CURRENT MISSION

Live a life bloody well lived.

ABOUT ME

Adam and Nathalie are a happy, successful, easy-going, stress-free couple from Australia. And they LOVE seeing the world. But who doesn't, really.

Friends would describe them as caring, reliable, open, considerate, adventurous, spontaneous, friendly, calculated risk-takers, old souls, free- spirited and not afraid to put themselves out there and step out of their comfort zones. They are not easily pressured to conform to society's expectations. They love to conform to their own, in their own time, on their own terms.

They are both dreamers, optimists, and lovers of nature. And whilst they can appreciate the finer things in life, they are not easily impressed, nor are their goals largely based around money, fancy cars, houses, rings, watches, clothes, shoes, designer brands, luxury or anything that blatantly screams out ‘status’. They believe life's too short for too much material BS. They would much rather spend their hard-earned cash elsewhere, where they believe it truly counts, and that for now, is stepping out of their little bubble and adventuring out to see the beauty and incredible sights of the world, seeing how others live and experience true culture.

Simply put, they love life's simplicities and thrive on authentic experiences. Put them at a departure gate, and they're happy :)

Adam and Nathalie will be travelling, free as birds for 9 months in total (and no Amy, not to go away to have their bastard child, ha).
Their adventure begins 3rd of June, 2012. First stop is Paris and Biarritz for 3 weeks, then it's off to the Caribbean for 7. What follows is a crazy clock-wise loop of South America beginning mid-August, then Central America, and Mexico as the final stop. EXCITEMENT doesn't even come close to describing this once in a lifetime, quarter life retirement. For the remainder of their 20s, they say in a potty-mouth fashion, "see you later jobs, bills and routine. What a F****** great way to bring in our 30s!!"

PHILOSOPHY

Most people we know live very similar lives because they have simply followed what everybody else is doing without a second's thought. For some people, life consists of finishing school, going to uni, getting a good job, buying a house, getting married, having kids, settling down, going on a holiday once a year, saving for retirement and finally retiring. We have decided (actually we have always had an inkling since we were youngins), that this average life just isn't for us, and a few weeks holiday per year certainly won't do! Not without a long-term travel adventure first, because it just doesn't compare!! We have already travelled extensively around the world, either for leisure, work or study so we've had a taste of what's out there and what life has to offer. And by golly do we want more of it!

We feel sad for people who don't take risks and would rather live safe lives like everybody else, merely accumulating expensive, fancy stuff, and over-working themselves to be able to afford, yep, more stuff. Why? Because once you have that bag or those shoes or that car you've been wanting, they make you happy for a little while, before you're over it and move on to wanting the next thing. And the cycle just goes on and on until you're so used to it that you see nothing wrong with it and it just becomes normal to you, especially if you don't know any better or have surround yourself with people who are the same. We have realised over the years that we don’t want to live like that. Not only is it a selfish, competitive way to live, but it’s exhausting and it’s meaningless.
We have seen that it doesn’t take a lot to stay happy. As long as you are healthy, and have enough money to be able to do the important things in life, why keep striving for more and more stuff? It’s healthy to have goals and strive to become better people physically, mentally and spiritually, but when your love of money or accumulation of wealth is right up there with your list of goals, you do have to wonder why. Is it your ego? Your craving for power? Status? Whatever it is, so many people fall intothe trap. What a silly and sad human quality.

So, back to spending your dollars on things that actually matter when you’re old and wrinkly, we want to make the most of our youth by accumulating worthwhile, cultural and long-lasting experiences. Before we start saying the things our friends have already started to say about long-term, no work, kid-free travel: "we can't afford it", "we're saving for a house", "we've got a mortgage", "Our jobs/ careers won’t allow us", "it's too hard with kids", "maybe one day".
Screw that! Life passes by so quick, and before you know it, you will wake up and find yourself saying these very things, most likely with a sigh of disappointment wondering what could have been – “if I only I'd just prioritised things in a different order. Now I feel too old, tired or tied down to do it".
Just the other day, we heard Adam's grandad say something to the effect of, there is no point in making all this money, if you can't enjoy it now when you're fit, young, able and willing.
Cheers to that, wise man!

Soon enough, these crazy kids may buy or build a beautiful home, have an awesome destination-fuss-free little wedding, continue their already well-established careers, or begin new ones, have cute kids and settle down in a charming little cottage with plenty of land to run amock in; complete with fruit trees, chooks, goats, sheep, cats and dogs and a wicked veggie garden. And yes while we are still young. But for now, because we can and there is no rush, we will go nuts! We may not get the chance again to pack our bags, throw away all responsibility and retire for months on end, until well, we retire! And during our working lives, we know it will almost be impossible when and if kids or the mundane 9-5 (or longer for some) begin to become a major focus of one's life.

Having worked in the corporate world for 8 years, I can tell you right now that although I have enjoyed it immensely, built an awesome career, worked for famous international companies, with amazing people, travelled the world with my job and saved lots of money in the process, it's not all it's cracked up to be. You soon discover there is so much more to life than jobs, money, things, bills and mortgages - I should know - I've been keeping up 2 mortgages since the age of 21 thanks to my crazy ambitious goals at the time! Boy, have I changed.

Essentially, we've come to realise that 30, 20 or even 10 years from now, we'll be more disappointed by the things we didn't do than by the things we did. Taking life so seriously, so quickly is BORING.
There is no point trying to "grow up" too quickly when there is plenty of time in your 30s and beyond to become a fully-fledged, 'wake-up, work, eat, watch-TV, sleep and do it all over again tomorrow', home-body (sometimes boring) ol' grown-up. Unless of course, you’re young and this is what you want.

Having said that, even when we hit our 30s, we hope to somewhat stir clear of this wherever we can, and if a career change is on the cards, we hope to pick careers that are meaningful in the way of helping others, and that they let us LIVE, with plenty of time to enjoy the fruits of our labour NOW, not later, because you never know what will be around the corner. We hope to do this by always remembering, with a sense of realism in tow, that although you have to work hard in life, plan for the future, accept the good with the bad, the fun with the boring, life doesn't have to be monotonous,, nor ordinary, superficial or materialistic, and it most certainly does not need to be lived like everybody else.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We are yet to experience it!

Interests

It is safe to say that Nathalie is mildly (chronically) obsessed with animals. The two-legged and four-legged kind. Fins, scales, wings or tails; cute, creepy, slimy or weird, it doesn’t matter, she doesn't judge. Put an animal safely in front of Nathalie, and you can rest assured she will beam, quite literally, with joy. And naturally, like a proper animal lover, she chooses not to eat them. That would just be weird!

Her unique and goofy combination of a girly-girl tomboy, means Nathalie is always up for anything, and as a result, has many interests and loves. She's grown to love messing around in the kitchen and learning to cook healthy, scrumptious feasts. Getting pampered with a manicure, shopping with the girls, or getting dressed up for a night out, she loves the fun of being a lady. However, Nathalie is also a fuss free girl. She would much rather have her boyfriend take her on a fun-filled, action-packed, long holiday than have him buy her blingy, pretty things. She would much rather go do a scuba diving course than buy a Luis Vuitton hand bag. Just like Adam, experiences come first, then objects.

With her kid-at-heart, playful, trickster personality, she also loves practical jokes, games, organising surprises and planning stuff. Athletic and strong, she's also into fitness and sports. She will literally play and watch ANY sport even if she's hopeless at it. Most definitely not one of those "If I'm not good at it, I won't do it" type of folk.

Her (not so) secret hobby is collecting bikinis (yes, you read right, and yes that is weird). She would wear a bikini all day everyday if she could. Just as well she is a lover of the sun and the surf!

Nathalie is also a lover of languages, fluent in her native Spanish, English and French, sprinkled with a little Italian and a pinch of Mandarin.
She is so damn grateful for her ability to communicate in these languages, particularly seeing they have taken her to places and given her opportunities unimaginable, had it not been for this multilingual tongue.

Her other big love is photography. Stilling moments in time fascinates her BIG TIME. With her collection of photography gadgets slowly building, she hopes to become a semi-decent, just-for-fun, little nerd photographer in the bright, near future.

And it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t mention a few more things. First and foremost, the family. Nathalie is hugely and undoubtedly a family gal. Her mum and dad, exemplars of a happy marriage are her heroes. And her little sister, her very best friend. And with their three goof-ball dogs that fill the household with ridiculous joy and laughter, her family life sure is sweet. As a result, she dreams of bringing up a family where the munchkins can grow up with both sets of grannies and grandpas just a short car ride away. Because what could possibly be more important than family eh?

The second being food. (Un)fortunately, Nathalie likes to eat like a huge man. She eats more than you could possibly even begin to comprehend or elusively imagine. She loves to eat food, good food, and lots of it. Accompanied with a few superb wines, (well, perhaps just one - she's a hopeless cheap drunk) and she in heavenly, food belly bliss.

And we can’t go by without mentioning Nathalie’s hippy-at-heart passion for the environment. She cares deeply for it and believes in giving to the environment as much as you take it from it. Countless hours volunteering, turning to a vegetarian diet and reading the back of bottles to check for crappy nasties, being a responsible and conscious consumer is extremely important to her.

Oh and dancing! Boy does she love to dance. It must certainly be in the blood with her Latin-American roots and a mother who has party-goers circling around her just to watch her boogie. It is safe to say, Nathalie is happy when she dances. And dances when she is happy.

Similarly, Adam has music and rhythm in his bones and in his soul. An avid guitar player, he enjoys an assortment of beats and tunes and is at his happiest when music is playing. He ain’t a half bad dancer either, which is how he met Nathalie and how Nathalie thought to herself, "right, that is it, I've just got to have him". Closely followed by, "What! He can also cook, clean, fix everything, build anything, play the guitar and sing to me. Heaven all mighty. I did good".

And like Nathalie, he loves staying fit, strong and in tip top shape. Not only to look good for his girl (ha), but to feel healthy and at his fine prime to roll with life's punches.
Just as well, because this country boy, who has grown up with quality produce and glorious food all his life, chows down his gigantic plate quicker than his girlfriend can say, "Honey, should we eat here or... Oh my God, what the hell have you done with it"

More fundamentally, however, Adam is a thinker, a soul searcher and a driver of his own dreams. He doesn’t just talk about things, or wishes he could do things, he just does them. While everyone else is dreaming, Adam is wickedly living their dreams.

If there is anything he loves more (other than his awesome little lady of course) it's the surf. Surfing the world’s waves is what lightens the fire in Adam’s belly. It's difficult to put into words, unless you have surfed yourself, what surfing does to one’s soul. The connection between man and water is dreamlike. Adam would best describe it as heart-pumping, spirit filling, time-stopping, joy inducing, self meditation.

And as he speeds down a hill at a million miles an hour on his mountain bike, you can see that thrill-seeking is embedded in his makeup. Without a doubt, adventure sports are his thing. Whether it be bungy jumping, sky diving, white-water rafting, scuba diving or rock climbing, whatever gets that adrenalin kickin’, Adam is laughin’.
Luckily for him, and much to his delight, Nathalie is right there with him, sharing and loving the thrills and painful spills of these crazy, self-inflicted adventure sports.

• animals
• cats
• dogs
• birds
• culture
• singing
• design
• fashion
• photography
• beauty
• dancing
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• fitness
• dieting
• running
• meditation
• partying
• gardening
• shopping
• clothing
• reading
• tv
• traveling
• cars
• music
• guitar
• cycling
• surfing
• scuba diving
• sports
• rock climbing
• languages
• volunteering
• long-term travel

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Where to begin...

Teach, Learn, Share

We can teach you English, Spanish or French, or teach you to salsa, samba or surf!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, France, United States