"I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses." - Bill Bryson.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

In 2014, the Couchsurfing world welcomed me with open arms. Across Europe I stayed with the most incredible locals in the most incredible places.

There were surfers whose houses were boats. There were couples with six-month-old babies. There were even identical twin sister surfers in Rome and Madrid. They all cooked me food, provided shelter, offered me working wifi. They challenged my perceptions about everything and they made me laugh. Every single time. They gave me the greatest experience of my life.

Interests

I can pick up a newspaper and read every section, and not just because it's my job to write it. Whatever you're into, we'll have something in common.

Sport has always been a big part of my life and I love it all. I took a punt and quit my job to play cricket in England. It was the best decision.

Travel, geography, and figuring out the way the world works. Ever find yourself looking at maps for hours at a time? I do. I studied sociology (society) at uni and am happy to chew the ear off any topic.

Movies and TV aren't the category I'd pick to double my points in a pub quiz but certain ones make me fall head over heels. Massive Breaking Bad fan and I can quote pretty much anything from Flight of the Conchords.

• dining
• cooking
• breakfast
• pub crawls
• movies
• tv
• traveling
• guitar
• sports
• cricket
• cartography
• geography
• sociology
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: In Bruges, The Castle, Shawshank, Shutter Island, 500 Days of Summer, The Grand Budapest Hotel and many more.

Books and Authors: The Book Thief, The Luminaries, A Tale for the Time Being, Beatrice and Virgil, Roald Dahl, Colin Bateman and many, many more.

Music: Scribe, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Milky Chance, Jose Gonzalez, Bon Iver, The XX, Chvrches, Lorde, John Butler Trio, The White Stripes and many, many, many more.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Paddled in a midnight sea lit up with ocean phosphorescence. It's a massively rare phenomenon in New Zealand and it was incredible.

Teach, Learn, Share

I play a bit of guitar and I can teach you some basic chords or we can jam together if you already know a bit.

Every Christmas growing up was spent playing cards with my family at our bach on the beach. It means I've got some pretty good card games to share and I'm always keen to find new ones.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Kai. I cook a roast lamb dinner and can also knock together some decent poached eggs for breakfast if I'm not too hungover.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cook Islands, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, United Kingdom

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