CouchSurfing

In Hamburg, I slept for a few short, but warm and comfortable, hours in the basement of a welcoming suburban family home. In Helsinki, I spent a long weekend staying in a commune above a church in the centre of town. And in Toronto, my first night's sleep in a wonderfully kitsch apartment was complicated not only by jet lag, but by demands for attention from the largest cat I'd ever encountered, not to mention the drunks fighting on the street below.

I'm no stranger to staying with friends of friends while I'm travelling, or even with brand new acquaintances I met on the plane, but the unifying feature of the three crashspaces above is that I found them all on CouchSurfing.com. Like the spirit of Freecycle.org ("Changing the world, one gift at a time"), CS aims to "create a better world, one couch at a time." The idea behind it is not simply about providing free places to stay; more than this, it's hoped that deep and meaningful connections will be forged between nationalities and cultures.

Newcomers and old-timers alike will, of course, have safety concerns, so it's worth spending a moment going over this: yes, you have to rely on a certain level of trust. At the same time, though, a benefit of CS is its system of references and testimonials, whereby you can see if a potential guest or host has already met other couchsurfers and behaved themselves. Photos and biographies – everything from occupation to lists of interests to personal philosophies – give you a better sense of who you're dealing with. And there is no pressure to host someone, or even respond to their request, if you don't feel okay about it. Certainly, participating in CS builds up your own profile and being part of the community is the whole point, but you do this at your own pace and set your own boundaries. You don't need to be your guest's new best friend, either – maybe you'll get on great and hang out together, maybe you'll barely see each other. Either way might suit you depending on how you like your interactions.

So if you thought the only thing standing between you and your target destination was the cost of a place to stay, it's time you booked your trip already. In return, CouchSurfing.com simply asks that you'll show similar kindness to another stranger when they're passing through your town.