Hi, I'm Alina! I'm on a gap year, getting my fix of adventures before settling down for grad school.

Recently having moved to Paris, France from Cape Town, South Africa, I'm looking for my next adventure on the Mediterranean. Travel is the great passion of my life. So far, I've been to 31 different countries and am always looking for exciting new horizons and experiences and strangers to share them with!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My first time hosting couchsurfers was just a few months ago in Toronto, Canada! Two friends of friends of friends from Barcelona needed a place to stay, and I played host. It was truly a new way of travelling and meeting fellow adventurers, and I'm looking forwards to connect and couchsurf with people from all over the world!

Interests

Though I'm a city girl at heart-- nothing beats the excitement, diversity, and nightlife-- I always like to take a few weeks to get in touch with nature to reenergize. I love being out on the water: sailing, boating, canoeing, kayaking. I find the open waters to be one of the most thrilling, yet grounding experiences. Every summer I try to get in a canoeing or boating trip on the lakes in the Canadian Rockies, or sail along the BC islands of the west coast. Other ways to get in touch with nature: hiking, camping, long drives are also fun.

• boating
• hiking
• canoeing
• sailing
• roadtrips
• cooking and baking

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Roman Holiday, Casablanca, Breathless

Books: When You Are Engulfed In Flames, My Brilliant Friend, The Idiot

Music: Ravel, SZA, Prince

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Camping in the Sossusvlei sand dunes under the stars, after driving from Cape Town to the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, over unpaved roads in a Martian landscape.

Or living off of nothing but Soylent for a month (for science! And savings.)

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm always willing to share an exciting experience or a good meal!

Looking to learn: Hebrew, Italian, to surf or salsa. Open to learning from anyone about basically anything.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love cooking and sharing meals - it's a universal way to share and communicate experiences. I'm always happy to help put together a meal, or bake some Canadian treats!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Montenegro, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France, Singapore, South Africa