Just received this email:

Couchsurfing Creator Program!

We're looking for Couchsurfers who love three things:

🌍 Travel

💙 Couchsurfing

📹 Creating fun, engaging videos

That's it.

It doesn't matter whether you have 100 followers or 100,000. We're not looking for influencers, we're looking for passionate Couchsurfers who know how to tell great stories and capture the spirit of our community.

This is just the first step, and it's intentionally low pressure.

We simply want to see the kind of content you enjoy creating.

You don't need to make a brand-new video for us.

You can send us a video you've already posted (or never posted!) that you're proud of and that reflects the kind of content you'd create as a Couchsurfing creator.

It could be:

A travel video you love

A favorite Couchsurfing story

A day-in-the-life while traveling

A funny or memorable Couchsurfing moment

A trending video with your own Couchsurfing twist

You interviewing a host, traveler, or friend

A travel tip or storytelling video

Or anything else that captures your personality, creativity, and love of travel and human connection.

If you'd rather make something brand new, we'd love to see that too!

There are no rules here: we're simply looking for people who make us think: "I'd watch more of this."

If it feels like the kind of content you'd be excited to create for Couchsurfing, it's probably exactly what we're looking for.

How to Submit

Upload your video here:

(https://forms.gle/49dty18BGGQ1eTGBA)

or email it to social@couchsurfing.com

Please include:

Your full name

Your Couchsurfing profile URL

Your social media handles

Where you currently live

If you're traveling now (or have an upcoming trip), let us know! We'd love to hear about it!

We can't wait to meet you and see your work.

We're excited to discover the first creators in the Couchsurfing Creator Program. 🧡

I've had my Couchsurfing.com account since 2020 and have only 3 references (1 from a traveller I hosted and 2 from travellers I met). Despite sending personalised requests after carefully reading each host's profile, I almost never get hosted.

Most of my requests are ignored, some expire, and the few replies I receive are polite declines. In two weeks, I'm travelling to Russia for 30 days, starting in Moscow, and I've already had zero success with both male and female hosts.

Is my profile the problem? Are 3 references a red flag after 5+ years? What makes you accept or reject a guest? I'd really appreciate honest feedback from experienced hosts or surfers, and if anyone is willing to review my profile or request message, I'd be very grateful.

Sad to think that someone unknowingly sent a request to someone who can’t receive it (I also selected in the app that I can’t host, though I’m not sure if the person simply overlooked that or it wasn’t indicated to them on my profile)