CURRENT MISSION

Live the life of a traveller and truly get to know other people and places while sharing my experiences.

ABOUT ME

I love to be where I can see the natural beauty that surrounds us - both the people and the places. I am a passionate devourer of good food, homespun conversation, and cold brews. I am occasionally found walking through the river off the beaten path and whistling to some bluegrass tune. Other times I'll be digging my hands into the dirt trying to coax plants out of the ground. If I'm not doing that I'll probably be paragliding over a mountain, plucking a guitar, reading a book, or trying to find a way to fund my travels and passions. No matter what I'm doing, I love it more when I'm with good people - friends or strangers.

For the last two years I've been teaching environmental education to school kids and road tripping/bike touring around the U.S. I then spent 4 months backpacking in New Zealand then moved to Spain where i jumped off mountains with a paraglider. I'm trying to make sure that I can look back on my life and feel like I used my youth well. It sounds cheesy, but I want to wander the world to find out what dream I want to chase.

So, I'm exploring the world and see what different countries have to offer. I am down to try anything, as long as it's something I can grow from. If you have an idea of what to do, I'll always say "yes, and..."

To see what I've been doing lately, see my blog - http://bwfleck.wordpress.com/

PHILOSOPHY

Live life. Love Life. Share life.

I will always regret the things I didn't do more than the things I did.

Do what you love until you can't.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Right now I've been surfing more than hosting, but as soon as I have a house, I'm going to try to host as much as possible. I will pay back the favor over and over again. Promise.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've met a lot of Couch Surfers, but until now, I don't think that I've participated enough. I've had a lot of fun meeting people through couchsurfing while I was in University and would go out and get a beer with them or just see if we wanted to travel together (which we did a few times) I'm ready to use this site to meet people all over the world.

visited 15 states (6.66%)Create your own visited map of The World or jurisdische veraling duits?

visited 39 states (78%)Create your own visited map of The United States or Like this? try: Visited Countries

Interests

I'm really down to try anything, and this list is always changing as I go from place to place. What I've realized is that I need to adapt myself to wherever I am, so I try to take interest in whatever the locals are doing.

This is just a small list of things I've loved.

Exploring, paragliding, biking, guitar, banjo, farming, open spaces, backpacking, books, close knit concerts, Big cities, small towns, mountains, canyons, old trees, random encounters, long talks, good coffee or tea, climbing, disc golf, wandering, stories, mother earth, father earth, meat pies, dark beers, jam sessions, fresh veggies, and meeting you.

• books
• singing
• beauty
• concerts
• education
• dining
• beer
• coffee
• meditation
• walking
• clothing
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• blogging
• knitting
• homesteading
• music
• guitar
• cycling
• backpacking
• surfing
• rock climbing
• paragliding
• golf
• teaching
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Anything filmed, played, or written because the artist loved what they were doing, as long as they loved being entertaining.

I love me some bluegrass (Americana with a banjo and some country love) and acoustic folk that you can play on the streets. I usually will stop and listen to a street musician and even play along with them if I'm carrying my guitar or banjo. You should really check out the bands Elephant Revival and The Haunted Windchimes if you want to know my style.

Books - I need them to be well written, no matter the story. Some of my favorite authors are, Paul Auster, Kurt Vonnegut, Markus Zuzak, Leon Uris, John Steinbeck, T.C. Boyle, Lewis Carrol, Ken Kesey, and, I'm not ashamed to say, J.K. Rowling.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I biked from Colorado to Oregon so I could work on a mountain homestead building cob houses and cultivating permaculture gardens.

Teach, Learn, Share

Tips on the Successful Hitch:

Do as the Romans do:
The biggest thing is to talk to local hitchers (not random people who don't hitch but have an opinion about it) about what they do. Signs work well in some places and fail in others. Some cities are hitchable but sometimes you have to take the bus out. A lot of times there are great gas stations or bus stops in the middle of the city that you'd miss if you didn't know a local.

Advertise yourself:
Would you pick yourself up? Try to look presentable. A suit and tie isn't necessary (might even be a turn off) but a smile and maybe a bright piece of clothing will help. Also, eye contact is key, and so is a wave before the car gets to you. I also like happy faces and stars on my signs and a guitar at my side.

Give them space:
You need to be in a place where the driver can see you for at least 10 seconds (an hour would be better) and somewhere they can pull off behind you without still hanging in the road. Give them a wave to make them acknowledge that you are there to at least get the conversations started about if they should pick up a hitcher some day.

Patience, patience, patience.
You don't hitch because you need to be somewhere fast. Instead, you get to spend a lot of time in your head, be rejected over and over and sometimes you have to walk for hours. So, enjoy it. Force yourself to smile when you've been stuck for an hour, sing a song, tell every car that passes you wish them the best, play word games, meditate, and watch the weather change. Hitching slows you down and lets you be with yourself for a bit, so be friends with yourself.

In a long ride:
Some people pick you up for a little bit, but sometimes you're in it for the long haul. Always pee before you stick your thumb out and carry some snacks and some water where you can easily access it. Don't be afraid to put your ipod on and share some music with the driver and try to tell some stories that will keep them awake.

You get what you give:
Just like most things that come to you in life, you attract them to you. If you want to be safe, tell yourself you will. Hitching is not dangerous as long as you are not scared and you show the person that picks you up that you respect them. If you want to be safe, be non threatening.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Canada, Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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