CURRENT MISSION To catch up with the places and people I have missed so far ABOUT ME I take time to travel whenever I can. Last Christmas I took a trip from Hong Kong to Shanghai, via Fujian province in China, and this summer I will visit Ukraine. I have worked as a travel writer, writing a newspaper column every week about a trip around the world. This was in 2001, and it was when I stayed with local people for the first time. Since then I have used the globalfreeloaders site as both a guest and host, and now I have joined couchsurfing. I am a young 47, and have been based in London for nearly 20 years. Having relied on the kindness of strangers when I travel, I am now very pleased that I can also host people at my home -- although it's only a 1-bedroom flat, so families will need to check other hosts, sorry. I am an open and friendly person, always interested in people and their lives. I am particular interested in food and cooking, and really like to discover local dishes. PHILOSOPHY Expect the best of people, and you normally get it.