I travel very differently than many of my readers. I'm up front in a premium class, but then when I land, I take my one carry on and zero checked bags to the house of a complete stranger where I stay for free. I couchsurf.

Couchsurfing refers to two things: the act of sleeping on a strangers couch or guest bed for free and the website couchsurfing.org--the main facilitator of couchsurfing in 2012.

Couchsurfing enriches and "en-cheapens" my travels so significantly that I wanted to evangelize about it for a post.

Yesterday I talked about how to book awards with layovers of up to 23 hours to see even more cities en route than would be allowable with normal stopover rules. Is it a good idea?

I'll review two recent 23 hour layovers I had, which were actually eight hours in London and thirteen in Frankfurt.

London

In London, I had to fly into Gatwick and out of Heathrow to make sure I could get an en route stopover in Tampa on an AA award.

Prologue

10 Through 8 and Honorable Mentions

7 and 6

5. Spend the Night on a Man Made Island in Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is the world's highest navigable lake, straddling the border of Peru and Bolivia. It's a huge, beautiful, blue placid surface dotted with tiny islands that have been inhabited for centuries.

Lake Titicaca is at an even higher elevation than Cuzco, so take adequate precautions.

Lake Titicaca is ringed by incredibly unimpressive towns--Juliaca and Puno, Peru and Copacabana, Bolivia.

Global Entry is an awesome service of the US Customs and Border Protection. Enrollees can bypass the sometimes horrific entry lines upon arriving at their US point of entry, using an automated kiosk instead of talking to an agent. Many frequent fliers are enrolled in Global Entry; I enrolled after my worst experience entering the country ever.

My Worst Ever Experience Entering the Country

Last fall, I hopped on a mistake fare that let me spend 12 days exploring Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras for $170. As is customary on my trips, I didn't bring a razor.

I'm just wrapping up a month-long trip; I'm already in my final city Kharkiv, Ukraine. I'll be home on Wednesday in time for a big softball game and the dodgeball playoffs if all my flights are on schedule.

Hat Tip to FTG

I know a lot of my readers have great travel story.

Because for me, miles are a means to an end: great travel experiences, I may occasionally post non-miles tips on the subject of great travel experiences. Feel free to add your own in the comments, or write a guest post.

I'm a one-bag evangelist. Whether I'm traveling for six weeks in East Africa or a month in Europe, I travel with a single carry-on sized bag.