Couchsurfing is a travelling priority, rather than a last resort. I find myself talking a lot about CS - and how one receives a far richer experience couchsurfing than they would staying in hotels or hostels. I've couchsurfed 20+ times around North America in 2010 and also on trips to Estonia, Germany, Japan and Kenya. Hosted about 12 times since I moved to York in 2014. Here are two articles I wrote about my experiences: http://clarkspeak.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/how-to-spend-three-months-in-america.html http://clarkspeak.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/couchsurfing-chronicles-sofa-so-good.html

Books: Most things by David Foster Wallace, Raymond Carver, George Orwell, Jack Kerouac. Music: Electronica, jazz, indie, folk. Movies: Donnie Darko, American Beauty, The Graduate, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Shining, Amelie.