Looking for a couch?

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Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma04/08/2018 00:00
TW

In Majorca there are 5,804 users of the couchsurfing system. Started in 2004, there are now over 400,000 users worldwide. The word couch is somewhat symbolic; bed is usually more accurate. It is a free means of obtaining accommodation, and the 5,800 users in Majorca offer space in their homes to what are currently 300 people registered as looking for accommodation on the island, mainly in Palma. These users, in turn, can seek accommodation elsewhere.

The system is the essence of the original concept of homesharing, one without any payments being made. This predated the so-called sharing economy, typified by Airbnb, which was also based on a financial return. Homesharing is still part of the system. Registered users don't necessarily ever get to meet "hosts", because property owners are sharing someone else's home at the same time.

Hosts who are in residence might also offer some service, again free of charge, such as acting as a guide to the local area. In Majorca the profile of users is diverse. Most speak different languages, English in particular, and quite a number of the system's users are in fact foreign residents.

As for people wishing to come to Majorca at present and couchsurf, they are mainly from European countries.