Same as what @DasKapitalist said, it used to be an amazing way to travel and save money on lodging. It was crazy cheap, and people took a lot of pride in making their spaces nice, often left out complimentary treats and bottles of wine, etc. That was back when people were doing it for a little extra money, before people figured out they could make $$$ money by cutting corners and doing it as a full time job. And perverts figured out they could hide cameras everywhere to watch people get naked and have sex.