Say at my place!

One of the things that i really enjoyed about my recent backpacking trip was being able to meet, converse with and party with people from various parts of the world. It's always interesting to get a different world perspective: speak to a dane about the cartoon fiasco, a ukrainian about the revolution, a french student about job security, etc. But if you're not traveling yourself, how can you facilitate this? Actually, it's easier than you think :) There are plenty of websites on the internet that allow you to "host" travelers as they come through your town. It's free, you're not obliged to host anyone unless you want to and there are various ways to ensure the people who are coming to stay at your place are credible and won't steal your italian sofa. The two most popular sites are Hospitality Club and Couch Surfing. Of course, you can also use this while traveling...instead of staying in an expensive hotel or a hostel filled with typical backpackers (canadian, american, australian & english), use one of these sites to hook up with locals. Im currently hosting people at my place in dubin, we've had lots of interesting people so far, including Syrun a crazy french guy who is on his 5th year of a 12 year trip. Give it a go!