My name is Fayaz. I have lived in the United States, Switzerland, ​Poland, Portugal, Austria, and Italy. But I was born and raised in Pakistan. Currently, I am based in Lisbon, Portugal.

Like everyone else, I have a unique perspective of the world thanks to where I come from, my studies, or even the places I traveled to.

I believe I’m a people person. it’s all about people for me. I enjoy meeting new people, having dialogues, sharing interesting ideas, learning from each other, and getting inspired. People Who Love to Travel and Eat are always my favorite people!

One of the biggest dreams of my life is to travel all the countries in the world with a Pakistani Passport (still Among Worst to Hold in 2020). For some people, a passport is a portal to the world. For others, it is a barrier to the travel freedom they seek. Anyways, I like to see this obstacle and challenge as an opportunity for personal growth, allowing myself to push to the limits and hopefully come out on the other side a better, more capable individual :) Till date, I have visited around 30 countries still way to go :)
Please also check my travel blog: https://fzahmed.wixsite.com/fayazexplores

I love traveling because I think traveling is the best form of education one can acquire, it helps you to develop understanding to question the world narratives and be able to start identifying the difference between fiction and objective reality surrounding us.

This quote by Mark Twain “Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.” perfectly describes my life philosophy. I try to not let the regrets of my past and fear of tomorrow ruin my today. I constantly try to live and enjoy my moments so that no matter what happens tomorrow, I could still be happy that I had enough of today :)

I also identify myself as a Global Citizen and Environmentalist. We need Global Citizens because most of the problems our world faces today (climate change, lack of energy access, extreme poverty, gender inequality, extremism etc.) are global in nature which requires global-scale action and cooperation between nations. I believe that the concept of Global Citizenship could play a pivotal role in establishing this global scale action and cooperation. Global Citizenship is the understanding that we live in an inter-connected, multi-ethnic and culturally diverse world where we continuously benefit and grow with this diversity. Therefore, if the world flourishes we flourish with this as well and whenever we contribute to solutions everywhere this helps us well.

The need to mitigate global climate change and other environmental impacts related to energy use has placed unprecedented attention on energy. Therefore, I have started this blog (https://fzahmed.wixsite.com/energyblog) in an effort to educate me and others about clean energy transition and climate change, I regularly write about clean energy transition and climate change-related topics and interview many energy industry experts in order to ensure that we are prepared to identify and address the unintended consequences of different approaches to the energy transition, especially for developing countries.

Before I go on a trip, I often find myself planning the next one already... So I guess that makes me a travel addict? Staying in the hotels is too boring for me, as they are all the same and too mainstream. CS, tent or sleeping under the sky is always a better option. It is challenging, gives a possibility to discover hidden places, interact with new people and helps me to discover a true version of myself.

I truly believe that Its nice to be important, but its more important to be nice. This what truly matters for me.

Often told that I'm easy to talk with and that I smile a lot, but you can make up your own mind about that after we've met :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To meet new people (of all sorts) when traveling.

I am always up for meeting new people because everyone is unique and has invaluable life experiences that you can't read in books :) That's why I love meeting people.

I really enjoy deep conversations that go beyond small talk with like-minded people who are willing to share about themselves.

I love Couchsurfing because its a great way to connect with likeminded people who appreciates the concept of sharing and compassion. I have been using Couchsurfing for many years and have made some of my best friends through this website and looking forward to making even more friends during my future travels.

Music, Movies, and Books

I don't really have one specific favorite type of music it usually depends on what I am doing!

My all-time favorite singers:
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen (Pakistani).
Frank Sinatra (American).
Édith Piaf and Charles Aznavour (French).

I watch all types of movies but La La Land is my favorite movie of all time or any movie directed by Christopher Nolan.

Some of my favorite books would be:

12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Represented Pakistan as a Cultural Ambassador in the United States
Bungee jumping near Minneapolis
Tandem skydiving near Minneapolis
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia, Turkey
Paragliding Flight in Madeira, Portugal
Cannoying in Madeira, Portugal
Scuba Diving in Madeira, Portugal
Private helicopter ride in Switzerland
Took Swiss Glacier express (Zermatt and St. Moritz via Andermatt in the central Swiss Alps)
Learned to play Djembe drum (Instrument from West Africa)

Teach, Learn, Share

I am a great listener when it comes to a person's passion, whatever it is. And can share my life philosophies, strange experiences, and positive vibes.

I can also share my knowledge of environmental sustainability and climate action acquired through studies and doing research for my blog: https://fzahmed.wixsite.com/energyblog

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good sense of humor and will always contribute to the household in whatever way I can. I would always try to leave your place better than when I came.

I usually like to spend most of my time with my hosts/guests (cooking food, walking the city, discussions, partying, of course xd) but if they are busy and stuff then I can also be very independent and flexible.

I love to cook traditional Pakistani (beware very spicy) food for all my hosts/guests so if you really like trying different kinds of food then get ready to taste some delicious spicy food :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, United States