Has anyone ever tried couch surfing while traveling?  I have heard there are websites where you can contact people who let you sleep on their couch for the night.  I am going on a cross country trip so sleeping on someone's couch would save me money compared to renting a hotel room each night.

It would also be cool to meet some nice people who know the local area.  The problem is that the people might not be cool or might be a little scary.  I wonder what type of people are willing to let strangers sleep in their couch for the night.

I have idealistic dreams of other cool travelers openign up their homes so they can get the return Karma when they are traveling, but I also have realistic visions of crappy couches and grouchy people.

I also wonder about pets.  Hopefully the websites that facilitate this type fo exchange force people to list whether or not they have pets.  I don't mind dogs as long as they have their own place to sleep, but I really can't stay with cats because I am allergic to them.

Does anyone know what the best way to find people who are willing to let me crash on their couch for the night.  I can't remember the website that made couch surfing popular.  Does anyone know if the concept failed or was a success?