Couchsurfing.com

I haven't done it personally, but my roommate (26 yr. male) has used couchsurfing.com and stayed with people in NYC, San Diego, and San Francisco and met some cool people.

He wanted to let a few people crash with us, but not all of the roomies were comfortable with it. (Like anybody would want to visit NE anyway...)

Yes, Carlos you don't have to worry about "paying". You are a male. :)
Seriously, you should try to contact some CS-fers and see what happens. Lodging is Europe is quiet expensive, even the hostels.

CS is a cool idea, but as Jennifer said some people are skeptical. I think European are more opened to this thing than Americans.

I met a few people from this site, but I have never couchsurfed.
People I talked to were pleased with the "service",but I think some male members of this site want "extras" from a woman surfing their couch for free.
Yes, people on RS board don't really couch surf. Majority here have a nice income and they can afford to pay even for a more expensive hotel.

Thanks Bea,

Sometimes you wouldn't know that people here are doing all that well by they way everyone is complaining about the weak dollar.

I was hoping that maybe some of you would have an experience to share.

Anyway, I have most of my trip booked in hotels and a few hostels, but still have a few nights that aren't booked at all, so I was thinking, "what the hell, I'll give it a try."

I'll be traveling with another male, so I don't think the 'host wanting payment' thing will be a concern.

Carlos-
36 y/o female from So Cal here. I have been on couchsurfing for about 2 years. I haven't couchsurfed yet but have met quite a few very cool people through the site. I often travel solo so I have used the site as a way to meet locals for a drink, dinner, coffee etc. I met people in Barcelona, Amsterdam and Lisbon. I give them all a "thumbs up" and after spending time with them doing various things (dinner, site-seeing a locals "fave" spots in BCN or partying), I can say I would have been comfortable using their couch if that is what I had been after. And by the way, the AMS and BCN meetings were with guys and in Lisbon it was a guy and two girls (all friends, all on Couchsurfing..we all were out together one night). Great site and I will continue to always check before a trip and would not be hesitant to couchsurf if needed. I would advise though maybe only going with people with photos AND at least 2 or 3 "positive or extremely positive" reviews/references.

I'm on that site only since about 3 weeks, and I've already had a young american on my couch, and the experience was very positive. I'll certainly use that way to find a place to stay next time I go somewhere...

(and yeah, I'm not one of those "nice income" persons, but even if I was, I'll maybe liked to stay with local people. You learn so much more...)

Thanks everyone!

Sounds like its legit, so I'll give it a try.

I'll try and remember to post back here after my trip and give everyone the lowdown.

Carlos....I've used a similar group, called the Hospitality Club, with excellent success. I've met a number of wonderful people, both as a traveller abroad, and as a host here in Canada. There was a NY Times article on the whole issue of couch surfing about a year ago. Find it at http://tinyurl.com/6jp5l4

Hey Carlos

I'm a member of couchsurfing.com. I registered to use it on my last trip.. but kind of wussed out since I'm a youngish (25) female and was traveling alone.

However, I just wanted to vouch that I do know someone who has used the site quite a few times and really enjoyed her experiences! I think it's a great opportunity to get to know another culture; and hope to use it some day.

The advice I was given when considering using it was to make sure I filled out my profile well, to try and attend an event or meet a local couchsurfer so that I could have a reference on my page, and to contact surfers of comparable ages/interests to surf with. I'd be interested to hear how everything works out when you get back! Good luck!

I have been a member for a few months now but have not yet surfed. It seems pretty legit. Maybe you can contact a few people from San Fran and meet up for dinner to ask them questions or something. I would make sure to contact verified members only though, but that is just me. What they do is put you through a three level verification process. Process one, if I remember correctly, is an email verification. Process two is a credit card verification to see that you are who you say you are (they charge your CC $25) and the third process is to verify your address to verify that you live where you say you live. They send you a post card with a special code on it. You go onto their site and enter the code. They take measures to make sure that they have atleast some information on each member for preventative measures and just in case something happens to you (which I am sure is unlikely).
Hope this helps!

Tennile,

Because CS verifies people 3 times, it doesn't make the site safer. It only shows that a particular person exist, which doesn't mean he/she is not a criminal.
I am not really worried about Europeans, I am worried about people living here in the US.

Excuse me Bea but I think you may have misunderstood me. I was not saying that the verification process makes a person 100% safe. But, there is a difference between knowing that a verification process exists to make sure that a person is who they say they are when meeting them and just showing up to stay at someone's house and not knowing whether or not they were who they said they were is a difference. I for one would feel more comfortable with the first. Of course, as with meeting anyone that you meet on the internet I would think it best to meet in a public place first to get to know them. Nothing is ever 100% and you should ALWAYS be on guard. I just thought that a verification process was worth noting.