In my early travelling days I usually stayed in hostels – a good way to meet other travellers getting some hints about travelling and interesting places to visit. Today I find hostels less appealing; I'm probably just getting old, but I feel young people are not very considerate – they don't clean up after themselves, don't care to pack the evening before when leaving in the middle of the night, don't care to come home drunk in the middle of the night waking up the whole hostel, etc.

In cities I therefore most often use Couchsurfing as the best way to meet local people - staying in people’s homes I get a chance to exchange information about culture, societies, religions, politics, travelling, and any other topic people are passionate about. My experiences within Couchsurfing have been equally fantastic as all the experiences I had surfing and hosting outside the Couchsurfing community (I joined in 2010). Outside cities I more often sleep in my tent in the forest, jungle or mountains. In the countryside people are usually more relaxed (less time oriented) and therefore easier to get in touch with – I'm often invited to stay in people's homes or in their fields. I'm always honoured when people invite me to stay in their private home - it is such a privilege and a treat.