Are you sick and tired of paying huge hotel bills? It’s especially bothersome when you’re a solo traveler and you don’t take up that much room. Well then, listen up -- CouchSurfing.com might become your favorite travel website (besides JohnnyJet.com, of course!). CouchSurfing is a non-profit organization dedicated to a global community of over 400,000 members. The site was developed so that everyone can travel the world and partake in cultural exchanges for free, by providing access to couches across the globe that you can crash on. The one thing that troubles me about the site is this fact that it states: “We have 223 unique countries represented (including Antarctica)”. Umm ... not so. The fact is, according the UN, there are only 193 countries in the world so some of their “destinations” must be insane in the membrane! All kidding aside, CouchSurfer users can pick and choose whom they want to host or meet. And they have a verification system implemented for safety. To host members, someone has to vouch for you and you can only be vouched for by someone who’s already a CouchSurfing.com member. Essentially, it’s a trust circle.
Are you one of those millions of people whose new year’s resolution was to get in shape, even when you travel? Join the club. GymTicket.com has a directory of over 20,000 gyms and health clubs across the U.S. To locate gyms in certain areas and find out how to get a free guest pass, simply type in your address and zip code and voila! I just gave it a test drive, inserting my home address and the search results turned up most of the clubs in my area, but not all. Maybe that’s because those gyms don’t hand out free guest passes? I don’t know and I don’t have time to find out ... I’m rushing out the door to catch my next flight! I don’t know why a zip code isn’t sufficient information for the site to turn up accurate search results (it’s a pain to type out a full address) but regardless, it’s a handy site if you’re looking to stay fit on the road!
