First of all, if you are in any immediate risk, get yourself to a safe place. Contact the local authorities or your embassy so that people who are nearby and trained in these situations can help you.
Negative experiences are rare, and very few of those experiences are related to personal safety, but they can still be upsetting and stressful. If you would like help related to your experience, we encourage you to contact us.
We recommend that you reflect on your experience. Frequently, a difference in culture or personality can be a contributing factor to the disagreement. A breakdown in communication could have led to the dispute.
If the problem arose from a misunderstanding, the key is to communicate. The other member may not be aware of how you feel or they may not understand your point of view until you directly discuss the issue and express your feelings clearly.
If you are still unable to resolve the issue after an open discussion, the best course of action is to remove yourself from the situation. If you are hosting or surfing with the other person, you always have the right to end the interaction by asking your surfer to leave or by leaving if you yourself are the surfer.
After your interaction and only if you feel comfortable doing so, we recommend that you leave a reference describing your experience with that member. An honest account of your experience with that member will allow other Couchsurfers to make informed decisions for themselves about whether they want to meet or travel with that member.
Comments