I have had really great experiences inviting strangers into my home during the Eyjafjallajökull eruptions when they were stranded at my local airport, credit ca

I have had really great experiences inviting strangers into my home during the Eyjafjallajökull eruptions when they were stranded at my local airport, credit cards maxed out and with young kids in tow. Then I tried Couchsurfing, where vetted strangers sleep in the spare room, and hang out and chat. Awesome, awesome, awesome - I have made new friends for life, people I never would have met otherwise, with different life stories and views on the world. Even in São Paulo, a rather dangerous sort of city, I've made new and unexpected friends by visiting after a casual invitation, after assessing the risks and discussing it with local friends. I suspect that most people, in most societies, are good and nice. There are some bad people though, and it is sensible to take reasonable precautions, but do try to ask yourself "what are the real chances of something going wrong?" and compare that to the risk of a car accident during your daily commute.