Couch surfing is an amazing way to travel if your budget is incredibly tight, or you are an awesome people person and/or want to stay with a local where you are traveling.

How couch surfing works: people offer their couches and sometimes meals in a “pay-it-forward” way, in that they will most likely couch surf too, or they love having international guests, especially ones who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford such an adventure. www.couchsurfing.com is the biggest host site and certainly most reputable. There is a verification process and rating system similar to ebay to deter from the scary “craigslist ad” anonymity. You sign up for the site, where you can surf or host, or both. Then search for hosts in any location in the world. You have to submit a little info about yourself and trip, like why you are traveling and a short bio. This is for the host to get a sense of who you are. They are letting a stranger in their home, so detail it so they know you aren’t creepy…unless you are creepy, and then make sure that gets across so they don’t let you stay with them. Hosts ultimately have the final say in who they host, and for obvious reasons larger groups may have a much harder time finding an accommodation.

I haven’t personally couch surfed before, but I’ve met MANY over my travels who have and had nothing but good things to say. As with anything make sure you are comfortable and get good vibes from the host, and be respectful of their homes. They aren’t your maid and they are inviting you into their space to share their life and culture with you. So do your dishes and don’t be an asshole.