Couchsurfing may seem safe, but police officers say those who do should still be very careful. (ATVN; Ashley M. Williams)

There isn’t a better way to travel for cheap these days. Well, except for couchsurfing.

Couchsurfing is when people openly allow strangers in their homes to sleep on their couches. The cost for this? Nothing, its completely free.

Today, over 2 million people worldwide are connecting online to be apart of the couchsurfing community.

Couchsurfing.org is one website that allows travelers to connect with people within more than 230 regions worldwide. All reservations for crashing on people’s couches are made online. 

The couchsurfing trend started on college campuses in 1995 as a way for college students to save money while traveling.  However, some say it has become more than just a way to keep cash in your pocket.

Couchsurfing.org is one website that allows travelers to connect with people within more than 230 regions worldwide. All reservations for crashing on people’s couches are made online.  To maintain the website, couchsurfers make donations to the non-profit organization that manages the online community.

“You get to meet locals who can take you around and spend time with you and experience all the real things and the real life,” couchsurfer Anna Li said. “It is definitely one of the best things people can do when they travel.”

Yet Li admits the first couchsurfer she allowed in her home was a bit of nightmare.

“He was planning on living in L.A. for six months and he was going to live in our apartment until we kicked him out,” Li said. But that experience didn’t stop Anna from couchsurfing when she studied abroad in France.

Yet police officers said those who engage in couchsurfing should definitely be cautious. USC Department of Public Safety Captain David Carlisle said those who couchsurf should definitely do their research on each person who they stay with.

“I’m sure there are times when couchsurfing can definitely be fun, but there are also times when it can be dangerous,” Carlisle said.

But Li says couchsurfing is really not as dangerous as people think. She says Couchsurfing.org allows couchsurfers to check people’s references and referrals to find out who has a good track record. Couchsurfers can also warn each other by making referrals.

The idea of social networking through couchsurfing may seem unsafe. However, many travelers think sleeping on a stranger’s couch for cheap and connecting with people all around the world makes couchsurfing worthwhile.