Judy Colbert, ASJA, SPJ, AFTRA, SAG

I was flying to Southern California on a mileage ticket ($10) and staying two nights (free) with someone I'd only met through a Website.

My granddaughters, Rockzana and Sabrina Flores, students at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School for the Creative and Performing arts in Wheaton, were among the 140 young actors from around the world being honored for working in the movie/television industry while maintaining a B or better grade average, contributing to community service and taking courses in their craft (acting, dance, theater, singing, etc.). I wanted to attend the ceremony and watch them receive the full Hollywood treatment, including walking the red carpet.

I sent e-mails to a few people who lived in the Burbank/Universal Studios area, as listed on the CouchSurfing.com (and CouchSurfing.org) Web site, asking if I could stay for two nights.

More than a million people from 57,584 cities in 231 countries (including Antarctica) have signed up to offer a couch or bed, airport pick-up and delivery service, sightseeing services, or just to meet for a cup of coffee or a drink. They post information about themselves, and they receive references and feedback. The profiles let you know if they are party people or early-to-bed-early-to-rise types, if they have a dozen cats to which you'd be allergic, and whether they're offering a couch or sofa bed in the living room and a bathroom down the hall or a separate room with a private bath. And you learn if you'll be welcome to stay for one night only or several days or weeks or longer.

Depending on the area, you might find one or two people, or hundreds. Generally, more men than women have signed up and people 18-24 represent the largest age demographic at 44 percent, although 27 is the average age of a couch surfer.

Evelyn Hansen, a 53-year-old divorced woman, offered a room in her 1920s California Mediterranean house in Glendale. When I said I could take a Super Shuttle from the airport, she said she'd pick me up and take me back on Monday morning.

We were a pretty good fit. She's an environmentalist and a volunteer in a local political campaign. I'm a veteran of 20 years in politics and campaigns. It was fun to compare notes.

Guests usually bring a thank-you gift, which I did, and I took her to dinner and gave her a few dollars for gasoline money.

More than free accommodations, CouchSurfing aims to expand cultural exchanges so visitors can receive the benefit of the experiences local hosts can offer. They say, "We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures."

Angela Carmine — who moved to Columbia from the Orlando, Fla., area in 2008 — says she first heard of couch surfing from a friend. She's never stayed with anyone or had anyone stay with her, but "we have used couch surfing for much more. While traveling to other countries, you are unaware of the cultures and lifestyles of the people you are about to encounter. Couch surfing has given us the opportunity to talk with people and get the 'inside scoop.' We are told where to go and what areas to avoid, what places are the best and how to avoid getting sucked into tourist traps and spending more money than we should. We have done the same in return.

"We like how you have the chance to talk with people and get to know them before you decide if you want to stay with them or let them stay with you. Everyone seems to be very respectful of each other. Many people say you can stay with them but have to be out of the house when they are not home. This is very understandable and seems to be a common thing, and respected. Because of this, things seem a bit safer. We have been in contact with several people and are impressed at how much English is spoken. It makes this site very easy to use."

Several other organizations offer free to low-cost housing options. Shel Horowitz, owner and publisher of frugalfun.com and author of "The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with a Peasant's Pocketbook," notes that he and his wife are 25-year members of Servas, an international, nongovernmental nonprofit run by volunteers in more than 100 countries aimed toward multicultural understanding and tolerance.

The Horowitzes have done homestays in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Servas and CouchSurfing are discussing the possibility of mingling resources and options while remaining independent operations.

Hospitalityclub.org is similar to CouchSurfing.org, with members in 207 countries. There is no charge to join or to stay with any of the members.

For short-term accommodations in Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles; Miami; New York; San Francisco; Toronto; Vancouver; and Washington, D.C., it's www.roomorama.com. This is a list of local rooms or apartments for rent. They don't charge to join and rooms are paid for online, so there's no personal transaction. Prices, which for Manhattan start at $44 a night, include a 9-percent commission.

The evergreenclub.com is for people 50 years and older who want to stay in bed-and-breakfast type accommodations. There is an annual fee ($60 for singles, $75 for dual membership and a 50-percent membership discount the first year) and a small fee for each night you stay with someone.

Perhaps the least expensive site with no obligations for anything is sleepinginairports.net, which lists the overnight sleeping options in airports around the world. Vital information-- including security, types of chairs (with or without arms) and whether overnighting is even allowed-- is included. So far, there doesn't seem to be any information about showers. So, it's the bathroom sink for clean-up.