Sleeper as a single traveller DC to SF

[SarahZ]

I've seen couch-surfing sites and the like, and they always have HUGE disclaimers about not having any liability or responsibility for matches gone bad, theft of your personal items, etc. I think it would be nice if there were a site similar to that where you could specify gender, age range, destination(s), morning person/night owl, etc, similar to looking for a college roommate, in order to save money on a trip.

Personally, I'd be too shy to use it, and there's always the chance that the person posing as a "25-year old woman" could be some pervy dude looking for a date. On the other hand, there are all kinds of university ride shares that turn out okay, so I say it's worth the chance if people are willing to take that chance.

 

[calwatch]

I don't think AU should take the liability because it is too small and would cave readily if asked to shut down, but something like Flyertalk or one of the travel discussion forums (or even City-Data!) would be a good place to host. The other way to do it, if you are active on social networking like Facebook or LinkedIn, is to find one of the travel related "hubs" and post a request over there, or even posting something on your wall expressing interest. Craigslist would be a last resort, although I have given rides over on there before.

The fact is, though, that most Americans are more possessive of their personal space than in other countries, because generally we have more space per person than other countries. Also, with the amount of personal stuff I tend to leave behind in my room, I generally want to make sure I have more than a passing acquaintance with my roommate. But for other people, it might not be so bad.