These folks are surfing…real boards, real waves coming…
Have you ever thought about couchsurfing? www.couchsurfing.com is an online hospitality club that lets you find a stranger’s house or couch to sleep on. They have the most technically advanced search ability where travelers can view every possible open couch in a specified radius. Sound crazy? How about welcoming someone you’ve never met into your own home to sleep for the night?
Clubs like these are becoming popular among all ages and all countries. You get the chance to meet people who tend to be open-minded, curious, and generous.
www.hospitalityclub.org debuted in 2000 and currently has more than 328,500 members. It features the most comprehensive security procedures. Before being accepted as guests, travelers must first provide full names and passport numbers.
www.globalfreeloaders.com pushes their members not to accept a free stay unless they can host within six months.
For all three clubs, hosts and crashers are paired up based on profiles that include languages spoken, location and interests. Many members clarify what they don’t want…drugs for instance. Although safety cannot be absolutely guaranteed, members post messages about their visits went. Read before you go.
Go on a road trip in someone else’s car. Don’t steal it…volunteer for driveaway duty. Driveaway is a situation that arises when a car owner needs his vehicle moved to a new location and either can’t or doesn’t want to do the driving. Rather than pay to ship the car, the owner signs his ride up for a driveaway program.
Drivers need to fill out an application form, present a valid driver’s license, and references. Sometimes you will need to be fingerprinted and submit a driving history. For insurance reasons, drivers are usually required to be at least 23 years old. Usually the first tank of gas is free, the rest of the expenses are yours.
www.autodriveaway.com is the biggest player in the US with about 150 opportunities per month. Some offices will take requests for specific routes and call you when there is a match. There are some limits on mileage, time of day for driving, and duration. It would be a good idea to check your route ahead of time for construction detours, weather delays, etc.
Happy Trails…