Couch Surfing has provided me with some of my favorite traveling memories and with some relationships that have now lasted almost a decade. In addition to affordability, this helped me dive into the culture, as opposed to staying at some touristy hotel/hostel. :)

ABOUT ME

I'm easy going, extroverted, love traveling and the feeling of adventure. I'm proud of my wit and sense of humor. I'm married, in my early-30s, and am lucky to have found a job that i love so much. I've lived in 5 different countries. I'm all about inclusion.

PHILOSOPHY

It's all about love. Without it, life's nothing. I live to love, get my hands dirty if necessary and offer anything i can. It's good to listen to people. That's one way to love on an every day level. People feel good when they're listened to. And i learn a lot listening.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

IT'S BEEN A WHILE
My wife (https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/frankabencik) and i have traveled a lot. It's been a while since i've used Couch Surfing, but we're trying to live more frugally. We had been mostly visiting places recently where my wife has family. The first time i went to Barcelona, i was lucky enough to have couch surfed, so with another trip to Barcelona coming up this year, we decided to revisit the idea of Couch Surfing in hopes that it will yield at least half as beneficial of an experience as it did the first time!

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Recently started to consider offering our couch! And certainly keen to get a drink with visitors. I'm also aspiring to use this site when i travel in order to make our world a little smaller, travel-able, and affordable :)

I also participate as a visitor. With a lot of you gracious hosts, it seems that sometimes you are traveling vicariously through us by hosting us. Let's do this and exchange some culture!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Had my first experience in Europe in the summer of 2011! I spent a couple of months there and gratefully only had to pay for 5 or 6 days of lodging. Of course it was rad saving the money, but the relationships i built and the experience i shared with them are absolutely priceless! House parties in Berlin, dining with locals in nameless tapas bars in Barcelona, hosts extending me extra stay to follow them to their vacation home in the Mediterranean, and a house on the Italian Riviera and beachside singalongs--doesn't get any better! I'd choose these couches over a 5 star stuffy, isolated hotel any day. :D

Interests

Film, stretching comfort zones, learning languages, music, simple times with good friends, food!, summer, alternatives to consumerism, making drinks, alcohol for sipping, basketball, football (soccer)

• culture
• dining
• partying
• drinking
• house parties
• boating
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• piano
• basketball
• languages
• political science
• science
• football
• film
• drinks
• futboll

Music, Movies, and Books

Wes Anderson, Pedro Almodovar, Christopher Nolan, Christopher Guest, Michel Gondry, Sophia Coppola, Charlie Kaufman.

Francis and the Lights, Kendrick, Childish Gambino, Frank Ocean, Minus the Bear, Bon Iver, Broken Social Scene, etc. etc. etc...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Rode bus, tractor, pickup, boat, and land cruiser from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Pemba, Mozambique over a three and a half day trip (it's only 500 miles between the cities).

Teach, Learn, Share

To teach: Music! Politics (with as little or as much personal commentary as you prefer), making drinks, i can teach the rules of sports and also how to play them

To learn: Surf! Your music! Your food! Your background, your way of reasoning and what has shaped your perspectives

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a pretty open and outgoing person. I'm happy to share my life experiences and any knowledge. I can also share my openness to learn more about you, your culture, and your background.

Also, US politics are a hot topic. Having lived in the rural South and in California and having studied politics, i can offer great discussion on that from perspectives you may have not considered before.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

El Salvador, England, Italy, Mozambique, United States

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