I'm an inquisitive travel-addict who grew up just south of San Francisco, California. I majored in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara and studied abroad for ten months in Christchurch, New Zealand. After graduating, I survived a year at an accounting firm in Los Angeles before quitting to embark on a six-month solo backpacking trip around Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines), a one-month road trip around national parks in the Western U.S. (Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Arches, Grand Canyon, and Zion), and most recently a working holiday in Australia starting Nov. 2016.

My mission is to leave the world better than how I found it. If "weird is good" and "I'll try anything once" are phrases that resonate with you, we'll probably get along.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I couchsurfed for the first time in July 2011 during a tour of western Europe, and I was blown away by the generosity of my host in Brussels. The experience of learning about a city from a local standpoint and seeing life from her perspective made my stint in Belgium one of my favorites of the trip. Studying abroad in New Zealand solidified my love of travel and all the unique opportunities and connections it provides, and it would greatly enhance my current travels to be able to interact with locals in a meaningful and mutually beneficial way. I can think of no better platform to assist with this than Couchsurfing.

Interests

*Writing (see my book - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZS4NW4, and my blog - http://www.whyquestioneverything.com/ )
*Circus arts (particularly poi spinning)
*Urban exploring
*Meditation
*Music festivals
*Guitar
*Website design
*Editing silly videos
*Having deep conversations
*Making the world a better place

• writing
• books
• performing arts
• concerts
• music festivals
• festivals
• cooking
• meditation
• movies
• traveling
• blogging
• live music
• electronic music
• guitar
• hiking
• scuba diving
• trail running
• hitchhiking
• poi
• videography
• science fiction
• urban exploring
• video editing
• rick and morty
• fire spinning

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC - Classic Rock (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones); Alternative (Radiohead, Glass Animals, Alt-J, Muse, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, Nirvana, Green Day, Gorillaz, Tool, White Stripes); Trip-hop (Zero 7, Portishead, The Xx, Thievery Corporation), Electronic (Flume, ODESZA, RÜFÜS, Bob Moses, GRiZ); Underground Hip-Hop (Atmosphere, Lupe Fiasco, Cunninlynguists, Sage Francis, Tech N9ne); Rap (Eminem, Childish Gambino, 2pac, Biggie, Jay-Z, Nas)

MOVIES - Crime (Pulp Fiction, Goodfellas, Snatch!, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Sin City); Thrillers (The Prestige, Fight Club, Watchmen); Dramas (The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, Inglorious Basterds)

BOOKS - Novels (Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fight Club, The Alchemist, Dune, the Foundation series, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance); Nonfiction (Think and Grow Rich, Abundance, Meditations, Predictably Irrational, The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, Talent is Overrated); Biographies (Elon Musk, Richard Branson)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Lived out of my Jeep for a month as I road tripped around the western US.

Hitchhiked over 1,000km in New Zealand.

Got pulled up on stage to spin poi in front of 3,000 people during a musical festival in Laos.

Completed a 10-day silent meditation retreat in Myanmar.

Wrote a book about how travel and other growth experiences have transformed my life (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZS4NW4).

Teach, Learn, Share

Poi - i.e. weights on ropes that you spin around the body to make cool patterns - is a hobby that I love to teach and share with anyone who's interested. Guitar is a former love interest that's gone a bit by the wayside since poi came in, but I'd like to get back into it.

I also geek out on urban exploring and get a thrill from novel experiences of all kinds. You say "adventure," I say "when?"

What I Can Share with Hosts

Philosophical conversations, a genuine interest in local cultures and different ways of life, and all the poi lessons and inexpertly-played guitar songs you can handle.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Italy, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Spain, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, New Zealand, United States