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The best low-budget travel

No it's not about riding your board from the comfort of your home!... it's the latest concept in low budget travel where you surf the world staying (for free) on sofas of people all round the world.

"Many travelers today aren't interested in just sightseeing and checking tourist attractions off on a list. They want to experience what it's like to live in another culture. What better way [to do that] than by spending time with someone who lives there?"

The CouchSurfing project is the brainchild of Internet entrepreneur Casey Fenton, who first thought of the site in the late '90s, but didn't officially launch it until early 2004. Over the past years, couch surfers have multiplied, and the website has already broken the 50,000-member mark. The average age of surfers is 27 and almost half the membership is between 18 and 24. However, couches aren't just for young people to surf on: There are almost 2,000 members over the age of 50. And it's not just a range of ages that the Project boasts. There are members from 186 countries who speak more than 600 unique languages. Conveniently for North Americans, almost 90 percent of the members list English as one of those languages.

How it works
Aspiring couch surfers can start by creating a profile that helps site members understand more about each other. The profiles are as diverse as the couch-surfing community, and as detailed as individual members choose to make them. There are photos, of course, and personal facts such as languages spoken, places visited, and interests. Add to that a mission statement, a personal philosophy, "couch information," and references from other surfing buddies and you get a fuller picture of what a particular member is all about. As one user puts it, "the site is about more than just cheap travel—it's about connecting people all over the world."

Check it out at www.couchsurfing.com