Anything like couchsurfing.org for grad students attending conferences?

[theregalrenegade]

Anyone have any recommendations for organizations or groups that help students find inexpensive accommodations and like-minded people while traveling for conferences?

I'll be attending a conference at Reading University outside of London in early July and would like to find a decent place to stay while exploring with locals.

Couchsurfing.org looks promising, but I thought I'd see if anyone here knows of similar organizations that cater specifically to students.

[once]

I've had pretty good luck with staying in hostels while traveling for conferences/research. When I was traveling last fall most of the places I stayed were really laid back and full of people attending auditions for a nearby conservatory or taking a year off- not huge party people, and you can't beat the price (usually something like $30/night, a bit higher on weekends).

[jeenyus]

Anyone have any recommendations for organizations or groups that help students find inexpensive accommodations and like-minded people while traveling for conferences?

I'll be attending a conference at Reading University outside of London in early July and would like to find a decent place to stay while exploring with locals.

Couchsurfing.org looks promising, but I thought I'd see if anyone here knows of similar organizations that cater specifically to students.

For one of the conferences I attended, I was offered a place to stay in their residence. For another (and some people might find this odd), there was the option of staying with current grad students who offered to host visiting attendees. Both solutions are were easy on the wallet but I chose to book a hotel for the second one though (I am a very private person and would be uncomfortable staying in a stranger's home).

Could you contact the organizers or local grad students to see if they have any suggestions? Usually organizers are more than happy to help you figure out accommodation.

Edited February 13, 2012 by jeenyus

[rising_star]

I second the recommendation to see if current grad students are housing people. Contacting the conference organizers may yield other low cost options as well.

[InquilineKea]

Reddit could also be used for this. I've had several people offer to host me - just post a couchsurfing request on the school's subreddit. I've had several people offer to host me on the subreddits, but the one thing with Reddit is that there is no "trust system" so a lot of people are REALLY flaky and might decide against hosting you at the last moment (which happened to me twice).

I did find a Yale grad student to couchsurf with for several days from couchsurfing.org and that worked out pretty well.

[stilnovista]

I don't know if this is particular to my undergrad institution, but I used an online alumna network to find someone to stay with for a conference in DC. There's actually a formal system, where the alumna checks off a box that indicates she's willing to have other alumna stay with her. Again, not sure how common this is, but you might want to check it out.

[user_name]

i can put people up for conferences in richmond until i leave for school.

[kyjin]

Seconding hostels- they're generally cheap ($30ish a night) and have all you need: a shower, a bed, and wi-fi (usually.) I've done that twice for conferences, once in Banff (which is a flipping fortune anywhere else), and just this past weekend in Toronto. Obviously they can be hit or miss, but I've had fairly good experiences so far.

[theregalrenegade]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I appreciate all the advice

[InquilineKea]

Hm, some time ago I sent 6 couchsurfing requests in Providence, and all but 2 got ignored (and they were ignored by people who had supposedly 100% response rates and open couches too).

I don't have much of a profile yet, but it seems that other grad students and people who live in co-ops are most likely to reply to my requests. Especially if they say that they don't have much time during the day.

Does anyone else have any experiences to share?

Edited April 16, 2012 by InquilineKea

[fuzzylogician]

You don't have much of an account and you don't host others, and you're confused as to why your own requests are being ignored?

I usually host grad students for conferences in my area, and get hosted by others when I travel (just had people host me for two different conferences this month). Try contacting the conference organizers about crash space. I think it's more likely to succeed that staying with random people.

[InquilineKea]

Well, I wouldn't be surprised that they're ignoring my requests per se. What I'm surprised by is that they have 100% response rates, and that even when they *don't* reply to my requests, that their response rates don't go down even in spite of that..

Good idea about contacting the organizers about crash space - that is something that should be done at first. But the problem is that they generally encourage you to go to their hotels at their specially-discounted rates, which are usually huge ripoffs even after the "special discounts".

[TakeruK]

I believe that when your supervisor/research group/school sends you to a conference, you are on a working trip. You are taking time away from your life and it's different than regularly working at your school (you may have to rearrange a lot of things, child- or pet- care being one example, but even other things like getting a contractor to come fix something, or recreational or volunteer commitments). Also, you are doing your supervisor/department/school a service by presenting your work -- you are getting them the "name brand recognition", so to speak. Sure, you also greatly benefit from this work experience, but you also benefit from your RA and TAships yet you are still paid for that.

Since it's work, whenever I go to a conference, I think my necessary expenses should be fully compensated by your supervisor/department/school. Although my expenses while traveling would be more than it would cost if I had stayed home (e.g. meals), I feel it is justified for the inconvenience reasons listed above. I try to be reasonable though -- I won't spend $50+ on a meal, but I don't think my supervisor expects me to live on fast food to save money either. I definitely pay for alcohol and other frivolous things out of my own pocket though. And for air/bus/rail travel, I price things out in advance and search for the best prices, as if it were my own money. I always apply for every travel grant possible from the government, conference organizer, department, school, etc. to help my supervisor out. I'm not wasteful, but I'm not going to pay out of pocket for work.

So, when it comes to a place to stay, I always choose the hotel suggested by the conference because there is a special rate. In my experience, these are not rip-offs (except for a meeting happening next month at a ski lodge) -- most of the time the cost is about 100-120 per night for a room that normally costs 160+ per night. In addition, I try to share a room with someone I know as often as possible (so far I have found a roommate every time). The suggested hotel is also usually where the conference is held, or is across the street or something similar. This allows you to spend more time actually attending the conference events, meeting people, etc. And again, on the convenience/comfort thing, it would be less ideal to stay at a stranger's place, or at a cheap place where you need rides every day.

But since this thread exists, it seems like there are many instances where the student is expected to pay their own way to a conference? Are these conferences that their supervisors aren't willing to fund but the student feels it's in their own best interests to do so? Or is it uncommon for supervisors to pay for their students to attend conferences outside of the sciences?

Or maybe some students prefer staying with a local and getting to know the area better? I just wrote this post thinking that people are looking for inexpensive places because they are expected to pay out of pocket but now I'm thinking that assumption could be wrong...but I'll post it anyways

There was one conference that I had wanted to attend but I would need to secure funding from two sources. I suggested that I could cover a bit of the costs myself since I thought the conference would really help me improve my abilities and my supervisor advised me to never ever do that (saying that he made that mistake in the past) because I would be taken advantage of. In the end, I was fully funded from both profs, so it worked out

[theregalrenegade]

@TakeruK - I agree with you 100% in considering a conference a "work trip," where necessary expenses should be covered by the department, school, etc. However, Nevada has experienced some of the worst education budget cuts in the country and it is tough to get any type of funding at my school, period. The humanities have suffered tremendously. There just isn't enough money to go around. Thus, the competition is insane for grants of all sorts. I was able to secure funding from my department and my school's graduate student association to cover airfare and that's it. And I consider myself lucky to have gotten that. Sad, but true.

[TakeruK]

I'm sorry to hear that, trr =( That makes things really tough. It would be really tough to balance the thought that students should not have to pay their own way for research/work related things with the fact that we really need to be doing these kinds of activities to further our own careers.

And while it's true that everyone should be prepared to take a hit when it's that bad all around, this is effectively taking a "pay cut", which is always easier to give up than to take back, even when things get good again (if ever!).

And not to mention this creates a barrier for those who don't have the personal income to attend conferences out of pocket!

Best of luck to you though, in finding a way to get this great opportunity without breaking your bank account! Hope you find a place =)

[Usmivka]

I've had very good experiences couchsurfing conferences. I think I'm at 4-5 now (and about 20 non-conference related surfs/ 30 hostings), the rest I've had department funding for (as opposed to lab funding, which I try to preserve). I actually think couchsurfing is a much better experience because I like being a tourist wherever I go, and the whole point of couchsurfing is that the hosts know and love their city and can help you experience it the way they do.

There is also an unspoken rule that you don't use couchsurfing for business trips. If you come off as just wanting a place to sleep, you will nearly always be rejected or ignored outright. After a couple of less than great experiences with folks in town for conferences, I've mostly stopped hosting conference goers.

However, if you are honest about what you are there for but also make a point that you want to explore the city and meet interesting people, you will often get a positive response (assuming you have a reference from your local CS group, have hosted and don't only stay with others in the system, etc.). A lot of being hosted/hosting is about the fit with the other folks and mutual interests, so having more than a skeleton profile makes a big difference.

I'd check out the CS forum to find out how to make yourself out to be someone worth hosting rather than a moocher, and attend your city's annual CS meet and greet. Also remember, CSing is not free! Someone is putting you up, so you should plan on treating them to a dinner or getting them a small gift. At this cost to you, if all you want is a bed, a hostel is a better choice.

That said, for counterpoint to the positives I read above, many of my hostel experiences have been distinctly negative. More expensive than they should be for the amenities offered (might as well camp), overcrowded, and waking up at all hours of the night when someone else is coming in drunk or leaving for an early bus/flight. It is hard to get much out of a conference if you are falling asleep on your feet and smell of someone else's booze. If you splurge for a private or double room, the price hits the point where you can often find equivalent deals at a cheap motel (or even a nice last minute room at a hotel) on priceline or a similar online travel broker.

Good luck!

PS Many conferences have student travel scholarships, and room-sharing e-mail lists. If you share the room with another rgad student you'll get to meet someone interesting in your field, and keep the price down.

Edited May 22, 2012 by Usmivka