Now and again it is nice to meet different people. The variety of our social interactions seems to be determined by many factors (like level of education, age, nationality, languages you speak, social strata or circles you move in) and as you get older the opportunity to meet different people seems to narrow. CouchSurfing is a way of adding some variety to your social interactions. The idea is simple: there are travelers who can benefit from meeting locals and there are locals who may find it interesting to host travelers: enjoy the cultural exchange and perhaps get something out of some the "pay-it-forward" or "gift economy": Both of us have experienced random acts of kindness by "strangers" that have made our life much richer - they may not need repayment but we can help others to get the same experience and make the world a little better.
