Sure, life was much simpler when you could thumb his way across America. Being on the road provided an adventure of a lifetime. It wasn’t just a viable means of transportation — you were constantly meeting and connecting with new people. It was all about the human experience. Getting personal. Jack romanticized it for me with a warm and fuzzy presentation of girls and booze and eye-opening visions.

Sadly times have changed. Jumping into a car with a stranger is…lets call it excessively risky. Hearing about someone being anally explored with a 10” serrated hunting knife and left on the side of a barren stretch of road isn’t the shock-and-awe event it once was. My immediate reaction to such a travesty would be to ask, ‘Why the hell were you hitchhiking in the first place?!’ You just can’t do it anymore.
It sounds about as safe, in today’s world, as letting some stranger sleep on your couch after they’ve contacted you via the Internet.

Continue Reading about the Couch-Surfing phenomenon after the Sleepwalk:

I’m not sure how sound my ZZZZs would be with some unknown person just sleeping out there on my sofa. Talk about having to stay alert to your surroundings. I would probably just lay there in bed awake white knuckling my Rambo death tool waiting for my bedroom door to creek open. Unless of course my new friend looked like This. I doubt people signing up over at couchsurfing.com, the social portal for people that either need a free place to stay why traveling or are lonely enough in their own lives to let strangers sleep on their couch, look anything like that. I’m thinking they’re more likely to look like this.

How popular would the site be if that were the case. Sign me up. The site talks about making the world a better place by opening our homes and our hearts. Who wouldn’t be down with that? The red flags come in the form of statements like:

“We have no control over the conduct of our users or the truth or accuracy of the information that users post on the site.”

“We do not investigate any user’s reputation, conduct, morality, criminal background, or verify the information such user may submit to the Site.”

“We will not be responsible for any damage or harm resulting from your interactions with other users of our services.”

Doesn’t sound too appealing now…