That sounds good on paper, but in a country like ours, where ‘travel for travel’s sake’ still remain an exception rather than a norm, couch surfing comes with several string attached.

Many young Indian couch surfing especially women, claim that they have come across instances where they have got requests from Indian couch surfers, which seemed almost like an invitation to go out on a date.

Twenty-three year old Parachi Srivastava, a media professional living in south Delhi says, “I know couch surfing is a beautiful concept but am not sure whether Indians are ready yet. I have been a member of this community for over a year now and I see a huge difference in the way a traveler from abroad and one from India approaches you.” She goes on to example, “I have hosted a couple from Italy and a single guy from Austria and in both the cases, the experience has been wonderful. They were interested about Delhi, its surrounding, its people and its culture and nothing more. But whenever I have got couch requests from Indians, it was clear that all they wanted was to ask me out. Sometimes, people who live in Noida or Gurgaon will requests a couch or will ask to meet up for coffee, saying they want to know more about Delhi! How lame is that?

One of the strange requests Prachi got reads something like this: “Hey! Just came across your profile. I am looking for genuine, trust-worthy, casual friendship, with on strings attached and where we both can have fun. Btw, I am 30, separated living in Noida.”

While such requests are not uncommon for Indian couch surfers, youngsters say that it’s unfair to paint all Indians with the same brush. In fact, many feel that couch surfing can be means to meet someone you like. Of course they add that it should not be the only objective for getting onto the platform. Abhishek Dutta a hotel management graduate says, “ if you can get to meet some interesting people while traveling around, what’s the harm? Yes, there are some creepy people out there, but you can’t blame all Indian (men) for that. In a society like ours even today, it’s difficult to meet new people especially those from the opposite gender and interact with them freely. If through this platform , you come across like-minded people with whom you want to bond as well as travel, I don’t see any harm.

But the question remains that at a time when there are several networking and dating sites, why should youngsters look at a hospitality platform like couch surfing for this purpose? Social commentators Santosh Desai provides a reason. “Today even though there are many networking and dating sites they offer very limited scope for interaction. Usually on such dates, you go out to a café or a restaurant and the interaction is brief when it comes to staying as a couch surfers at someone’s place or even of you are getting to meet someone who will show you around the city, the level of involvement is much more. So maybe this is what is attractive for youngsters living in a society where they still face several constraints in interacting with someone from the opposite gender.”

Hardcore travel enthusiasts mean while ring the warning bell, saying that couch surfing is not a medium for dating. Swarnab Saha an active couch surfer for over five years, who recently shifted to Bangalore from New Delhi says, “ I have been a member of couch surfing for a long time and have met many people both from India and abroad , who are genuinely interested in traveling and are fascinated by the cultural integration that couch surfing offers. If you happen to meet someone while traveling with whom you would like to develop a relationship, it’s a different matter but it’s wrong to see it as a dating site. Couch surfing is for travel and travel alone.