[osxrand]

Sounds like you're enjoying living where you are precisely because of strangers, some of which I'm assuming you meet ;)

[praptak]

Different kind of stranger relation. Renting with its information asymmetry has a huge potential for creating distrust. Did the landlord hide how nasty the neighbors are? Will the tenant vandalize the apartment?

Backpacking/couchsurfing is much more lightweight.

[toomanybeersies]

Well that's half the reason for staying at a backpackers. Forced interaction with lots of strangers, most of whom you will never meet again.