Patrick and Rootbear,
Thanks for the information about the Gold Card. I didn't know.

Join SERVAS, an international organization that promotes "peace and inter-cultural understanding through person-to-person encounters." SERVAS members are provided with lists of hosts in the countries they plan to visit. You might stay for free in the host's home, or just get together for a meal or conversation. Arrangements for an overnight usually must be made in advance--the lists make this clear.

There are forms to fill out, modest fees, and an interview to join. While members are encouraged to act as hosts at home, it is not required. I traveled this way as a student on a budget years ago. The hosts were great, including us in dinner parties and showing us around their home towns--it was more than just a place to sleep.

I have been a Servas traveller for years and was also a host for years, and I want to stress that it is not simply an organization for cheap travel. As ellenem says, its purpose it to "promote peace and inter-cultural understanding through person-to-person encounters." As a guest, you are expected to be communicative, sharing, and flexible, and to fit in with your hosts' routine, not use their house as a cheap place to crash at your convenience.

Some hosts are very busy and may leave you on your own to sightsee, while others may want to spend lots of time with you. Accomodations vary widely, and you should be prepared for anything -- mine have ranged from a thin mattress on a tile floor to an antique bed in a 17th-century beamed house. This is definitely not for the traveller who balks at sharing a bathroom! Be prepared to help with things like cooking and washing up. It's also considered polite to give your hosts a little something in return -- like a small gift from your home country or a meal out. One other thing: visits are for two nights unless your host invites you to stay longer.

If you're truly interested in cross-cultural understanding and in getting to know a country beneath the veneer, Servas is wonderful (and it does save you money while travelling). But you should understand that it is not a hotel-substitute.

For more information, see http://www.usservas.org/.

After living in France for five months and traveling through a few countries on a student budget, the best way to save money is to have a small camping stove and eat cheap: i.e. couscous, pasta, and bread. Let Atkins roll over in his grave, but bread and cheese are the way to go, along with easily cookable stuff like I mentioned. Tap water is very drinkable depending on your region, so bring a sturdy bottle and drink all day to feel full and hydrated.