I am on a lifelong pilgrimage of sorts.

I have been a nomad for the past 5 and a half years and, unable to decide where I was going to head next, I decided to just buy a ticket to Europe and walk through Italy on the Via Francegena (I have previously walked the camino to Santiago from Pau and from Lisbon). I am in the UK at the moment but will be arriving in Besaçon late on Wednesday night. Hopefully, by the weekend, I will begin the 45-60 day walk, definitely to Rome, maybe further.

For money, I work in the Directing department for tv commercials, but most of my life is spent traveling, working with refugees, work-exchanging and housesitting around the States and Europe. Hoping this trip will inspire some clarity to start moving on to another continent :D

I am a simple guy, don't have many possessions in life, I try to minimize capitalism in my life, give more than I take and, if I had my way, I would leave and never stop traveling. I also was a dancer most of my life, though I don't pursue it anymore. I am a poet trying to learn as much about farming, sailing and culinary arts as possible. I love traveling and want to step foot in every country in the world before I die.

PHILOSOPHY

I do not believe in coincidence. Perspective, Dreams, Choice. The three most important words to me. My perspective of my life dictates the dreams that I have, and those dreams, in turn, propel the choices I make, which continues to mold my perspective, and so on.

NOT HOSTING

Unfortunately, as I have no apartment and am still skipping around, I do not have a place to share. Please contact me, though, if you need advice on New Orleans, New York, Los Angeles or any of the cities in the US.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I use Couchsurfing both as a tool for the lifestyle I have chosen and also to meet people. What started as a one-year experiment to see if I could eliminate/minimize money in my life has become a five and a half year journey that has had me living in Spain, Portugal, Greece, France and most recently Sweden. How I started this was by eliminating rent, preferring instead to exchange a skill or a lesson, or even just company or housesitting, for a place to sleep and some food. My main source of contacts are from people with whom I have met on my travels and through helpx or online searching. Although I cannot participate by offering a place to stay, I am always looking for interesting places to stay myself and am perfectly willing to barter as well (I'm a really good cook and dance teacher). But, sometimes, I really do just need a place to crash for a night or two.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I only have a few with this site, but, I've crashed on couches all over the US, UK, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Canada and Mexico. I am very fortunate to know some amazingly generous people, but, I don't know someone everywhere...

Interests

Cooking and Traveling. Those are the big ones. Swing dancing, tap dancing, learning to sail, learning guitar, farming & homesteading, learning how to make cheese, hiking the world. I was in the theater for a lot of my life as well. I'm also a great listener (sometimes to a fault) and I am a really good problem solver. Someone once told me that I am a "jack of all traits, master of none" and I don't mind.

I really would like to take a trans-atlantic sail!

• arts
• writing
• poetry
• theater
• dancing
• flamenco
• tap dancing
• swing dancing
• dining
• cooking
• cheese
• traveling
• homesteading
• music
• guitar
• hiking
• teaching
• tourism
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

All-time favorite books are A Pirate Looks At Fifty, On The Road, The Alchemist, The Tao of Pooh, Siddhartha, 11 Minutes, Night, Jitterbug Perfume, The Man Who Quit Money, Catch-22, Brave New World, Harry Potter 1-7, Skinny Legs and All

I tend to like independent movies but I love Romantic Comedies. Pans Labyrinth, The Godfather I&II, Almost Famous, 5th Element, Avatar, Love Actually, Family Man, A Bronx Tale, Across the Universe, Finding Nemo, all of the Harry Potter movies, Moulin Rouge, Princess Bride, Full Metal Jacket, Into The Wild

Sideman is one of the most well-written shows of all time (Theater shows, that is). TV-wise, Treme, Utopia, The Newsroom and House of Cards are tops, but I also love Sherlock, Bored To Death, Friday Night Lights, Californication, Mad About You and, of course, Saved By The Bell!!!

Music...This is tough cause I like mostly anything. Favorites are Jazz, from New Orleans (Trombone Shorty, Kermit Ruffins, GDA) to NY (Miles, Brown, Blakey), Swing, Classic Rock, etc. I go from Claire de Lune to Rammstein, Zeppelin and Queen to Benny Goodman to Willie Nelson to A Tribe Called Quest and on and on...My newest obsessions are Atmosphere (from the great lakes) and Frank Turner (from UK).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I jumped out of a plane...That was pretty awesome.

I just did a work exchange and the owner of the house taught me how to sail, which had been a childhood dream of mine.

Worked (and work) with refugees across Europe.

Hiked across a few countries.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to cook, I can teach you how to dance, I can teach you about my life, I can teach you English and I can teach you guitar (though I'm not the best myself...but I can still teach you what I know)

What I Can Share with Hosts

As I said, I am a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. Anything I know, I'm willing to share and teach.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Denmark, El Salvador, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

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