I'm a 30 year old west coast Canadian and I've just moved to France after living in Montreal for the last 8 years. I spent 4 months of every year of my childhood on a small island off the coast of Vancouver and this has taught me to value some very important things in life - especially the enjoyment of nature and the kindness of people. My passion is to see as much of our beautiful planet as possible and to meet amazing people along the way.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I truly enjoy what couchsurfing sets out to do. It is a forum for people who have the same mindset as I have and simply want to meet people and hear their stories. Hopefully a few laughs are had along the way!

Interests

Seeing new things, doing new things, meeting new people, living my life differently and learning how people live their lives differently from me.

My favourite sports to watch are ice hockey and soccer, but I like sporting events where people inspire other people. I'm a natural ice hockey fan (I am Canadian, after all) but my favourite sports are ones where the success of individuals allows for young people to aspire to become "like him! or like her!" I'm talking about the idea that Manny Pacquiao can get the entire country of the Philippines praying for his success, and that super stars like Cristiano Ronaldo can inspire young people from Portugal to never set their sights too high. I don't like barriers and I believe in the power of belief.

• dining
• cooking
• traveling
• socializing
• camping
• sports
• soccer
• hockey
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Nearly all music, as long as it makes my ears happy - hip/hop, electronic, rock and roll, house, and any music played with real instruments. My favourite instrument is the steel drum. Not the biggest fan of top/40 except for on a dance floor. Feel free to add me on soundcloud at jgm000.

Books that take me to new places and/or let me live forgotten lives through the eyes of the author. I like to learn how societies and cultures work, even the ones no longer around. My personal favourites are societies without electronic technology (internet, cell phones, etc). There is a lot for us to be learn from these groups of people. I usually travel with 3 or 4 books and like to pick new ones up wherever my travels take me. Book exchanges/free libraries are the best.

A couple of my favourites:
World Without End, Ken Follet. (Most everything by Ken Follet for that matter.)
Rules of Attraction, Brett Easton Ellis. (His other books are fantastic as well.)
Of Human Bondage, W. Somerset Maugham.
The Godfather, Mario Puzo.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

There's lots for this list, but it's asking for one so here goes.

I spent a good chunk of my youth on this west-coast Canadian island (Saltspring Island). In May 2015 I decided to quit my job as a traveling salesman and embark on a 5 week road trip from Montreal back to Vancouver, with stops in Washington DC, Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin, Dallas, Santa Fe, Denver, the canyons in Arizona/Utah, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. We camped for free every night of the week and found places to stay in cities for the weekends. I wanted to get back to my island and this felt like the best way to do it - see every landscape that America has to offer, and for the end destination to be my favourite landscape. I then spent 3 months on this island, and for one of them I set up my tent on the beach and lived every day as it came. I cooked my meals every night, and, being a dude camping on a beach, talked to dozens of very curious new people. To live on this beach without a feeling of time was exactly what I set out to do and it felt amazing to do it. Once fall came I took off back across the USA but this time on a solo adventure to find hidden hot springs and craft breweries. Ironically, my favourite part of the trip was the UP of Michigan, where there wasn't a hot spring for miles and miles. I drove on an interstate highway for 10 minutes over the entire 3 week trip and paid to sleep only once. My goal was to spend Remembrance Day (Veterans' Day for my friends south of the border) in our nation's capital which I succeeded in doing and got back to Montreal that night. I had booked a flight to an island I'd never heard of (St. Lucia) leaving a week later so it gave me time to spend time with all my friends before taking off. And a yummy thanksgiving dinner! My original plan was to get to Venezuela via Trinidad & Tobago after St. Lucia but life happens. Given the situation in Venezuela, I decided on Curacao instead. Then I spent Christmas with my family in Vancouver and flew back to Panama city in the new year. From there I made my way to Cancun using only my thumb and local transportation; no tourist shuttles or busses. I took the "long way" whenever it was possible and got lost as often as I could. Then I spent the last week of my first retirement in Cuba. It was the best "almost year" of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

We all have a heart that beats.

Dare to walk down paths no one has walked, dare to think ideas no one has thought.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My never-ending positivity, my stories of the happiness others have brought me and that I've brought others, and the promise to help with anything I can do to the best of my abilities. I also like eating good food, made by good people with good ingredients. One of my favourite things to do is to cook for large groups of people.

Countries I’ve Visited

Antarctica, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France