Airbnb, which pairs people looking for accommodations with hosts for a fee, already represents a hybrid of philosophies underlying hospitality exchanges. It claims to be a community where people "can build real connections" with others eager "to enrich the world through the sharing of space."  But, unlike the Hospitality Club and CouchSurfing, which espouse similar philosophies under the banner of creating a community, money is exchanged and Airbnb takes an additional 15% cut of that transaction. Like Airbnb, HomeAway operates as a marketplace, but communications and financial transactions occur between the guest and host off site, with hosts paying only for their listing.  The operators of those services and one frugal traveler offered suggestions on how to protect your home from thieves and vandals. For more information, consult safety policies and rental guidelines on their websites.  Sites like CouchSurfing and the Hospitality Club allow hosts to screen potential guests through their profiles, which often read like personal ads, complete with a picture, offering a more intimate sense of who they are. Plus, user profiles on those sites have rating systems with feedback from previous hosts in the same way sites like Amazon and eBay include buyer and seller feedback.  "You can tell things from the way people describe themselves on CouchSurfing," said travel jounralist Matt Gross, former New York Times "Frugal Traveler" and author of its new series, "Getting Lost."  "When I was in Italy looking for a place, there were profiles of Italian guys in their mid-20s that only wanted women to stay with them. That's a good warning sign."  Because sites like CouchSurfing, Hospitality Club and Airbnb represent collections of people and not just properties, bad incidents don't stay hidden long, he said.
Not everyone relishes the idea of opening their homes to strangers on vacation.But in an era when many travelers want an experience that takes them beyond conventional hotel chains and tourist