Hello, I am an American traveler, who quit my job as an Investment Banker in New York City in July 2019. After spending two years living below my means in NYC and saving as much as possible, I am pursuing a lifelong dream of traveling long-term. Photos of my in-progress itinerary through 11.25.2019 are attached to my profile. I am inspired by my Grandma Muriel, who traveled to every continent (including Antarctica) and shared many amazing stories with me. I also love having fun and exploring new places and cultures, which was difficult when I was working long hours in stressful environments in NYC. I understand that the media misrepresents many cultures, so I am seeking to meet hosts who will expose me to the true culture of their homes. Thank you all for offering to open your doors to the fellow travelers out there - hope we can get in touch !

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to learn the true culture of the countries and cities I visit. Many media outlets (especially in the USA) misrepresent countries and people around the world. I have, generally, found almost every country to be quite friendly and inviting, but I want to meet more locals to uncover the many layers that each culture contains. If you are familiar with New York City, I am trying to uncover the East Village/West Village/SoHo equivalents of each city, not Times Square!

Interests

Sports, endurance training, travel

• fitness
• triathlon
• movies
• traveling

Music, Movies, and Books

Biographies/nonfiction, all kinds of movies, any genre of music as long as it is best in class. Have also been reading much more than usual during my trip. My favorite books are Motorcycle Diaries, Shantaram, Steve Jobs, Born to Run, Just Kids, Tuesdays with Morrie, Vagabonding, and Shoe Dog, among others. I also write somewhat consistently about my travels and would be happy to add you to my email distribution list if we cross paths.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Tried but failed an Ironman Triathlon (Lake Placid, New York) in July 2019. The triathlon consists of 2.5 miles (4km) of swimming followed by 112 miles (180km) of biking, and a marathon (26.2 mile / 42km) run. All finishers must complete the triathlon in under 17 hours. I missed the bike cutoff by ~5 minutes so could not run.

Am currently channeling the fitness I built in training for the Ironman in to running. Hoping to complete a marathon on every continent (except Antarctica) during my travels this year. So far, I have completed 4 (New York, Moscow, and Gold Coast, Australia, and Buenos Aires). I do not sign up for formal races, as I am a backpacker and prefer not to pay for entry, so I run the marathons independently. Follow me on Strava for updates.

Teach, Learn, Share

I was a strong Accounting student at a top business school in the USA before I started working. I have mentored many students in the last few years and understand that teaching is the best way to reinforce one's own understanding of a subject.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A can-do attitude and a willingness to help clean, cook, walk pets, you name it. If you share an interest in fitness, I will also happily run you around your neighborhood and work out with you :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Russian Federation, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Hungary, United States