By Christina Ziemer
Published: September 29, 2009

By Christina Ziemer
For the Daily Titan

Imagine spending the upcoming furlough days partying in Miami or laying on a beach in the Caribbean.
No, the recession has not ended, but couchsurfing.org has arrived.

CouchSurfing.org is an enormous database of people from all over the globe who are willing to lend their couches, or even rooms, to travelers for free.

Founder Casey Fenton, with the help of friends, Daniel Hoffer, Leonardo Silveira and Sebastien Letuan, started the Web site in 2004.

Fenton, a proclaimed child of hippies with a love for traveling, came up with the idea after deciding to travel to Iceland on a whim.

With nowhere to stay, Fenton decided to access the University of Iceland’s student directory to ask people if he could crash with them. To his surprise, his inbox was soon filled with many “yeses” to count.

After a long plane ride, an amazing adventure and plenty of new friends, Fenton decided there was no other way he would rather travel, and couchSurfing.org was born.

CouchSurfing.org just may be the solution to traveling on a college student’s budget; and many Cal State Fullerton students have jumped on board or, at least, would like too.

Edgar Escobedo, a criminal justice major, can’t wait to use the sit after hearing about it. “I’ve been wanting to travel since airfare is low, but couldn’t because hotels are really expensive. Now I’m deciding where I want to go first.”

Fellow CSUF student James McKenney has used CouchSurfing.org and had great experiences.

“As a new traveler, I thought inviting people in, or staying with people I didn’t know was either unsafe or just unappealing, and just a way for dudes to get traveling ladies into their living rooms,” he said. “But money got tight, and I decided it wouldn’t hurt to sign up. I decided to host a French-Canadian duo. It was an awesome experience, and we stayed up all night talking about whatever … You can learn something from everyone.”

For those who also may be hesitant about letting a stranger sleep on the couch, CouchSurfing.org has created a way to ensure the site is safe through a verification process.

The site has a way for members to post references, as well as a vouching system in which only members who have met in person can vouch for each other.

For those who are still afraid to camp out with someone they just met, there are other options.

CSUF student Andy Surman enjoys the many options the site has to offer.

“I don’t have a big enough place to let people stay the night, but I like meeting up with people and showing them around. It ’s a great way to make new friends.”

Being a member also means getting invites to the monthly events as well as other events happening in the area.

This month’s event is “One-Dollar Taco Tuesday.” Some past events include a Pajama Barhop, art walks and club night.

Couch surfing is a great way to make new friends. According to the Web site 1,613,972 friendships have already been created.

McKinney perfectly sums it up by saying, “The best part about couch surfing is the people involved. It’s a network of professionals, students, travelers, gypsies, hippies, and anything else you can think of, all with a shared passion for meeting people and living life to the fullest.”