Friday 9 May 2008

The CouchSurfing Project

The CouchSurfing Project is a free international Internet-based hospitality service, and currently the largest hospitality exchange network. As of April 2008, it had more than 500,000 members in 226 countries and territories. From various indicators it can be estimated that many members were actively using the website, with 40 percent offering their couches to host travelers (with another 22 percent saying "maybe" and others who are traveling at the moment). Members use the website, initially designed by founder Casey Fenton, to coordinate accommodations. It features extensive profiles, and uses an optional credit card verification system, a personal vouching system, and personal references to increase security and trust. There are many other features on the site, such as interest discussion groups, meeting functionality, live chat and more.


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