Couchsurfing your way to a free place to stay

Jefferson Graham | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption App spotlight: Couchsurfing | Talking Tech Stay on couches overnight for free via the Couchsurfing website and app. Consumers in Venice Beach sound off.

Couchsurfing has 6 million members

The app is available for Apple and Android users

Cost to stay on a couch%3F Free

VENICE BEACH, Calif. — Becky Hall and Mark Craven spent three months this summer touring the U.S., and they never paid a dime to spend the night.

They mostly "couch-surfed" using the popular Couchsurfing.org website and app to find free places to stay — everywhere from New York to Los Angeles.

Think Airbnb, but with a twist.

"It's free," says Hall.

The Couchsurfing website was launched in 2004. The app was released for Apple and Android platforms in 2012, where it has been widely accessed. "The app's better than the website," says Hall. "It's all we use."

That makes sense. When you're traveling from couch to couch, like Hall and Craven did this year, the phone would be the easiest way to find the next available spot, especially since most couch surfers probably leave their laptops at home.

Couchsurfing says it has 6 million members in 100,000 cities.

It's free to sign up, but you'll have to pay $25 to "verify" your identify.

Like Airbnb, which is a vehicle to rent rooms, apartments and homes around the world, Couchsurfing taps into Facebook profiles to associate a name and face for guests and hosts.

The app lets you search for couches, check reviews of guests and hosts, and respond to "CouchRequests."

"I've couch-surfed in many different countries and hosted many different couch-surfers as well," says Manon Manovit, from Philadelphia. "Hospitality is very important in many cultures. It's just American culture that has that 'mine is mine' aspect that shuts out the possibility of having a nice evening with strangers."

Tell that to Michael Bekritsky of New York. We asked the beachgoer if he had ever tried Couchsurfing, and he responded that he had no interest. "I don't trust people's couches," he says. "I like a bed. I'm very picky where I sleep."

When we spoke with Craven he was a little cranky after an evening with a Los Angeles host who did a lot of talking. "Sometimes the people are annoying and crazy," he says. "You have to listen to people talk at you about something you don't care about."

However, Hall says the couch was comfy, and that's what matters most. Most nights were positive, and they enjoyed meeting new people.

Guests and hosts are both reviewed on the site, like Airbnb. Hall says she checks reviews of the host before reserving a couch, and that she strives to get good reviews as well. "You get references, and they're checked," she says.

But not every night is a success. And safety can be a concern. Couchsurfing didn't respond to our requests for comment, but the safety issue — will some stranger attack me in their home? — is played up in the FAQ section of the website.

The FAQ says that "the vast majority" of experiences are safe, and outlines that folks shouldn't give out their phone numbers to communicate (use the message system instead) and that they should review profiles carefully.

Finally, couch-surfers are encouraged to report negative experiences to Couchsurfing.

Follow Jefferson Graham on Twitter: @jeffersongraham.