*****Not accepting guests as I currently don't live anywhere! Will hopefully be hosting again (this time in Auckland) in a few months time*****

Hey :) I'm Alys, a full time traveller and occasional travel writer!

I left the UK in August 2016 with my friend Gary (pictured) and we travelled together through Europe, Russia, Mongolia, China, South East Asia and New Zealand. Gary now works in Queenstown and I just spent one month working at an eco community in rural Auckland, cooking delicious vegan treats and meals and looking after/ connecting with guests from all over the world :)

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A bit about our backgrounds:
We both grew up in/ near London and went to University in Norwich. Gary studied English Literature and I studied Ecology and Science Communication.

Whilst at University, we got to travel to some amazing places - Gary climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and we both trekked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. After University, Gary spent a year in Australia on a working holiday visa, whilst I travelled to China, USA and Europe.

We are friendly and outgoing, love to socialise, meet new people and swap stories - especially over food! On our travels we've met some amazing people who have turned into great friends, and we are always looking for more :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The best thing about travelling is definitely the people you meet and the things you can learn from each other. When we travel, we want to meet new people, make new friends and really immerse ourselves in other peoples' cultures to enrich the experience!

It's incredible that people will open up their homes for those exploring the world and we are super grateful to everyone who has hosted us so far :)

Interests

Alys:
My two main loves are travel and food! I love exploring new places and trying new foods. I also like to socialise but can appreciate relaxing with a book or writing for my blog. I love adventures, days at the beach, trekking and local markets. I love photography and often take part in photography tours when travelling. I like being creative - including making and editing videos. (Some of my photos can be seen at www.instagram.com/alysthewildlife)

Gary:
I'm big on my reading, and have a fully loaded kindle, which is handy as I've got a lot of trains to catch! I enjoy keeping active and regularly play squash, football and go jogging. I really enjoy socialising and like to be in the company of fun loving people. I also have a huge passion for travel - hence the big trip!

• writing
• books
• literature
• photography
• dining
• wine
• vegan
• flying
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• blogging
• surfing
• soccer
• racquetball
• ecology
• science
• tours
• beaches
• squash
• beach

Music, Movies, and Books

Alys:
My favourite book is Into the Wild but I also love crime fiction! I am also interested in reading about psychology, science and the environment.

Films - again, anything crime based. I love a good psychological thriller or any film with a good plot twist.

Music - a bit of everything. A mix of hip hop, r&b, indie, deep house, reggaeton, rock.... you name it!

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Gary:
Stand out Authors - Cormac Mcarthy, esp 'The Road', Stephen King esp 'The Stand', Oscar Wilde, George Orwell, George R. R. Martin, Joseph Conrad, Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas, William Golding esp 'Lord of the flies'.

Books - Flowers for Algernon, The Girl with all the Gifts, The Heart of Darkness, The Orphan Master's Son, The Godfather, A Clockwork Orange, Winnie-the-Pooh. Will go for any genre but particularly enjoy a post apocalyptic story or something that's just a bit different. Looking for recommendations!

Movies - Pulp Fiction - all time favourite
Any genre really, but enjoy a good plot and smart script.

Music - Indie, rock, pop

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Alys - Seeing Machu Picchu at sunrise after 7 days of trekking.

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Gary - Reaching the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Teach, Learn, Share

Recently learnt to juggle so I can share my (limited) juggling skills! Also happy to teach vegan cooking/ baking, how to make sauerkraut/ kombucha etc and also share travel tips!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Sense of humour
Lots of travel stories
A great meal
The chance to make good memories :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Cambodia, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom