Would You Room With a Stranger?

Jeanne Marie Hoffman July 17, 2013 Hotels Leave a comment

Stephanie Rosenbloom of the NY Times outlined multiple ways you can use social media to save on vacations.

One of these sites, EasyNest makes me more feel more un-easy than at ease.

EASYNEST You know the drill: you want to stay in an upscale hotel but you’re traveling on your own and simply can’t afford it. Enter Easynest. This new Web site aims to help like-minded adventurers meet and split the cost of a hotel room

The general concept of this started setting off alarm bells for me immediately. Meeting a stranger online and sharing a room? That just sounds dangerous.

The reason why hostels have felt safe to me in the past is because of the sheer amount of people staying together (and even then–watch your possessions!) but splitting a room with a complete stranger just sets off creepy-danger vibes for me.

The other site she mentions sounds better, but I’m still not sure I would partake:

FRIENDS OF FRIENDS TRAVEL A nascent social network for travelers around 18 to 35, this site allows members to share accommodations, luggage lockers, travel tips or a cup of coffee in a foreign city with friends and friends of friends.

What do you think? Am I paranoid? Would you stay with a stranger?

http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/travel/making-travel-connections-online.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0