CURRENT MISSION

Work, save, travel, repeat.

ABOUT ME

I'm Colin, and I'm near enough a quarter of a century old. I'm easy to get along with, generally very polite, curious about nearly everything, and I can grow a pretty awesome beard.

PHILOSOPHY

I work hard at everything I do, and I like to believe this pays off. I don't value material possessions much, my pictures are my possessions along with the memories I've made and the people I've met along the way that have helped me make them.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Surf and be surfed. I like to think good karma comes around, but even if it doesn't, I'm happy to help anyway.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

So far I've only Couchsurfed once, this was in Fremantle, Western Australia with a gentleman called Patrick. I'd been living in a backpackers hostel paying a fortune for about 3 months, when Patrick (who was actually a work-colleague at the time) mentioned to me about Couchsurfing. The conversation then led to him proposing that I could stay in his caravan in his back-yard. I stayed there just over a week and it was great, his family were just as easy going as he was; great hosts all round. I think the experience taught me the value of Couchsurfing; it really helps to get to know someone in the area. I got a real feel for the town and by the end of the week felt like one of the locals. Since then I vowed that when I finally get home, I want to help people the way Patrick helped me.

Interests

My main hobby in life is travel. So much to see, not enough time. Travelling on a tight budget is great because you can really test your resourcefulness. So far I've travelled in Central America, Australia, about to hit Asia and after a short stop home, heading to Europe with my girlfriend Jessica to squander my Australian tax-return money.

Besides travelling I'm interested in music; I play guitar (both acoustic and electric) and sing. A few years ago I played in a rather heavy-metal band, I'll probably force you to listen to them if I ever have the pleasure of meeting you.

I love to be outdoors and expose myself to new landscapes, something as simple as a walk along a dirt-track that I've never been down before gives me a real thrill. I have a passion for rum too. Havana 7 is my current favourite, with Stolen Spiced (flavoured with coffee and tobacco smoke) taking a close second place. On the rocks is fine, but a splash of coke and some lime is always welcome. I can stand on my head for a fairly long time; there is a significant correlation between time on head vs. quantity of rum consumed (and perhaps not in the way you might expect).

• singing
• cooking
• coffee
• running
• boating
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• track and field
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Favourite movies: Fight Club, Lucky Number Slevin, Matilda.

Favourite music: From the most beautiful acoustics to the heaviest bass-slaps and everything in-between. At the moment I'm listening to a lot of James Blake, London Grammar, Nick Drake, The Ansion and Comeback Kid.

Books: I'm currently reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Books are something I go on and off, reading constantly for maybe 6 months, then not reading anything for another 6 months. Probably my favourite author of all time is J.K Rowling, Harry Potter and co. have shaped who I am as a person.

Television: I don't watch a lot of television, though feel free to chat to me about Game of Thrones or Breaking bad, both of which I've recently finished watching.

Afterthought: I haven't watched Game of Thrones season 4 yet, so no spoilers please.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of the most amazing things I've done in my life; well in June 2013 Jessica and I set off for Panama. It was our first experience travelling together, and my first experience of travelling full-stop (besides a few family holidays). So we touched down late in the evening, got to our accommodation and crashed out immediately. The next morning we were picked up by a rusty old 4x4 which drove us for hours out into the mountains. We spoke little Spanish and the driver and other passengers: no English. Finally, over the brow of a hill we saw our destination; the sea, dotted with hundreds of tiny islands. San Blas. The islands are inhabited solely of the Kuna Yala tribesmen and women, who's way of life couldn't possibly be more different from ours. On a tiny wooden boat, we sailed with a tribesman and his son to their very own Island, Isla Cook. There we sat and talked in broken Spanglish with the family and heard all about their way of life; the use of coconuts as a currency, amongst various other characteristics that vary so dramatically from the Western world. From start to finish, I managed to run around the perimeter of the island in less than 3 minutes. And this was the whole world to this family.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have plenty of stories to share, and love to hear other peoples stories too. I could certainly try to teach some guitar; the only issue is I'm left handed (as is my guitar), but give me an hour and you should at least be able to play an Oasis track. Headstands? I've taught plenty of people, I'm sure I'll teach plenty more. So stories, headstands and Oasis songs. What more could a person wish for…?

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belize, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Laos, Panama, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom