I work as a freelance tour leader for three Danish Tour Operators, leading tours of about 20 people all over the world.

See for example here: https://www.viktorsfarmor.dk/rejseledere/christian-thordal
(It is in Danish, but our friends at google translate can help :-)

On the side, I also work as freelance travel photographer. I have travelled more or less non-stop since I packed my backpack for the first time in 1994 and headed off to New Zealand. Since then, I have visited close to 50 countries and lived and studied two years in Montreal, Canada, a year in London and a year in Cambridge, England. I have a degree in Economics from Cambridge, a Master of Philosophy from University College London, and Bachelors degree in Anthropology from Copenhagen University. As if this was not enough studying (:-), I have also a had stints at Medicine, Journalism and a PhD in Philosophy, but eventually my itchy feet won the battle over the books, and off I went to explore the world again. I began working as a Tour Leader in 2010, and was based in India for about four years, leading tours mainly in Asia.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I joined couchsurfing to meet local people and to get to know local places, the way the people who live there knows them. Too much travelling often ends up being inside a language-barrier-cultural-ignorance bubble, where you pass by as an observer – understanding little of what you see and taking pretty photos of stones with no meaning to you – alas, guidebooks will only teach you that much. So while staying in hostels, hotels and guest houses (and I have done that a lot, trust me) you might meet many interesting travellers from around the world, it rarely gives much insight to the places you are actually visiting, the culture and the people who live there.

For me, travelling spontaneously into the unknown, with few plans, is the best way to learn and meet new people and exchange ideas and opinions – and Couchsurfing is one way to do that.

And while it might sound pompously, it still holds true: Prejudice thrives on Ignorance – Tolerance, Peace and Understanding thrives on Knowledge. Therefore: Never stop exploring! Never stop Learning! Couchsurf! Go and see the world and its people!

Interests

• literature
• ethics
• economics
• physics
• food
• trekking
• diving
• snorkling
• frisbee
• world cinema
• philosphy
• international politics
• mountain trekking

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Tori Amos, Björk, Regina Spektor.

Books Fiction: Arundhati Roy - The God of Small Things. Aravinda Adiga - The White Tiger. Amitav Ghosh - The Ibis Triology; The Glass Palace; etc. Aldous Huxley - Brave New World; Brave New World Revisited. George Orwell - 1984; Animal Farm

Books Non-Fiction: Jerry Fodor - The Language of Thought; The Modularity of Mind. John Rawls - A Theory of Justice. Noam Chomsky - Knowledge of Language; Manufacturing Consent. Ronald Dworkin - Life's Dominion. Steven Pinker - The Language Instinct; How the Mind Works; The Blank Slate. Naomi Klein - No Logo; The Shock Doctrine. Stephen Hawking - A Brief History of Time

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Having not been picked for a trip to the Moon - yet....

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English, German and Danish, Economics and Philosophy and Ethics. I can help sort out travels to many countries and suggest places to visit.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good company, interesting conversation, lots of fun, cooking, going out for dinner or a drink or both.

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Denmark, India, United Kingdom