

  • Why are you on Couchers? Explain your reasons for being part of the platform.

  • What's your Role in the Community? Do you mostly host, surf, meet up, attend events, or do you do everything?

  • What's your schedule like? Don't share your detailed schedule, but mention when you usually have the most free time.

  • Any interesting travel experiences? Highlight some of your most memorable or unique travel experiences. Or if you have none, that's okay to say too!

Sections under the My Home tab

The My Home tab is mostly for people who host or meet up with people. Besides filling out your hosting preferences, don't forget to fill out the important sections mentioned below. Even if you don't host, it can still be good to fill out these sections, because the information can tell people a lot about who you are!

1. About my home

  • Do you live alone or with someone? If one of your housemates has a couchers profile or other couchsurfing profile, provide a link to it.

  • What is your living situation? It's especially good to explain if your situation is complicated.

  • What kind of place do you live in? An apartment, a house, a van down by the river, in a log cabin, or perhaps something else?

  • Any preferences regarding the length of stay? You don't have to mention this. However, some people mention if they only accept stays up to a maximum number of days (for example, someone might write, "I only accept stays of 3 days or less."

  • Is there anything guests should know about your amenities? Amenities should never be the focus, but mention relevant things like if you can't give guests internet or bathroom access.

  • Do you have any accessibility notes? It's good to mention if you live on the 8th floor and you have no elevator. If climbing is involved, mention the requirements here.

  • What is the parking situation like? You can go into more detail about the parking options (or lack thereof) in this section.

  • Is your building/property bike-friendly? Some people travel by bike and it is good to let them know what their options are for parking their bike or accessing your building via bike.

2. Local area information

  • What is your neighborhood like? You don't have to say the name of your neighborhood, but you can describe it. For example, is it more urban or rural, isolated or busy? Lots of shops?

  • How do people get around? Tell a bit about transportation options close to your home. Don't get into too much detail so as to give away your home address.

  • Public transit nearby? Here you can share information on how to get bus, tram, or train tickets and how much they cost. If you have no public transit nearby, mention that.

  • Any recommendations or warnings? This is a great place to share any warnings or recommendations relevant to the area you live in.

3. Sleeping arrangement

  • What kind of room will your guest sleep in? It's good to mention if they will sleep in a common room like a living room, a private room with no one else, or a room where someone else will also be sleeping.

  • What kind of sleeping surface is it? A big bed? Small bed? Couch? Air mattress? Floor space?

    • NOTE: For safety reasons, shared sleeping surfaces aren't allowed on Couchers.org. If you don't have a separate bed or sleeping surface for your guest to sleep alone, unfortunately you are not allowed to host on Couchers.org. However, you can still stay with people, meet up with people, or attend events!

4. House rules

  • Do you have any house rules? A common one is to take shoes off in the house.

  • Does your building or city have quiet hours? Mention them here.

  • Any special rules about waste disposal/recycling? Some cities have strict rules.

  • Do you have rules or requests regarding bathroom or kitchen usage?

5. Additional information

  • Want your guest to know anything else about your hosting situation?

  • Do you have any requests when it comes to people sending you requests? For example, "I prefer requests that are sent at least 1 week in advance, but no earlier than 1 month."

Additional Tips for a Great Profile

  1. Be Honest and Genuine: Write what truly represents you. Authenticity helps build meaningful connections.

  2. Use Positive Language: Show enthusiasm for meeting new people and sharing experiences.

  3. Check for Completeness: Review your profile to make sure you haven’t missed any key sections.

  4. Keep it Updated: Update your profile regularly. Especially if you move, travel, gain new housemates, gain new experiences, or change hosting availability.

Need more ideas?

If you’re unsure what to write, browse other profiles for inspiration or join a local Couchers event and ask for some tips! A completed profile not only benefits you, but also strengthens the entire couch surfing community.

Now that you have some ideas, go ahead and fill out your profile! It’s the first step toward amazing connections and unforgettable experiences!