I've been travelling on and off since I left university. In that time I have done three long periods of travel. My last big trip was in 2016 and 2017 when I travelled through the former Soviet Union. My main focus was on Siberia, Central Asia, the Caucasus countries and the northern rim of the Black Sea. I'm not much of a country counter. I'd rather spend an extended period in one country to better understand it.

I love music, food and the natural world and I try to ensure that all of these are a part of my life. I'm a big fan of Australian football and I often go to see my team (Richmond) play during the winter. In 2017 I flew back from Russia to see them play in the Grand Final. A good thing that we won!

My love for the outdoors has gotten me into the environmental movement and I have done a lot of work in the area. It's also motivated me to get a job in finding solutions, which is why I was working in the renewable energy and carbon sectors. At the moment I work for myself which means I work from home a lot.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Hosting: during my travels I have often experienced the kindness of strangers; sometimes from Couchsurfers, sometimes other people. I like to return the favour and to also stay connected with the travelling community. Hosting also means that I never run out of shampoo :-)

Surfing: I don't travel to see castles and museums. I travel to understand what a country is like in the present day. There is no better way than to speak to and stay with local people.

I strongly believe Couchsurfing is an exchange. That could just be of ideas and conversation and it can be helping my host around the house.

Interests

Music, hiking, cooking, football, learning Russian

• music festivals
• cooking
• music
• hiking
• australian football
• cultural immersion
• russian language
• cultural exchange
• nature lover

Music, Movies, and Books

Music is number 1 in this category for me. My all time favourites are Nick Cave (seen many times), anything by Mike Patton (seen many times) and Tom Waits (never seen!!!! [tears]).

Melbourne's music scene is great and something I try to make the most of. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, the Cable Ties, Amyl and the Sniffers are a few current favourites.

I like to get to festivals from time to time. Golden Plains is probably Australia's best festival. The Woodford Festival has also become a staple for me; the most relaxing thing to do over the Christmas break.

Some of my favourite authors are Tom Robbins, Graham Greene and Vonnegut. I feel I have to expand my repertoire a bit, but the little reading time I've had for a while has been occupied by non-fiction. I love reading history.

When it comes to movies I'm more Arthouse over Hollywood

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I love overlanding! I've overlanded from Copenhagen to Jakarta and from the Russian Pacific coast to the Persian Gulf.

Teach, Learn, Share

What does this field mean? Am I meant to give some words of wisdom?

On of the principles I live by is; change happens, so you might as well dictate the terms

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to cook and would welcome the opportunity. I'm fairly handy so can do jobs around the house. Or I can talk endlessly about music, travel, politics or just plain rubbish

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United Kingdom