Travel smarter: utilize the sharing economy in 2015

I can still remember the look of horror on my parent’s faces when I mentioned I would be CouchSurfing in South America, or putting my spare apartment room on Airbnb. As they see more and more my positive experiences with these tools, however, they’re becoming curious themselves. In the past year, the sharing economy has gained traction, allowing us to travel like locals, make use of idle resources, and often save money.

Roomorama, HouseTrip, and 9flats have joined Airbnb in helping travelers stay with locals, but now the game has changed to give travelers easy access to great transportation, local food and a personal guide who knows the city.

Of course, the first thing you need to figure out when hitting the road is where you're going to stay. This handy price comparison tool shows how much you will save with Airbnb. For example, in Chicago the typical hotel is about $199 per night, compared with an Airbnb apartment ($130) or room ($75).

Being perpetually on the road has traditionally meant eating in restaurants every night and ignoring the fact that you just ate your third 1,500-calorie dinner of the week. But now, thanks to flights like EatWith and Feastly, you can get a home-cooked meal even when you're hundreds of miles from your kitchen. These services take you outside of the restaurant to eat in local homes and often have games, themed menus, and wine enhancing the experience. Browsing the listings on Feastly for NYC, multi-course meals start at $33, and offer cheaper and more authentic fare than most restaurants can offer.

Lyft and Sidecar have joined Uber in the ridesharing game, and unless your in Manhattan probably offer a far superior (and often cheaper) alternative to taxis. Lesser known are carsharing apps like Getaround and RelayRides that allow you to rent a vehicle from a local to drive yourself.

And for something that allows you to explore the passions of a local, check out sites like Vayable, Adventure.com, ToursByLocals, and Shiroube, which give you a local tour guide to avoid the regular out-of-towner traps. You’ll often find more quirky options, like following a busker around NYC or designing and riding your own surfboard in San Diego.