Secrets to Sleeping on a Stranger’s Couch

Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 11.13.06 | 2:56 PM ET

The Associated Press explores several Web sites that help connect travelers with strangers who have sofa space to share, including HospitalityClub.org, CouchSurfing.com and the ambitiously named GlobalFreeloaders.com. “The sites aren’t moneymakers,” the AP reports. “They’re largely the creations of 20-somethings bitten with wanderlust and the hope to help bridge together people from different cultures. They often depend on volunteer administrators to help manage the Web operations.” Traditionally, freeloading has been a local activity, so anyone who can take mooching to a global level has our deep admiration.