My ideal travel day is involves getting up early, having a really good breakfast, and heading out for a long day of exploring. I live in a suburban area outside of Chicago, so any chance to get out and experience nature and a different culture I am all for. The trips I typically go on involve a lot of hiking, camping, and hiding my food from raccoons but I am equally entertained by perusing shops in a charming boat town, sampling traditional local fare, or going to a cheesy theme park.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Through my travels (which admittedly are not vast or impressive) I have discovered the benefit of something as simple as talking to people. To me, travel isn’t travel if you are still in your little friend bubble and don’t take the time to explore the culture of the area through locals and other travelers. I have received some of the best travel advice from simply asking folks who lived there.

I have been in a hospitality role most of my life, so I absolutely LOVE sharing my city with others and helping them make the most of their trip, so I always challenge myself to let go of my personal agenda and ask others for recommendations while I’m somewhere new. That’s why Couchsurfing is so great!

Interests

• diy
• reading
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• road trips
• travel
• crafting

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went on a week-long backpacking trip on an island in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park in Michigan. It was our second night and as we were sitting on the beach watching the sun set over Lake Michigan, we saw tiny flashes of lightning that were quickly getting closer to us. Sure enough, the wind picked up, we all cleaned up the campsite as quick as we could, and we all retreated to our tents. It was then most intense storm I have ever experienced in the outdoors (a tornado actually touched down not too far from us, we later found out). My tent was blowing up on one side due to the wind and one by one everyone in my tent escaped to a different one so we weren’t blown over completely. The tent I ended up in was plastered to our faces by the wind and rain as we lay there. It finally calmed down and we were all able to fall asleep even though we were all soaked and full of sand. In the morning our original tent was in a tree and a huge limb had come down right over where it was. It shocking to see and my tentmates and I were very aware of how blessed we were to have got out when we did.

The storm that passed over us was said to have had 70mph winds and actually killed another camper on another island just West of us. It was a terrifying, magnificent experience that I am glad to have experienced at such a young age.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States