***WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING COUCHSURFERS IN DAHAB TO STAY WITH US. HOWEVER WE ARE TOTALLY UP FOR MEETING UP TO HANG OUT***

I lived in the UK from 2011 to 2016 when changes to the visa requirements meant that Pete and I could no longer qualify for me to have a UK visa. This is when we decided to take the plunge and become E-Nomads. We haven't looked back. Now we spend a month or two here and there back in the UK visiting family and friends and then we hit the road again.

Pete is also on couchsurfing - check him out:
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/peter_saville

If you are a man who thinks that I may be willing to have a fling with you - please don't bother messaging me. I got a lot of random unsolicited shit like that in Georgia and it was more than slightly inconvenient. So let me be clear here: I am married. MARRIED. I am not interested in any side stuff or a boyfriend. Let me be ultra clear: If you message me wanting to get me to go out with you, I plain won't respond, so don't bother!!!!

I am interested in meeting great people who love travelling an are interested in things we have in common. If you have made it this far, read ahead and see if we're compatible.

Pete and I are both nouveau hippie types and pagan in religion. We don't broadcast it or try to convert anyone (that's not the pagan way!) but just in case it could be a problem for anyone - I'm putting it here. Likewise, we get along well with anyone of any religious background as long as mutual respect is enjoyed all around and no one tries to convert anybody.

I am generally left-wing and libertarian, bordering on anarchist, however I respect the views of all people as long as they aren't rooted in bigotry and hate.

I am also against the occupation of Palestine and the Palestinian genocide, so if you are a zionist, we probably won't get along.

We are both omnivores, but if you are vegan or vegetarian that is totally cool with us! :D We are also extremely LGBT friendly :) We enjoy a bottle of wine and a few beers, so if you do too, it's even better! Pete is a social smoker, but we don't have smoking in the house, so if you smoke it's fine too!

I get along well with everyone, of any background or belief. The only times I don't is when someone is unnecessarily rude or arrogant. I also don't get along well with people who think it's funny to mock Canada or the fact I'm Canadian (unless it's done in a fun, teasing and joking way). But if you want to tell me that you went to San Fran or something and "America is so much better than Canada", I really have no time for that and we probably won't get along.

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I'm fun, adventurous and outgoing. Love to have a good time and meet new people - especially from various countries. I grew up in a big city in Canada, but with a strong Ukrainian background, so can speak some Ukrainian, although it's quite rusty!

I love trying new things, exploring new places. My motto is you're never lost if you can find a taxi ;)

I am a freelance writer, writing almost anything for anyone who needs some writing done. I am also a novelist who is working on her first full length book about vampires. Due out in October 2017. I love art and creating art, so if you're a fellow artist, that's even more awesome!

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I hate inauthentic people who think they need to be cool and have something to prove. That is, people who try to quantify their lives in the stack of utterly useless shit they have acquired in the course of their time on the planet. I don't want to talk about your new Chanel scarf or how cool you are because you made six figs last year or you finally got a reservation at the hottest restaurant in town.

I love authenticity and people who are real - the dirty, well travelled souls who have something to share and want to experience new things too, not just existing because it's the status quo.

I'm not interested in five star hotel stories , the time you got a limo from the airport or anything of that nature. I want to hear about the time you slept in the grass because you could and you stayed up until dawn because you couldn't take your eyes off the Milky Way. The only five star hotel stories we like are the kind where it's like "I had booked some shitty hostel but something happened and I ended up in this five star hotel", you know, the kind of stories where there's actually a story behind it, you aren't just trying to impress people because you stayed in a five star hotel (and yes I have had people in the past say things like "Erin, I booked the executive suite in the Fairmont. The bathtub is marble... so you know, really looking forward to it.") That's great and all, but when that's all you have to offer the conversation, I am not interested. Then again, pretty sure next to no one on couchsurfing would book a suite at a Fairmont :P

My dream is to own some shitty rag tag van that's pimped out to live in so I can boogie that thing across the world.

We absolutely love spending time with our hosts and our surfers. So far we have had nothing but amazing experiences! :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Travelling is awesome, and couchsurfing is like freecycle for travel, except you get free stays and make some free friends and everybody wins.

I famously said to my mother upon returning from my first ever three months abroad "My only regret is I'll never live to see it all." Thirteen years later, I've accepted my own challenge. Couchsurfing helps with this - even if it's just meeting people who might be able to say something like "Oh, my brother lives in X city, when you're there look him up". That kind of networking helps a LOT on the road!

My favourite game to play is "What's your top five countries". So what are your top five countries that you'd travel to if security/money were no object? Mine are:
Iraq
Iran
Peru
Japan
Mongolia

Interests

Art, travel, and writing. Occasionally combining the three where possible.

I love trying new food and experiencing new cultures. I recently became totally addicted to souvlaki!

I love hanging out with locals - that's the best way to see a country and experience it!

Nothing is better than growing your own fruits and vegetables - we had our own allotment in the UK and it was so thrilling to cultivate your own food.

I love thunderstorms. The more severe the better. I actually miss prairie Canada sometimes and the absolutely heinous storms we get.

I'm a history buff and particularly like medieval English history as well as Ancient history (particularly Babylonian). I'd actually give almost anything to go to the ruins of Babylon.

I love writing long stories.

• culture
• writing
• dining
• wine
• gardening
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Books - Historical Dramas, particularly about the Tudor ages of Medieval England (The Other Boleyn Girl and the Boleyn Inheritance are my two favourites).

Anything by Edgar Allen Poe.

Movies - The Green Mile (the book as well!!), documentaries, Breakfast Club, Tremors, The Departed, Seven Psychopaths

TV Shows: Big Bang Theory, Simpsons, Family Guy, Archer, American Dad, Corner Gas, CSI, crime dramas, Departures (If you're into travel, you NEED to check out Departures!)

Music - literally anything, far and wide as well as far out and wild. From Ace of Base to ZZ Top, anything goes including Classical and Country.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sitting on a berber carpet with two berbers, two americans and a british girl and my husband in the Sahara desert under the milky way sharing whiskey out of a flask in the middle of the night.

Pete got offered 500 camels for me in Morocco. That was pretty hilarious.

Lived in the UK for six years. Integrated beautifully, from what I'm told, and became essentially more British than Canadian.

Travelled by bus alone from St Johns to Stephenville, Newfoundland to visit my grandma, a trip of over 12 hours. Then stayed in the tiny hamlet of Stephenville Crossing for 3 months in 2009, where internet is rare enough you need to go to the library to use it. Then discovered the librarian and I were first cousins thrice removed.

Went snowshoe hiking in Jasper, Alberta after a snowstorm when the snow was like knee deep. The trail may or may not have been closed.... if it wasn't, it probably should have been.

SAFARI IN TANZANIA!!!

Was taught by Pete how to ride a motorbike in Laos on dusty, potholed roads on an island called Don Khong in the deep south. It was a shitty (and I do mean shitty) Chinese version of a Honda, conveniently called Honghua. The steering was messed and the speedometer didn't work, and there was no indication of which gear you were in. Managed to learn to ride a motorbike on that thing, then a couple days later did a huge motorbike trip around Don Khong, not crashing once.

Took the plunge one year and enrolled in a playwriting course. Proceeded to get my second full length play selected for a night of excerpts at the Playhouse in Salisbury. After seeing myself come so far (from where I used to be extremely self conscious of others reading my writing), I went to work the next day and quit my job, knowing full well I could do something far more fulfilling with my time on the planet than being stuck in a job I hated making already rich men richer.

The most amazing thing I've done is becoming essentially homeless - not being a resident of any one country. Sure, I'm a Canadian citizen, but I haven't been a resident there in like six years. Now I can't be resident in the UK... so... now I am just a citizen of the World, making the next random town my temporary new home.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a qualified TEFL teacher, so if your English is rusty, I can help!

For those who meet up or stay with me, I can promise you some great conversation, great stories and some travel tips. You never know, I may even be able to help you get that "on the road business" idea off the ground!

I love learning from others, so let's share some culture :D

HOUSE RULES
- No coming and going at all hours. We usually stay up quite late, so that isn't a problem. We also sleep quite late so feel free to let yourself out if you want an early start.
- We will lock the door at 1am every night. Please be back by then.
- We live in a close quarters apartment building with neighbours downstairs and up. Please no loud music after 11pm or slamming doors.
- Please no drugs, including marijuana. We aren't sure of the situation around here with that, so it's better to play it safe. We're very open minded about that kind of thing though, so if you do it, please just keep it to the beach.
- Please respect our neighbours when you come and leave in terms of noise volume. We seem to have a very sensitive older gentleman downstairs.

What I Can Share with Hosts

English Language
Knowledge of Canada and the UK
Stories
Cooking
sharing ideas
I will do dishes or help prepare meals
I would love to spend time with hosts if possible :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Morocco, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Albania, Canada, Egypt, Georgia, United Kingdom