^I think the risk/reward profile is different for the genders. But a female friend of mine was an avid user of Couchsurfing.com. I was hesitant on meeting people online until I would spend the night with her various times with random coach surfers showing up. The people were always interesting and fun. And as you say, your network of adventerous people around the world grows over time. I am now a firm believer it is a great way t meet people. And I find most people just watch too much Lifetime TV
I agree with FT. I’ve met up with people while travelling and have had pretty much only positive experiences so far. No really terrible ones. The worst is that some guy was kinda boring, but I was probably boring to him too, so we split up after a short while (amicably).
Obviously you need to keep your wits about you and trust your instincts on creepiness, but it’s not that crazy.
On the other hand, if it’s a road trip, it might be something that you need to arrange beforehand, so a FB circulation of “hey I’m going, anyone want to come with us” is sensible.
Or you can pick up hitchhikers if you have that 70s vibe going. Since you already are a group of people, it’s substantially safer than picking up people when you’re alone. Indeed, usually the hitchhiker is a lot more vulnerable than the driver.
Now of course, if you’re in the top 20% of hitchhikers, you’re going to have a lot more options than the others, it’s unreal.
^ I wonder if tall hitchhikers have less options as they can be perceived as more intimidating.