MONTREAL (AP) -- For the last three years, thousands of travelers around the globe have used a Web site called CouchSurfing.com to find like-minded folks who would let them sleep on a couch or in a spare room so they wouldn't have to stay in a hotel when they traveled.

They also created a community -- both online and in the physical world -- for cultural exchange.

But the CouchSurfing.com Web site crashed in late June, and most of the data and user profiles were lost.

"CouchSurfing as we knew it doesn't exist anymore," Web site founder Casey Fenton said in an e-mail to participants.

Supporters responded by creating temporary alternative Web pages, blogs and other online forums. Some joined a CouchSurfing Collective, based in Montreal, to help recover the data.

In a second e-mail sent out July 4, Fenton announced that the network would be relaunched at the old address -- http://www.couchsurfing.com -- later this month. In the meantime, updates were being posted on a message board at http://couchsurfing.hyperboards.com.

Fenton ended his missive with the Web site's motto: "Together we can create a better world, one couch at a time."

Picnic with an appetite for ocean views

BEAVERTAIL STATE PARK, Rhode Island (AP) -- The salt water breeze cools the heat from the afternoon sun and fans the sweet smell of grilled hot Italian sausages, peppers and onions, wafting around us from the portable grills. We're quickly building up an appetite for a perfect picnic.

Some cruisers are smarter than others

(Budget Travel Online) -- There are a million things I didn't know about taking a cruise. For instance, this: Upon boarding, you're separated from your luggage for an indeterminate amount of time. Until then, you're stuck wearing what you're wearing. In the case of my cruise to Alaska aboard the Norwegian Sun, that would've meant jeans -- less than ideal when you have four hours to spend poolside before heading into the mist.

Dry Tortugas a remote refuge

DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK, Florida (AP) -- Many visitors to the Florida Keys snap a picture with the marker in Key West that designates the southernmost point in the United States. Or they buy trinkets bearing images of another famous local landmark -- the "Mile 0" road sign, marking the end of the Overseas Highway (U.S. 1), which begins more than 100 miles to the north.

U.S. hostels pale next to European counterparts

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Wander through any major European city and you're bound to stumble upon dozens of hostels, their doorways crowded with rucksacks and chatting, laughing backpackers.

Tips on traveling for an interview

(CNN) -- Congratulations! You've been asked to come in for an interview. Traveling to meet with a potential employer is no vacation, but it doesn't have to pack on additional stress.