Hostels vs. Couchsurfing in Barcelona - one was way cheaper but way weirder

I tried Couchsurfing for the first time last spring in Barcelona and honestly it was a toss-up against a hostel. The hostel was like 30 euros a night and I got a bunk bed with a locker no problem. But Couchsurfing was free and I stayed with a guy who made me watch his cat while he worked night shifts. I saved maybe 100 bucks over 5 days but I also had to clean litter boxes at 6 AM. Has anyone else done Couchsurfing and felt like you earned your free stay in weird ways?

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faithbaker4d ago

Wait, you had to catsit for a random dude you barely knew? That's way more than I ever dealt with. I did Couchsurfing in Berlin once and the guy made me come with him to a weird art opening where he was trying to sell his homemade kombucha. I ended up standing there for three hours talking to his sketchy friend about cryptocurrency. At least with a hostel you pay your 30 euros and nobody expects you to pet sit or network for their side hustle. The savings are nice but sometimes you really do earn every free night in ways you never saw coming.