My name is Erik Klein and I am a filmmaker and photographer currently residing in Brooklyn, NY!

I am about to take a little hiatus from work and satiate my need for travel by embarking on a trip around Europe. New to Couchsurfing and first stop, UK!

I’ve always loved storytelling and all of the art forms it resides in. From music to film to photography to writing and dance, I love it all. Everyone has their own story and it’s constantly being developed - we’re our main characters in our own story, so might as well make our story a good one.

I used to dream of being Indiana Jones when I was younger, traveling the globe and exploring different cultures. But I don’t think adventures always have to be packed with adrenaline. I love just getting away to the peaceful parts of nature and relaxing in the quietness. I’ve lived in big cities and small country town. I love to chat, meet people and explore, but I also value quietness to recharge.

I am super flexible and adaptable, and I love trying new things--foods, experiences, ideas, etc. I am keeping my travel plans open for plenty of room for spontaneity, so if anyone has something they’ve been wanting to do or somewhere they’ve been wanting to go but don’t want to go alone, count me in!

I hope to meet likeminded people to share our travels, experiences and stories!

www.erikklein.me

**website is under construction while I travel, but I recently got back on social media after a long hiatus and I plan to document my travels, so if Instagram is your sort of thing, feel free to find me @erikklein.me**

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I’m on Couchsurfing because I love meeting new people and I’ve always preferred a more organic cultural immersion. Whenever I looked into studying abroad I always looked into homestays instead of typical dorms.

I’ve traveled around the U.S. when I was younger racing BMX and have met so many amazing people that have become lifelong friends. I hope to meet some amazing people all over the world.

Interests

I love photography, filmmaking and writing!

I have a website: www.erikklein.me/ if you want to checkout some of my pictures — I’m also starting a travel blog on there soon as well.

I love walking everywhere. I am always down for an adventure, especially ones that are off the beaten path.

I don’t think adventuring always has to be “exhilarating” and “thrilling” (although that’s fun too), but I love exploring new places and always walking in a new direction. I try to walk somewhere new everyday

Also used to race BMX around the US and I was a gymnast up until a few years ago. I still try to get into the gymnastics gym every now and then to stay fresh

• culture
• writing
• books
• photography
• film making
• walking
• movies
• reading
• hiking
• languages
• adventure travel
• photo
• nature
• adventure
• storytelling
• stories
• conversation
• journaling
• hiking in the mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
Grew up in a music household (Mom’s a band teacher and dad is a musician) so I’ve grown to love pretty much all kinds of music. I used to play a bunch of band instruments but now I really only play the piano still.

My music tastes change all the time, but what I’ve been listening to recently has been: Elton John, Billie Eilish, Indie/Alternative, and some classical piano pieces.

Movies:
I love so many movies, so I’ll break it up a bit:

All time favorites: E.T. , Billy Elliot, Indiana Jones, Rocketman, Call Me By Your Name, Silver Linings Playbook, ....probably many more

(So far)Favorites this year: Us, Shazam!, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from home, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Good Boys

Books:
Recently--
Derek Hough’s Taking the Lead: Lessons from a Life in Motion
Barking Up the Wrong Tree - Eric Barker
Where Good Ideas Come From - Blair Daniels

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I think my favorite thing I’ve done this year was travel to Beitostølen, Norway, in February to finish filming an independent feature film!

The film is about a couple that gets trapped under snow during a snowstorm in Norway for about a month, so we filmed the final scenes on a closed off road in Beitostølen.

Running around the Norwegian mountains in February has definitely been my favorite thing thus far. (Plus, eating all of the heavenly food in Norway was amazing.)

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: I love conversing and sharing any knowledge and wisdom I’ve picked up along the way! If you need help with anything I will try my best to help you!

Learn: I’ve always said that if you stop learning, you stop growing; and if you stop growing, you stop living, so never stop learning. I love learning from everyone and I am always interested in hearing people’s stories, ideas and experiences.

Share: I value sharing stories, experiences, knowledge and wisdom. I think we can all learn from each other’s unique perspective.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I hope to share any wisdom I’ve learned thus far including stories about where I grew up/traveled to/people that I’ve met/things that have shaped and inspired me.
(Also if you like dogs, I can show you pictures of my two adorable English Cream Golden Retrievers. Cutest and smartest dogs ever!)

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, England, France, Norway, Scotland, United States, Wales