CURRENT MISSION

Find out how to live a life of travel.....without ever really growing up.

ABOUT ME

I want to just be a traveling gypsy the rest of my life...is that too much to ask?!

Anyway, I was fortunate enough to get to travel a lot since the age of 18. I've seen and experienced a lot...but it's really opened my eyes to how much of the world is still untouched by my size 12 sneakers. I grew up in a small farm town in northern Illinois racing motocross and enduros, riding snowmobiles, snowboarding...well, pretty much anything to give me an adrenaline rush.

Basically I like to have a good time, push my limits, and meet genuine people who are looking for the same!

PHILOSOPHY

Be honest. Love others and open up to them. Be true to yourself, because if you won't, you can't expect anyone else to be. Explore. Dream. Discover. Because "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails." Yep, I find that little nugget of inspiration so important that I had it tattoo'd on my body...so there ya go.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I share a couch whenever I can! I enjoy showing guests from all over the world what it's like to live the California beach life. Tacos, craft brews, live music, skydiving, surfing, snorkeling, rock climbing... you name it. If there's something you want to do while you're in town, put it in your request, and I'll do my best to make it happen!

When I am lucky enough to be traveling and have the ability to surf, I enjoy exchanging stories, making delicious dinners, and, when permitting, share the joy of my hobbies with my hosts.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I often get looks of confusion paired with fascination when I explain Couchsurfing to others. Not only has this great community allowed me to dive further into local culture while saving money during my travels, but it has also allowed me to share my culture and lifestyle with those I'm lucky enough to host. Couchsurfing has established some of my closest, most genuine friendships in recent years.

Interests

As most of us on here, I love to travel. I began traveling when I was sixteen and since have been blessed to visit 6 of the 7 continents. I love meeting new people, experiencing new cultures and backgrounds, and having an 'all-out' good time. I have ridden dirt bikes (motocross, enduros, and hare scrambles) since I was about 4, I snowboard, snowmobile, skydive, rock climb, and basically anything else that can get my adrenaline pumping.

Oh, and music is a large part of what consumes my "downtime"...let's hit up some shows! But in all seriousness, music is something that influences me very heavily. The ability of a musician / act to fully transcend their audience into a state of euphoria, is something that humbles me time and again. Those who have stayed with me, or hosted me, know this love borders on an unhealthy obsession.

Rick and Morty. Enough said.

• beauty
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• camping
• scuba diving
• sailing
• skydiving
• snowboarding
• rock climbing
• hitchhiking
• lakes
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Big Gigantic, Pretty Lights, Sound Tribe, GRiZ, Gramatik, Dirty Heads, String Cheese, Umphrey's Mcgee, The Revivalists...you get the picture.

I'm just getting back into the book reading business. So far I've been obsessed with anything from Chuck Palahniuk and Hunter S Thompson

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I guess the first would have to be my trip to New Zealand (in general). From hitch-hiking with the extremely friendly locals, to camping amongst the EVER-BRIGHT stars in the mountains, to skydiving over the glacial lakes...it was an experience I will never forget, and hope to relive again very soon.

There are so many uniquely awesome stories I've collected over the years... to pick one is almost like answering the question "Uh, so like, what's your favorite country?" - Uh, so like, don't make me pick just one, ok?

Ask me about my adventures, and you're sure to be given many amazing moments to choose from.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can offer hosts my perspectives on the world, culture, people, etc. I can share stories, vegetarian and vegan recipes, and a good laugh (my humor is sarcastic, dry, sometimes dark, and always quick... it just might take me some time to decide which angle to go with when I meet you). I'm always open to sharing my musical tastes with others... but overall, I offer my genuine friendship.

I'm tidy, very tidy... with OCD tendencies. I'm not saying I'll clean your whole kitchen, but the reason my 2nd grade teacher used to sit me next to her desk when I was in trouble, was because she knew I'd organize it (at least that's what my mom relayed to me some 15 years later).

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, United States