“…People with extra space post a profile online, offering it to out-of-town visitors. Would-be hosts determine the nightly rate (typically less than $100 per night) and describe the amenities. Accommodations range from fold-out futons in common rooms to proper beds in private rooms.”

At the time of this writing their website says they have beds available in 704 cities and 71 countries. You can sign up for free, but unlike couch surfing you do have to pay for the nightly stay. Booking a room is as quick as searching for your destination city, finding a listing, and then booking with your credit card. Of course for your money you do get a nicer accommodation than a couch. (Read about Couchsurfing here, the free way to travel.)

There are some “hidden” fees, however. On top of the nightly rate, you pay the website a 5-12% service fee. The person renting out the room collects the price of the room, minus a 3% fee for processing the guest’s credit card.

At under $100/night, this is cheaper than most hotels and maybe some motels. If you find a room for, say, $35, and you absolutely can’t sleep on a couch, then it could be a good bargain. I think the Couchsurfers offering you their couch would be a more adventuresome crowd though, and they also aren’t out to collect your money. In my opinion, Couchsurfing.com would be a better fit for most traveling surfers, but this site is definitely worth checking out before your next trip.

This is a video tour of the website and how it works.

Traveling surfers: Need a couch to sleep on … for free? We just discovered a new website called CouchSurfing.com that hooks travelers up with people who will let them sleep on their couch over night for free! In today’s economy, that could really help save some money when surfing overseas. To date, there are over 900,000 “couch surfers” traveling around the world, with over 850,000 reported “successful [couch] surfings.”

CouchSurfing International says their mission is “… to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding.”

What About Safety? Who are These People?

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Safety is undoubtely something on couch surfer’s minds. Who are these people letting strangers sleep on their couches? The website has a few safety features to help weed out the weirdos. They have a verification system that verifies your identity so when you’re about to hookup with a couch surfer, you know they are who they say they are. They have a reference system, and couch surfers can also vouch for each other, discussing their couch surfing experiences with certain people. You can easily read what others had to say about a person and what the person had to say about others.

Seriously … Are Many People Doing This?

There are currently over 250,000 couches available all over the world for you to sleep on for absolutely nothing (Checkout the world map of couch surfers). In fact, instead of spending money, you’ll probably take something very positive from the experience, such as a new friendship. In fact, over 1 million new friendships have been created just by couch surfing.

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For traveling surfers … that is, real surfers, the ones who ride waves in the ocean … this could be a fun and economical way to travel around and surf all over the world. If you’re slightly interested in cutting your surfing travel costs, check it all out at CouchSurfing.com. Even signing up on the site is free and it’s all non-profit.