IMPORTANT

For previous guests: I have recently moved to a new apartment. I live further from the city now!

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Hi! I've divided this into subsections, since there is a lot of information to put in here. It's divided as follows:

1. Who am I?
2. About my place / hosting rules
3. Tips for visiting Amsterdam

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1. Who Am I?
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I want to start by saying that what defines me is my approach to understanding the world around me. I want to know where my biases are, how much of the world I'm perceiving through a lens constructed by the world around me. For that reason, I always strive to meet new people and talk. I want to get new perspectives and understand the way other people think, live and experience. Only by meeting others can I even begin to understand what is out there and why the world turns as it does.

I have a love for learning about law, society, technology and everything that connects those fields together. In my professional life I solve problems of these intertwining areas and find solutions to make society run smarter and faster. This means knowing the developments that are out there, deducing how they apply to law, and analysing how society will react.

I always look into myself to see that which needs to be improved upon. A problem can only be solved if it is recognized. Understanding myself is what I consider my lifegoal.

And as for hosting? I love having new people in my place and show them the beauty of Amsterdam. I consider myself privileged to live in such a magnificent city and I want to share that with others. I'm happy to show the more hidden spots, enjoy some of the nightlife together, and have lots of tea over in-depth conversations.

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2. About my place / hosting rules
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# Location

I live in the town of Bussum, about a 25 minute ride away from Amsterdam Central Station. My place is right next to a nature reserve where you can go on long walks through forests and meadows. It's a lovely place to relax but still close to the big Amsterdam city to go and have fun.

If you find yourself wanting to visit Amsterdam, but also slow down a little, my place will definitely provide that calm.

My exact address will be sent about a week before your arrival, as I prefer not to have my address shared with too many people.

# When I host
I generally prefer to host on the weekends. As I'm working most weekdays, I don't really have much time for guests during the week. This doesn't mean I don't host at all during the weekdays, but I'm more likely to accept on the weekend. I take both early requests and last-minute requests, but I don't accept requests earlier than 2 months in advance. I accept stays for up to 4 nights.

House rules
I'd say I don't have many particular house rules. Just behave well within reason and it should be okay. The most important rule for me is about sound at night. Because I care for my neighbors, loud sounds must be avoided at night so they can sleep well. I do Couch Surfing as a hobby and my neighbors tolerate me having many guests over, but the moment they start being a nuisance that feast is over.

Another rule is for the arrival time on the first night. I really would prefer if my guests arrive before 21:00 the first night, and keep me up to date on their expected arrival. It may definitely not exceed 23:00 unless agreed upon before.

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3. Tips for visiting Amsterdam
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After hosting so many people at this point I've seen a few mistakes or missed opportunities people make, so I'm going to name a few here so you can make the most of your visit.

# Tickets for museums
Most museums in the city you can get tickets the same day or the day before. This is however not true for a few of them, such as the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. These museums are often fully booked up until a month in advance, so get your tickets early!

# Getting around
Amsterdam Central is a 25 minute rail ride away from my home, and from there one can get everywhere in the city quickly and efficiently. Besides that the city has an extensive train, metro and tram network that gets you effectively anywhere. For tickets, I offer my guests the use of two national transport cards that I bought specifically for guests. These hold credit which can be used to travel on EVERY type of public transport in the entire country. These transport tickets are a lot cheaper to use than buying single tickets or 1 hour travel tickets. So once you get to my place, I'll hand you those tickets and you can use them during your stay. You can hand them back at the end.

When traveling on public transport in Amsterdam or the Netherlands, you must ALWAYS tap in with your ticket when entering and tap out when leaving. You must ALWAYS tap in AND tap out. I can't stress this enough.

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End
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Thank you for getting all the way down here! If you're interested in staying with me, feel free to send a request or message!

Interests

• writing
• poetry
• politics
• chess
• traveling
• cycling
• law
• philosophy
• society
• dreaming
• programming

Music, Movies, and Books

I love everything fantasy and sci-fi. I particularly love the books of Tolkien and the Expanse. As for music, I listen to everything from local folklore to sweeping soundtracks. My Spotify playlist is an incoherent mess.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

That time I brought down the Dutch government. A long and complicated story which I'm happy to share with you when we meet.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good conversations on basically every topic. I'm a calm guest who enjoys a wide range of activities. From going to live music bars to staying in, having a nice cup of tea and discussing the great topics of our time.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom