CURRENT MISSION

Searching for the holy grail or whatever fun adventure I come across, pretty much!

ABOUT ME

Why hello there. Welcome to my humble profile!
My name is Attila and I'm a traveler from the North.
Gothenburg, Sweden, to be exact!

I’m an active person, both when traveling and at home. Whether on foot, or on bike, I love to head out and explore the world and whatever catches my attention at the moment. I also enjoy hanging around in bars and all that jazz. That being said, I’m very happy to simply put up my hammock and read a book in the park as well!

A few years ago when I first started traveling, I would often leave home trying to seek out answers to questions I was dealing with at the time; as I would frequently travel solo, the experiences I had were quite impactful, existentially speaking. These days I enjoy seeking out adventure just for the fun of it, and the more mundane aspects of traveling and living away from home are something I’ve come to appreciate in their own right. I guess I could quote Tolkien about wanderers but someone else already did (Pretty sure I’m not lost, though :))!

I have good social skills and feel like I can get along well with almost anyone. I generally find it easier in smaller rather than in larger groups of people though; and in truth, I often prefer sharing silence than talking about “the weather.” Even so, I’m probably more likely than the average person to mention the forecast!

Since coming home from China I’ve got into bicycle touring and have little by little upped the distances covered and the durations of my trips. I now feel comfortable and quite prepared to travel on wheels for a long time but as of now I don’t have any concrete plans of doing so. Whether this particular dream of mine is realized in the near or distant future genuinely doesn’t matter to me. I simply want to travel the world until I die!

PHILOSOPHY

YOLO! Just kidding, haha! (… but not really) <3
Seriously though, I like an adventure and love a rush or a thrill but I also treasure just taking it easy and chilling somewhere pretty! I also think that it is more rewarding to give than to take and I try to be as little selfish as I can and keep a small ego at all times.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I first started couch-surfing when I was in a phase of quite intensive and extensive traveling. Especially while touring the US by myself. I found it remarkably easy and really enjoyed meeting up and staying with other easy-going and likeminded people. While traveling, I do like to get a mix of hostel stays and couchsurfing. Since I didn’t have a big enough apartment while studying, and since I’ve since lived abroad during the pandemic, I haven’t been able to host much yet but I’m definitely interested in starting that chapter too.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I’ve had many unforgettable experiences thanks to couch-surfing and almost all of them good. Certainly none that I feel bad about so many years later, even though certain things have been a little stressful and seriously confusing at the time.

I have pretty much only had great random experiences with my hosts, shared so many stories and learned a lot about them, as well as about myself.

Interests

I love sports, music (all kinds of live music, especially), any outdoor activity, reading, writing, or simply philosophizing!

• writing
• books
• beauty
• running
• flying
• politics
• traveling
• painting
• music
• live music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• backpacking
• sports
• soccer
• history
• philosophy
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Pretty mainstream except that the music I listen to tends to be older, a lot of old bands from the 60s and 70s like Stones, Beatles, Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Springsteen, Clash, etc. I also listen to a lot of Swedish music and find the melancholic vibe very soothing — much more so than depressing, in any case.

When it comes to movies, I usually prefer European and Asian to American. Although I absolutely love some of the classics like The Matrix, Pulp Fiction, The Lord of the Rings, etc.

I don’t know if I have a particular taste when it comes to books but I like Haruki Murakami a lot and I’ve never read a classic that I didn’t enjoy.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Went to Madrid to see a Champions League game vs. Manchester City last fall, it was brilliant! :D
Also been to South Africa and Cape Town, it was a great experience going to Table Mountain and Cape of Good Hope.
Been living and studying spanish for about 8 months in total in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. (2011)

Backpacking the US and Canada for three months this summer, on my own, was by far the coolest thing I have ever done, so far. Best summer of my life and met so many amazing people and saw spectacular places and sights. (2013)

After travelling for five months in Asia I made my way home from Beijing to Gothenburg during the course of one month and without flying, stopping in Ulaanbaatar, Irkutsk, Moscow and Berlin before driving home with my family. The whole trip really was a life-lesson. Compared to my trip to North America, I was only two years older, but I felt it affected me in an entirely different way. Not better, not worse. Unforgetable. (2015)

I lived in China for almost two years during the pandemic and worked as an English teacher there. It was really challenging in a lot of ways but it was also one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had. I’d been to China before but this time I really got to learn and appreciate what an amazing bunch the Chinese people are. Absolutely love it there, even though I’d always miss home if I lived there long term. (2021)

Although I started working in the Swedish prison system quite by chance, I’ve found that it’s a job that suits me very well and the two years that I’ve worked in Swedish jails and prisons have been incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding. I feel like I’ve really developed and grown as a person and I will forever be grateful that I decided to try it out. (2023)

I recently got back after traveling around India for nine weeks. It was an experience quite unlike my other Asian adventures and unfortunately not my cup of tea, to be honest. I’m glad to have given it a try though and I feel that I learned things that I’ve yet to put down in words or thoughts. The natural landscapes and biodiversity of these places were absolutely stunning and after spending years in Asia I can say that my lifelong dream to see wild animals in their natural habitat was finally fulfilled. (2024)

(list updated chronologically)

Teach, Learn, Share

I’ve always wanted to learn how to play guitar, but I really love to learn anything from history or politics to science, music or sports.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Spain, Sweden