Me (26, from Nottingham) and my husband Sam (28, from Bolton) live in Heaton Mersey, Manchester. We came back from travelling a year and a half ago and now finally are in our own flat (after living with Sam's parents for 9 months). I work for a charity supporting vulnerable people, and Sam works in the civil service. Once the lockdown is over we want to give back to the community that gave us so much while we were travelling and do some hosting ourselves!

We are laid back, down-to-earth (not very cool) and always up for some fun and an adventure. We love food, hiking and camping. I'm also down to take you on a night-out in Manchester!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Our trip started in January 2018 - we traveled through India, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Bali, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Cambodia on a teeny tiny budget! Our favorite parts of the trip were staying with couchsurfers who treated us incredibly and who we shared many memorable moments with - exploring their home towns, cooking food, learning bits of the language and talking about culture and politics!

Music, Movies, and Books

Holly: I'm in a bookclub and love books about the world: Matthew Kneal, Zadie Smith, Khaled Hosseini, Barbara Kinsolver, the Bronte's. I've read all the Game of Thrones books and loved the TV series more than anything before D and D ruined it. I enjoy British Sitcoms (IT Crowd, Black Books, Fleabag, Mum, Feel Good) and good period dramas (Jane Eyre, The Tudors, Tess of the D'Urbavilles). I listen to classic rock and folk (I hate chart music). I read millions of left-wing articles! I love to swim and attempted to play rugby for a year before we went travelling. I aspire to have a garden where I can grow food, do pottery, have chickens, make a wildlife pond and build furniture. I also aspire to get more involved in politics and activism.

Sam: Sam spends most of his time gaming with friends, laughing his head off (Overwatch, Borderlands 3, COD, World of Warcraft). He's obsessed with nature documentaries and is a big fan of Gordan Buchannan, Simon Reaves and Chris Packham. He watches loads of sport - especially tennis, Formula 1 and American football. He's also an incredibly talented musician - he sings, plays viola, piano, drums, harmonica and saxophone (that's a new one). He's good at all sport despite the fact he hardly exercises! We were both in swim clubs when we were younger. He aspires to have many pets and be a Dad.

Together: TV: Great British Menu, The Great Pottery Throwdown, National Portrait Artist of the Year (see a pattern?), Masterchef Professionals, Anthony Bordain, David Attenborough... If you stay with us you will probably have to watch these too. Activities: eating out, travelling, walking, camping.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Holly: Been to Papua New Guinea and raised awareness of modern slavery
Sam: Has sung at the Salzburg music festival

Teach, Learn, Share

Will cook for you, take you into the countryside around Manchester on walks (Lake District, Peak District), and probably take you on a trip to the Curry Mile or Bury Market for some amazing food.
You can tell us about your travels and countries, and maybe teach us some of your language or cuisine.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, France, India, Italy, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, England