TCW's Deborah Neffa shares tips for traveling on a student budget. 

Traveling – it’s something almost every college student is encouraged to do: “Do it while you’re young; you won’t regret it.” The concept is surely endearing, especially when those pushing the idea the most are old people who feel they missed out on life. But while the notions of learning about a different culture, eating all types of good food and getting away from your parents for a while are attractive, there is one big problem most “young people” encounter when planning such awesome adventures: Money (or lack thereof).

Although there might not be an inexpensive alternative to buying plane tickets or food abroad, there is a cheaper (free, to be exact) alternative to staying in pricey tourist hotels overseas – couch surfing.

While the idea of crashing on a stranger’s couch in another country might seem a bit creepy at first, it’s worth knowing that the concept was made into a non-profit organization, CouchSurfing International, Inc., which has so far accommodated more than 778,000 positive couch crashing experiences worldwide. According to the Web site, the idea solidified when founder, Casey Fenton, got a cheap ticket to Iceland for a long weekend but had no place to stay. “With no desire to rot in a hotel all weekend and play Mr. Tourist, he came up with the ‘brilliant’ idea of spamming over 1,500 Icelandic students in Reykjavik and asking them if he could crash on one of their couches.” He received several replies and has since vowed never to spend his evenings in a hotel while traveling.

So far the organization has more than 503,000 members in 226 countries, including France, United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, Turkey, New Zealand, India, Brazil, Russia, Norway and Mexico. Most couch surfers (49 percent) are located in Europe, followed by 32 percent in North America, 5 percent in Central Asia and 4 percent in South America (for more statistics, click here).  English is the language most widely spoken by couch surfers, and the average age is 26.

 But the organization hopes to do more than just provide a free place for people to stay. "It seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding." It’s a perfect fit for an outgoing college student who loves to travel and to try new things – especially getting to know new cultures. And if travelling isn't your thing, you can host CouchSurfing members and learn all about other cultures in your living room.

Concerns about safety could be the main deterrent for people participating. But the organization claims it has implemented several precautionary measure for the benefits of its surfers, hosts and community. “Every user is linked to the other users he or she knows in the system through a network of references and friend links … Not just anyone is a vouched for member. Members can only become vouched for by an already vouched for CouchSurfing.com member. Essentially, it’s a trust circle.”

In the verification process, the organization checks to make sure a member’s name and address are correct and valid. After having completed that, the member’s profile identifies him/her as a level 3 verified member. Knowing a person is a verified member can make others in the network more comfortable with the idea of crashing at the member’s place – some members choose to contact only verified members as a safety precaution. Essentially, the safety system is based on features that help users determine how trustworthy other members are. And since CouchSurfing is incorporated, it is granted a charter recognizing it as a separate legal entity having its own rights, privileges and liabilities apart from those of its members. “This insures the safety of our members and volunteers from lawsuits (except in cases of individual gross negligence). … To the best of our knowledge, CouchSurfing is the only major hospitality network with this legal status.”

 Hosts can also pick and choose whom they want to host, and they don’t even have to let people crash on their couches – hosts can just take other members out for a drink or some coffee.  The site also offers safety tips for women who travel alone, for vegetarians and vegans, for gay, lesbian and bisexual travelers, and, if you’re a student with kids, it has tips for family couch surfing.

The following are a few testimonials from couch surfers (to see more testimonials, click here):

Brenda Coutts, 22 years old, from Canada:

"I went to Europe for a long trip and had I not done CouchSurfing I would have went home long before I did. I met some of the most wonderful people in my life and had some of the best times I could have ever had. I even met people while hitch hiking who knew about CouchSurfing. The best thing to ever happen to travelers EVER... Come surf at my house! :D"

Jaap Mol, 21 years old, from the Netherlands:

"When I started to travel a few years ago, I really wanted to see the 'real' country, not only the touristic side of it. And that is were Couchsurfing showed up: through this great project, travelers get the chance to meet the 'real' people. That's what creates a country, cause a country is not created by touristic attractions. I love the easy way of meeting new locals and inspiring people. CS is also a perfect way to make a difference. There are loads of people you can help out, and I really like to do that, it makes life more beautiful.”

Pasquale Guarino, 27 years old, from Italy:

"I joined CS project almost 3 years ago and since that time I began to travel more and more, i have met wonderful and interesting people all the time i have used CS for my trips. It's like you have friends all around the world, you have chance to reach every corner of the world without worries, just being ready to learn and discover new things about other cultures and from people...life is discovery on-going, and that is very cool!"

SHELUVS2FLY, 40 years old, from the United States:

"I was a bit nervous about participating....my friends tried to persuade me not to...but luckily, I decided to have faith that there are many good, caring, kind and genuine people in this Beautiful World. And God wants us to be good and kind to others, yes....to strangers! Good Will towards Men/Women. So, I agreed to host a couple of Brazilian guys, they turned out to be very sweet and it was fun learning about their culture, showing them what life is like in my part of the world, the different foods, and trying to figure out each others language! CS seems like a family and I like that many people here seem to have the spirit of helping others. Opening their doors, as well as their goodness to others and making world travel not quite so foreign. I love the concept of being able to experience a bit of how others live in their countries....regular life, their foods, their customs...even the little things are so interesting to me!"

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