A wanderer at heart, I tend to find myself most at home on the road. I've traveled the US by a combination of bicycle, motorcycle, car, truck, bus, train and plane, and backpacked through 30 countries of Europe. Currently I’m on a 10,000 mile US road trip before flying out of the US with no definite plans to return as I seek to develop a deeper understanding of the history, cultures, and economic realities of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and neighboring regions.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to meet interesting people from around the world, and what better way to meet others than as a guest / host?

Interests

The core question that’s been driving me for the majority of my life is, supposing a person or community finds themselves in a less than ideal setting — family, culture, or economic realities — and wishes to rise above this, what change is possible, what effort is necessary, and what will be the cost?

This has lead me into a sort of self-guided exploration of psychology, history, economics, politics, and the realities of everyday life, and is one of the factors that drives me to travel — travel reveals as much about ourselves as it does about others.

• photography
• motorcycles
• technology
• traveling
• minimalism
• business
• economics
• geography
• geopolitics
• history
• international relations
• political science
• psychology
• science
• personal development
• knowledge
• ceramics

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I tend to be somewhat fixated on non-Nashville country music, due to the tradition of deep narratives, and its hearkening back to my roots.

Books: I recently read the book A Peace to End All Peace, about the division of the Ottoman Empire, a tragic comedy of errors in which nobody had a clue what anyone was doing most of the time.

Movies: my favorite for some reason ends up being Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). I saw it on my first cross-country trip at age 19, and it's continued to live rent-free in my head.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Finished college 12 years after I started. While I've accomplished many things of which I am proud, this sits near the top of my list.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like to think I’m a good conversationalist, interested in those experiences which make each person unique, or sharing from my observations of the world.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States