CouchSurfing ROCKS!!
***An excerpt from a Journey Report posted on my website (SeizeTheJourney.com) explaining CouchSurfing :
In yesterday’s report I mentioned I would be utilizing another option for accommodations (aside from camping and hotels) during this 7 week journey to the East Coast. Well, it’s called “CouchSurfing” and it’s something I’ve been involved with for the last few months while I’ve been in Phoenix. The “official” description (from the CouchSurfing.com website) is: “CouchSurfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit. CouchSurfing is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it’s about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!“
My girlfriend Kobi and I have hosted a multitude of varied travelers (aka “surfers”) such as a bicyclist from Vancouver BC riding the Southern Tier of the US, a couple from Finland, a woman from Hawaii, and travelers from Germany & London just to name a few. Meeting these folks has been an absolutely, positively, wonderful experience and I can’t say enough about CouchSurfing!! 
Some may choose to see Couch Surfing as a free place to stay, but I’d be willing to bet anyone involved would say it’s much, MUCH more than that. Connecting with people especially locals of the area you are visiting is invaluable. My personal philosophy is WHO we meet along the way is far more memorable than the miles (or kilometers!) we travel in this life. CouchSurfing offers an opportunity to connect with others; you can “search” the profiles of other “Surfers” by a multitude of parameters (like location, age, interests, philosophy, etc) in the area you are traveling then send a request to “surf” their couch (or bed, futon, etc). The most often asked question I hear is “How do you know it’s safe?!?”, which seems obvious. However, CouchSurfing offers a verification process for those that register as well as a “Reference” system similar to that of eBay’s “Feedback”. Suffice to say, any bad apple would be quickly weeded out. ( 
For FAQ’s click: THIS). CouchSurfers are located all over the world (over a million people are registered) and I’ve never come across a profile that had a negative reference. In fact, it’s quite the contrary as endless references can be found from folks relating what memorable experiences they had while hosting or “surfing”.
*Full report found: HERE
AGirl