Couchsurfing through a trip in Turkey?

[neu]

Hey folks,

I'm wondering if there's anyone here who did use couchsurfing throughout a trip (or stayed mostly at CS hosts). I'm thinking on exploring Turkey a bit this year for about 10-12 days (out of 16 days ride) and I'm considering doing it alone. I do have a rough plan, but I don't want to stress sticking to it and want to handle it flexible (I'll also have camping equipment with me, just in case). In the recent years I mostly end up touring alone for various reasons, but I hate talking to myself after a few days. So I'd be glad to meet locals to learn more about their country, culture, cusine and experience Turkey the way that differs from mainstream tourism. Of course it'd be great to meet local riders, too!

I was checking couchsurfing.org recently - this is a concept I've heard about, but never tried. Does anyone have first hand experience in this?

Any suggestions are welcome!

Ride safe!
Cheers, neu

[Tony LEE]

We have a lift to a young girl who was couch surfing through Turkey and she found it very difficult to get in with families or women, so that left a lot of young men, not all of them as pure of heart as they might have been.

Personally, we used couch surfing in Europe, and when we went to Morocco in our motorhome, we got quite a few offers when we weren't even looking for couches.

[AnTyx]

Yup, I've done it, both on moto trips and traveling in more regular ways.

It can be a great experience, or it can be a meh one. Most importantly, you can't rely on it. Some towns you'll have a selection of hosts, some towns you'll find a great one, sometimes there just won't be an active scene and you'll have to resort to hotels.

Obviously, being male helps a lot in terms of feeling safe. Being outgoing and having stories to tell also helps.

One thing that's very important about couchsurfing: it's not only about finding a place to stay. Most active couchsurfing locations have regular events, and it can be an excellent icebreaker to come to an event like that in a new town - you're meeting locals who have already self-selected for being interested in talking to travelers. Personally I find that much better than going to a random bar.

[neu]

I'm definitely not looking for this option to have a free spot and save money. I could totally go to Hotels, I have no problems with that, however, in that case I'd miss a very important aspect of why I'm traveling: meeting locals and learning about ther culture, life, views and close environent. In many cases I used AirBnB instead of Hotels also with mixed experience, but good or bad, it was an adventure

Checking on local events is actually a pretty good idea - however it has logistics aspect depending on where and what time of the day it's being held. I'll keep this in mind!

Thanks! neu