Hi, I'm Daniel!
I've been lucky enough to have been travelling for my entire adult life, and whenever I have the chance I grab my backpack and get going. When I was younger I wanted to go to every country in the world, and I still do, but more recently I realised that there were so many things in my own countries that I hadn't seen and that by trying to rush everywhere I really wasn't making the most of anywhere. So now I'm slowing down, still exploring but trying to understand things better.

I'm British originally but I grew up in Belgium, Latvia, France and I've been lucky enough to live in Lebanon, China, Ukraine, and more since. I love learning new languages, new words, new songs, new recipes, new ways of being and new ways of thinking.

Also a very active person. I love hiking, swimming, volleyball, kayaking, bouldering, dancing and skiing. I'm not very good, but I love it! Also love to cook and eat and will happily make a meal for any surfer or host I come into contact with.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I was living in Lebanon, my roommate had had great experiences surfing in places, so we decided to host people in our flat. Eventually, we joined a whole CS community in Beirut and that was really lovely. Since then I've hosted people in Lebanon, France and Iceland, and been hosted in Slovakia, Jordan, Palestine, Finland and more, and participate in hangouts all over the place!

Through couchsurfing you really get to see a different side to a place, if you're visiting, you get a local perspective and if you're hosting you get reminded that the place you live is wonderful and people want to see it. It's also a way to meet people that you would have never encountered otherwise and I've made some great connections through CS.

Interests

• dining
• traveling
• hiking
• kayaking
• skiing
• languages
• mountains
• nature
• athletics

Music, Movies, and Books

I love to watch TV shows and I have (I think) a pretty diverse taste, from Parks and Recreation, to Lupin, to La Casa de Papel and the Wheel of Time. Bad sci-fi is my guilty pleasure, and when I'm ill or stressed, I can watch or read any crappy adventure, and sometimes even a good one. That being said, I've enjoyed books, films and shows from many different genres and I think diversity is the spice of life!

When it comes to music, I'm fairly basic, I mostly listen to pop, rock, indie, folk stuff. But once again, it varies, and my playlists are highly eclectic.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was 18 I received the money my grandpa had left me when he died and I used it for a 5 month backpacking trip in South America.
Highlights include
Kayaking in the Pacific Ocean with turtles and sea lions
Horseriding up a glacier
One month staying with a Brazilian family helping to build an eco-villa
Hitchiking across the Colombian border in the back of a pick-up truck

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to learn, tell me about music, technology, history, art, politics, culture or anything you care about. Passion can make any topic interesting.

I'm passionate about the environment, social rights, biology, circular economy, and would love to talk about them while sharing a drink or a meal.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Kosovo, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, China, France, India, Latvia, Lebanon, Réunion, Ukraine, United Kingdom