Couchsurfing

If you are looking for a place to stay for no cost, and making new friends, Couchsurfing may be a great way to go. Couchsurfing is a large community of people spanning the globe, where hosts in 100,000 cites world wide will allow travelers to stay in their own homes for free. This makes it a great way to get to know locals and to get the insiders view of places to go see and social events to go to.

If you are thinking of Couchsurfing your way around the world, one of the main things to focus on is safety, since you are staying at a strangers place. Key tips for improving your safety are to go with someone who has plenty of extensive reviews, and that is well known with the community. Then make contact and try and get to know them as best you can with email exchanges/Skype chats. Also, meet your host in a central, popular spot in town, and be especially cautious if you are going to a more secluded location (which can include letting others know of your up-to-date travel plans and prospective movements). A link to Couchsurfing safety basics is here

This Couchsurfing video helps explain the community more: