Couch Surfing

The title is not the usual pitiful and futile attempt at a mildly clever caption, but a phenomenon about which I've just learned.  "Couch surfing" apparently refers to the practice of staying at the homes of strangers for short periods of time for free, kind of like micro-hostels.

From Wikipedia: "CouchSurfing (sofa surfing in the UK) is a neologism referring to the practice of moving from one friend's house to another, sleeping in whatever spare space is available, floor or couch, generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house.  The term couchsurfing was adopted by The CouchSurfing Project in 1999 for what is now the world's largest hospitality exchange network. With over 2 million members in 237 countries and territories,CouchSurfing is the most visited hospitality service on the Internet, averaging around 40 million daily page views July-December 2009.  After free registration, members have the option of providing very detailed information and pictures of themselves and of the sleeping accommodation they offer, if any. More information provided by a member, and other members, improves the chances that someone will find the member trustworthy enough to be their host or guest. Security is often measured in the reference established by networking. Volunteers may verify names and addresses. Members looking for accommodation can search for hosts using several parameters such as age, location, gender and activity level. Homestays are entirely consensual between the host and guest, and the duration, nature, and terms of the guest's stay are generally worked out in advance to the convenience of both parties. No monetary exchange takes place except for compensation of incurred expenses (e.g. food). After using the service, members can leave a noticeable reference about their host or guest.  Instead of or in addition to accommodation, members also offer to provide guide services or travel-related advice. CouchSurfing provides editable travel guides and forums where members may seek travel partners or advice. CouchSurfing's main focus is "social networking" and members organize activities such as camping trips, bar crawls, meetings, and sporting events."

I must be getting old, as I'm pretty sure that as a parent I wouldn't be too crazy about our kids (when they get older) doing this type of hitchhiking.