"Be a traveler, not a tourist." - Anthony Bourdain

Hi, I'm Andrew! I'm a freelance copywriter, originally from the New York area, USA. I've been living in Thailand for the past 6 months and am traveling around Southeast Asia while based in Chiang Mai.

I'm new on this platform, so please feel free to give me feedback on anything I can improve. I promise I'm a pretty chill guy :)

A bit about me:
- I love to experience other cultures as deeply as possible. I try to live like a local wherever I go and feel a place from "within". I love trying new things and going to places and events to connect with local life and culture. I want to try all the food, even the weird stuff!
- I'm a musician. I mostly play guitar, but I've dabbled in everything. I've released two albums ("Suture Self" and "Runaway") which you can listen to on my Spotify or my Youtube. I love to improvise and am always down to jam!
- I'm a Vipassana meditator. I've done four 10-day silent retreats in my life, plus I volunteered in the kitchen on two more. I meditate for two hours everyday, even when I travel.

- I love architecture, design, and the "feel" of a place. I'm sober (I don't take drugs or drink alcohol), but I still enjoy going out sometimes to well-decorated or themed places. I love rooftop bars, for example. And café nightlife - hanging out, drinking coffee, and chatting till midnight or later - that's a big YES!
- I'm calm and easy to get along with. I'm also quite clean, open to new experiences and differences between people, and respectful.
- I'm generally very curious about other people. I'm a good listener and try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt - we're all trying our best. My mom is a therapist; perhaps that's where I get this from! Throughout my life people have always told me I have a calming energy/vibe.

I've been to 31 countries and lived in 3 (the US, Italy, and Thailand). I also speak English (native), Italian (proficient), and Thai (conversational/intermediate).

I have a girlfriend, so I'm only looking for new friends. Funny story - I moved in with her in Thailand around a week after we met, when my Airbnb unexpectedly was cancelled. We still live together nearly a year later!

Check out my website and blog, http://www.andrew-fletcher.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I solo travel a lot, and I'd like to meet more people to connect and make more friends along the journey. What a great opportunity to share culture and community halfway across the world! Hotels and Airbnb's feel impersonal and boring after a while - I'd much rather have connection than comfort.

Interests

• culture
• writing
• coffee
• meditation
• music
• live music
• guitar
• skiing
• mountains
• travel
• food
• nature
• adventure
• language
• exploring
• living abroad
• asia
• vipassana
• new friends
• slow travel
• local
• local music
• creative work
• tranquility
• off-the-beaten-path

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
-Virtuoso guitarists; my favorite musician is Eric Johnson, and I also really like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Guthrie Govan
-Grunge/90s, especially Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Chris Cornell
-Classic rock, especially Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Boston, The Beatles
-Some metal/prog (Megadeth, Dream Theatre), some EDM (Armin Van Buuren), some jazz (Coltrane and Bill Evans are my favorites)
-Funk, Motown, Soul
-Some stuff that's hard to categorize: Lotus, SunSquabi, Umphreys McGee, String Cheese Incident
-Jam bands, especially Phish (I've seen them 46 times). I like the Grateful Dead but I wouldn't say I love them (American Beauty is a masterpiece, though)
-Literally anything by Beethoven. Goosebumps!

Movies:
-Lord of the Rings
-Inception
-La Grande Bellezza

Books:
-Sapiens (fun fact, Yuval Noah Harari practices the same kind of meditation as me)
-The War Of Art (Steven Pressfield)
-Anything by Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, my two favorite fiction authors
-Leaves Of Grass (Walt Whitman)
-Big Magic (Elizabeth Gilbert)
-Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell)
-Norwegian Wood (Haruki Murakami)

I love learning new things and would love to hear your recommendations!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Quit my job and start a new career from scratch. I had no background in writing before I became a freelance copywriter, about two years ago. But after a few months and a lot of hustling, it grew into my full-time job. It's super flexible and kind of the best job ever, to be honest. I make my own hours and can work from anywhere in the world, so now I'm living abroad!

If you need anything written, or want any feedback on a piece of your writing to make it better, let me know - I love doing both of these things!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a lifelong student. My biggest passions are writing (also proofreading and editing), meditation, and music; I've spent many years and thousands of hours practicing each of these and I know more than the average person, I suppose. I'm happy to teach what I know; however, I'm constantly working on them and would love to collaborate with you as well if you're interested.

I like listening to people, learning about their passions, and sharing their enthusiasm. I'm always happy to share about and nerd-out on my interests too!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'd love to take you out for some food, and if you're available and want to explore, let's explore together! I'm also perfectly happy doing my own thing if you're busy or want some more time to yourself. I'd love to meditate and/or play music with you if you're interested in these things, and I'm happy to teach too if you'd like to learn. I'm open to any and all experiences, and I'm always open to company!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russian Federation, San Marino, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, Thailand, United States