I am an avid traveler in my home country and I started traveling the world with my wife of 10 years in June of 2019. My hometown is Portland, Oregon USA, and I've lived there most my life. There, we enjoyed regular hiking and camping with friends, participating in local festivals and events, and gorging ourselves on superb food.

Now, we are traveling full time (read more about our journey at www.bigtinyworld.com) and working toward never returning to the 9-5 grind. Some fun articles we've written:
https://bigtinyworld.com/about-us/ (everything you could want to know!)
https://bigtinyworld.com/2018/05/03/5-things-to-not-do-in-portland/ (tips on our city from locals)
https://bigtinyworld.com/2019/07/04/we-were-robbed-while-traveling-how-you-can-learn-from-our-mistake/ (our harrowing tale of surviving Cape Town)
https://bigtinyworld.com/2019/08/15/okonjima-nature-reserve-the-african-cat-experience/ (big cats in Africa!)
https://bigtinyworld.com/2018/01/11/loathing-for-idaho-a-road-trip-horror-story/ (why we wish the state of Idaho would fall off the face of the planet...)

Videography and travel are my passions, and I am working hard to improve my skills and document our adventures around the globe. Meeting people of diverse backgrounds is very rewarding and I look forward to meeting you.

About my wife, Brianna (with whom I'm traveling):
Brianna is an explorer who blazes her own path. She left a career as a software engineer to travel the world, sample international cuisines, and photograph everything in between. She is an aspiring pro photographer (see her work at www.lotsasmilesphoto.com), and she is obsessed with cats (you'll be her best friend if you have one.. or two.. or four). She wants to experience new cultures and see cities and scenic landscapes around the globe... anything that's photo-worthy!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is a great way to get to know a culture first hand. It is important for me to see different perspectives in the world on how people live and work each day. I hope to positively support the local communities I visit and be respectful of their local customs and spaces.

For those visiting my hometown of Portland, Oregon USA, I make an excellent tour guide and can recommend places to go based on your interests. I have hosted several people both with and outside of Couchsurfing and each experience is unique.

Read about our favorite Couchsurfing experience (and why we enjoy it so much) here!
https://bigtinyworld.com/2018/09/20/we-learned-how-to-drink-like-a-russian/

Interests

• cats
• photography
• anime
• travel
• videography
• aliens
• nature walks
• video production

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite music is generally alternative rock, followed by electronic. Movies, Star Wars.

Brianna -
Music: EDM, rock, drum and bass; Muse, Celldweller, Lindsey Stirling, Alan Walker, X Ambassadors, Disturbed, Infected Mushroom, Nothing More, Pendulum, The Piano Guys, 30 Seconds to Mars, Two Steps from Hell
Movies: Shawshank Redemption, Shrek, Usual Suspects, Mrs. Doubtfire, Galaxy Quest
Books: Kingkiller Chronicle, Bobiverse, His Dark Materials, Harry Potter, Ready Player One, Time Traveler's Wife

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Quit my job to take a year to travel the world. This was the most amazing thing I've ever done. We started our trip in June of 2019 and there is no looking back.

Brianna constantly strives to push the envelope and do new amazing things. She's backpacked Alaska to photograph giant grizzly bears, taught herself several programming languages, and crocheted mini doppelgangers of our kitties to travel with us. She is also a military brat and lived in Australia for two years, where she pet kangaroos, noodled for opals, and climbed Ayers Rock. Now, she's building a photography business and helping us build our travel site while putting up with me :)

Teach, Learn, Share

We started a travel blog called BIG tiny World Travel, where we share information about countries we have been to and ones we plan to visit. We are documenting our adventures to inspire others to travel more, especially Americans, and to help them have an amazing travel experience. Americans are often misrepresented in other countries through television, and we can happily answer any questions you have, even the difficult ones. We love deep conversations.

We are also avid media producers, so we love to talk about video and photography.

We're happy to answer any questions on travel, media, America, cats, or aliens. Let's hear 'em!

In exchange, we just want to know about your culture and your city. We love food, so any recommendations of local dishes we should try are greatly appreciated. Have an awesome spot in town the tourists often overlook? We'd love to check it out! What do people often find surprising about your everyday life? We look forward to these conversations :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share my English skills, American culture variations by region, and my background in travel with hosts. Also, I would be happy to help someone learn the basics of photography or video production. We can also share some of our favorite recipes. If ingredients are available locally, we're even happy to cook a meal for you! Brianna makes an awesome breakfast burrito :D

It would be great to take part in the activities of the household and help out like I was a part of the family. I'm not looking for just a place to sleep, there is so much more to the experience and I want to ensure the host is getting a benefit as well. Please don't hesitate to let us know how we can help!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Montenegro, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States