ABOUT ME: My name is Luke, I’m a researcher at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. My work involves studying cities within a “developing country” context to help develop strategies to make them more sustainable. What follows should give you a fairly accurate account of who I am- though this is subject to change...

CURRENT MISSION: Gaining unique and enriching experiences from travelling and living in South Africa. Embracing different perspectives that help further my knowledge of myself, the world we live in and the people who live in it. But of equal importance is my mission to create as much fun and happiness as possible in my life and whatever experience it throws my way. I also really enjoy putting myself into situations that are challenging or challenge my perceptions and beliefs.
PHILOSOPHY: These come and go, I try not to hold myself down to one philosophy as not be become too attached to a single ideology or way of thinking. Life is dynamic and in a constant state of flux, so should be our perceptions of it (I suppose that is a philosophy in itself).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE I know that this is certainly not always the case, but I have only ever had positive experiences on couchsurfing. I use it as a platform to create a more comprehensive travel experience which I believe is only really achieved by enjoying a meaningful cultural exchange, by seeing life of a new place through the eyes of someone who lives there. I have been to many places around the world and seen myriad different sights and landmarks that have taken my breath away but the most enriching aspects of my travelling to date have come from interacting and engaging with the people who's ideas of life and living are completely different to mine. Obviously, the financial benefits of couchsurfing are worth mentioning too! I love that being able to enjoy travel need not, and should not, be the reserve of the rich and I truly believe that couchsurfing can offer a traveller a truer version of travel than any high-end resort ever could!
I host for the same reasons why I surf- to be able to be on the giving end of the cultural exchanges that couchsurfing provides is another big perk of this platform. I have gained so much from surfing that I really enjoy being able to give back and showing people where I live and how I experience life in a particular place.

Interests

My interests range from any number of things and are also subject to change. However here are a few things that really run deep in my passion for life: being outdoors, surfing, camping, food (making, but mostly eating!), travelling, music, people; culture, alcohol (not in the unhealthy, alcoholic sense- more out of pure enjoyment), TV, film, photography and Books (when I get the chance).

• arts
• culture
• books
• photography
• beauty
• dining
• running
• tv
• traveling
• magic
• music
• outdoor activities
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving

Music, Movies, and Books

Music is one of my biggest passions- I am not really into a specific genre or era. In recent years I have been mostly into blues, a bit of folk & acoustic, reggae, motown, some funk, rock and the occasional pop song. Movies: I love films! There are too many to say and I don't have a specific genre either but I am partial to the odd dark comedy or psychological thriller. Some movies that I have stood out to me in recent years have been: Four Lions, As good as it gets, Detachment, The Guard, Whiplash, Fightclub, Kings of Summer, The Life Aquatic (I enjoy Wes Anderson), Natural Born Killers, Django Unchained (Most Tarantino stuff), Fargo, The Big Lebowski (Most Coen Brother's stuff), Mean Streets and most Scorcese stuff... The list goes on... Books- I don't get round to reading much these days (my work involves lots and lots of reading) but here are some that I vaguely remember enjoying before the haze of academic literature descended... Zorba the Greek (Nikos Kazantzakis), Fire Season (Phillip Connor), The Van (Roddy Doyle), On the Road (Jack Kerouac), The Harry Potter Series, State of Fear (Michael Crichton), The Northern Lights Trilogy (Phillip Pullman), I enjoy the odd autobiography, that's about all I can think of right now.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Here are just a few:

-Living on a remote tropical island off the coast of Sumatra.

-Doing a 20,000km roadtrip across the Australian outback and East Coast from Cairns to Melbourne.

-Diving the Great Barrier Reef!

Teach, Learn, Share

I could teach you the art of irritation. I am incredibly talented at annoying even the most passive person if I put my mind to it. This is a skill that I will gladly pass on. Other than that I suppose I'm a bit of an empty vessel but I am always eager to learn new things and share an inappropriate joke here and there.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share a refreshing outlook on life, interesting tales of my journey to date, a good time, a place to rest and the occasional adventure.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Botswana, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Portugal, Spain, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Canada, South Africa, United Kingdom