Touring the country with no money or friends is difficult if not entirely impossible. Sleeping four or five in a single van or pitching a tent under a freeway underpass are options available to only the most desperate of situations. Sure, you may be living out a dream, you may be breaking even, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to sleep under more hospitable circumstances at recession-proof costs?

If you’ve ever gone backpacking overseas, CouchSurfing may have been your best friend in finding free accommodations in unknown cities. The idea is that complete strangers will open up their homes for traveling guests, and it’s up to the hosts to determine how hospitable they are to every CouchSurfer. What’s the catch? There is none, and from personal experience (as a guest and host), I’d say that the system works remarkably well. The only real catch is that there’s a rather extensive profile you need to fill out, but that’s all the better for potential hosts to know you better.

Better Than The Van (BTTV) works the same way as CouchSurfing except that the network is limited to touring musicians. You can either host or stay at someone’s place, as long as you don’t build a reputation as a creeper or jerk. This is a great opportunity to meet new people, make new friends and bridge the physical gaps of the Internet.

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http://betterthanthevan.com/

http://www.myspace.com/betterthanthevan

http://twitter.com/bettrthanthevan

via Abe Ahn, 26 November 2009 5:34pm | |