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Comment by tptacek | Hacker News Reader

I find Airbnb tremendously valuable as well (Airbnb is probably hooking me up in London early next week, after I finish spending this week in a Scottish house I also rented through an online service). And I'm sort of addicted to Uber as well.

That doesn't make either of those services any less fraught. They can be incredibly valuable to me and a net negative for the communities they operate in. Not everything that makes me happy is good for society.

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> They can be incredibly valuable to me and a net negative for the communities they operate in.

That is at least as true of government as it is of companies that bend or break regulations.

Curious: why choose to pay instead of using a free service like couchsurfing.org?

I wouldn't call CS a "free service". It's supposed to be more of a community. It's great for meeting people and learning their way of life, but if I travel on business or when I know I won't have much time to spend with the host, I find alternative accommodation.

There's four of us traveling together. We're not looking for spare rooms. :)

Personally, I prefer paying (cash), because it changes the nature of the situation. As a free guest, you are - or can be - expected to participate in the hosts' events, such as meals, touring the city, etc. That may be great, and I might still want to do it, but I'd rather keep my options open in case I don't get along with them or I have different plans.

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