I grew up outside of Chicago and went to Marquette University for undergrad. After graduation I worked in public accounting and finance for about 6 years before quitting my job to travel. Travel has always been a passion of mine and it continues to be even as I am re-acclimating to living in the US.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Part of the reason I love traveling so much is that I truly enjoy meeting new people and experiencing a city through a locals eyes. Tourist attractions and traps don't typically interest me, and I prefer to see a place for what it truly is. I find that the best way to do this is to hear recommendations from locals and most importantly to meet and interact with those who live in, grew up in and/or just love being IN their hometown.

Interests

I really love being outdoors and being in tune with nature, whether it be through an activity, or just the act of being there, anywhere where I'm surrounded by nature is my happy place. This is why I love traveling so much, I get to experience new and beautiful places around the world. I also transfer this love into photography. I'm not expert and I don't always have the time to go out shooting as I'd like, but when I have the opportunity, I really do love capturing the perfect shot and also appreciate photography as a way to integrate myself into how others perceive the world.

• writing
• photography
• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• skiing
• snowboarding
• watersports

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've done many amazing things in the last year of traveling, but one of the things that sticks out the most is climbing a volcano to almost 6,000m (18,000 ft.) in Chile. It was one of the most challenging and rewarding things I have ever done.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share ideas, stories and travel tips from all of the places I've been.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Spain, United States