What I love most about the opportunity to couch surf is that it gives me the chance to have a truly authentic experience while traveling. I have done quite a bit of traveling in my life and there is nothing I dislike more than just being another one of the hundreds of tourists in a city, seeing the same attractions, and just following what travel sites tell you to see. Couchsurfing puts you in contact with a host who knows the area, knows what locals like to do and takes you out of the hostel scene. Getting to stay with an individual or a family who is a local is a great way to find authenticity while abroad.

Music: Everything! I'm open to the old the new and anything I've never heard before. Movies: I like watching documentaries and dramas, all things quirky (Wes Anderson), provocative, or foreign. Books: Anatomy of the Spirt, The Mastery of Love