Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[starlagurl]

Here's a great article about ways that you can thank people who have put you up for a night (or two) while you are traveling.

I think the one that I appreciate the most is the idea about chores. Whenever one of my couchsurfers does chores, I am soooooo relieved and also very impressed at their stamina. They are out all day touring around, and THEN they come back and wash my dishes! That's amazing...

What impresses you the most? What have you done to impress your host?

[peacefrog]

Haha, I did Mousse au Chocolat a few times, my hosts wrote it in the references they left about me, and there I was: I could ask any girl to couchsurf and she would say YES!

Seriously, I definitely do the cooking, first because I like it, second because people like having their meal prepared for them, third because the time you spend in the kitchen is one of the most social I know of.
I always do the dishwashing, never the drying...
I take pictures and then send them. Ouch, on that subject, I have a huge pile I got printed that I need to send out!
It also happens that being a total stranger, you can have very personal discussions with people, but that does not count as repaying a favour.

And, being French, I usually just have to try find a good bottle of wine to treat my hosts.
In the end, it happened more than once that it cost me more to buy stuff and treat my hosts than if I had stayed in a hostel. But it was money wisely spent, I can assure.

[starlagurl]

Chocolat au Mousse like this??? http://www.france-property-and-information...at-recipe-1.htm

That does look delicious, and pretty easy to prepare...

Aw, you sound like a very nice guest... I should do more things for my hosts, thanks for being inspiring, aw...

[peacefrog]

Chocolat au Mousse like this??? http://www.france-property-and-information...at-recipe-1.htm

That does look delicious, and pretty easy to prepare...

Yes indeed!

[ScottWoz]

I'm the same as Peace. It's probably cost me more as a surfer than it would have done as a host but it's all been worth it, and that's the same for whatever situation I end up in, not just through couchsurfing, it's the way I roll.

I wasn't able to cook for my last host in WA so I bought a book we'd been discussing the night before and left it in his kitchen for when he returned. He was over the moon..

[starlagurl]

Ohhhhhhhh, those are the best gifts, the thoughtful ones....awwww...

My last couchsurfer just left me a little calendar with photos of his time working in Tanzania in it, that was nice.

Sometimes just a really nice note is nice too, aw it just gives me the warm fuzzies every time...

[happysheep]

I've been hosting through Couch Surfing and also Hospitality Club and Global Free Loaders, and I've found that people vary in how they behave.

I am now asking people who stay with me to help out around the house or garden for two hours, because I had some people who were pretty much 'free-loaders' and I found it was all giving on my part, and nothing coming back.

This was disappointing, because I know when I stay with people I help out as much as I can and usually leave a nice gift.

Two people who stayed with me recently were planning their trip based on free places where they could stay. They even went out of their way to stay at CS places - even though one of them had enough money to fork out US$60 at a brothel!

[starlagurl]

A brothel! Oh my...

Yeah, I know what you mean by people only taking and not giving, etc. etc. but I like the chaos that comes with random people arriving and leaving in my house all the time. I don't know, I'm weird.

Most of my guests leave nice gifts though, usually wine or cookies or something, it's a good time.

[corinneconley]

my friend brought his couch surfers to his birthday party this weekend, they got him a hamburger wallet. he loved it!

[greekcypriot]

Once or twice I left an envelope with money under the pillow the last day I leave together with a nice thanking card.
(I try not giving all the gift I take with me the first day and give them out the proper timing),

[cheli]

I'm a big fan of cooking and doing chores (dishes are same the world over!) and if I think of something personal and can buy it in time I'll get an individual present or even a box of chocolates at the end to say thank you. Recently we stayed with a guy in Lisbon and left 'thank you' written in match sticks on the bench, he was stoked

[findingnine]

Hmm, this gifting keeps coming up eh?
Not sure that's my style...feeling obliged anyways.
I definitely do thank my hosts though. I just try to be sincere.
Trying to be a better guest has helped me become more flexible which is form of thanks too no?
Plus, unless there is some reason not to, I generally thank them publicly in the form of feedback making it as specific as short blub allows.
And of course I often send follow up messages.
Oh, and sometimes I ply them with alcohol.

[nogteva]

I have hosted and I was really glad to be given some national gift)) it was great) I also think that national food from guests is nice way to say thank you) Or just story about how other nation live))I always listen it with pleasure) Don't think money is nice way to thank your host. At least in Russia if host don't ask it will be uncorrect to give money. You know he did it because his soul was open (it's too Russian))) and you give money....not a way. really)

[greekcypriot]

On a recent trip I had in a foreign country I had taken along with me several small or bigger gifts and I used to give them to my friends depending on the moment. I had taken gifts for all members of the family, and I left gifts even the last day I was leaving.
Of course all depends on the hospitality, but local gifts I know they are surely appreciated.