CURRENT MISSION

To cherish this planet and take good care of her. More specifically by enabling the energy and mobility transition.

ABOUT ME

I'm Irene, a Dutch girl from Amsterdam, studied Civil engineering and work as a sustainable mobility consultant.

In my free time, I love doing sports (cycling, volleyball, tennis) and spending time in nature. During my winters and summers, I spend my vacations doing Alpine sports: hiking, ski touring and staying in mountain huts. Lately, I have been learning a lot about plants and birds, yoga and meditation. But most of all, I love meeting interesting and open people to share stories with and to learn from.

I have been based in The Netherlands for a while now and mostly spending my holidays in Europe, but previously I have worked and studied in Great Britain, Switzerland, Canada and Myanmar. Further, I backpacked in Cuba, Peru and Southeast Asia. I have loved submerging myself in these cultures and getting to know fellow travellers and locals.

And lastly, I love cool innovative projects. In 2016, I spent a year on a student project to design, build and race with a hydrofoil boat powered by solar energy. Because of the hydrofoils, it can reach a top speed of 55 km/h on the energy of just 2 water boilers (still to this day the world speed record).

PHILOSOPHY

Don't judge people if you don't like being judged
Some curiosity can bring you a long way
Take your space and allow people theirs
Take care of the planet as you would like the planet to take care of you
Kindness is the greatest weapon

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I think Couchsurfing is the best way to get to know interesting and kind hearted people, have cultural exchanges and learn new things.
Until now I've only participated in couchsurfing as a surfer or traveller and it has been a while ago.
Currently, I am looking to use Couchsurfing as a way to find nice hosts in French Polynesia. I am more than open to be of assistance with any tasks that you may have in exchange for hosting me. I can cook, bake, clean, do grocery shopping, do gardening, take care of children and/or animals. I can also do photography shoots, help with video editing and help you with your social media/website.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

During my interrail-eurotrip in 2011 I used couchsurfing at 6 different locations. All very positive experiences.
Also, when I moved to Canada in 2014, I couchsurfed before I could receive the key of my room there. It was a great way to start my 6 month adventure, getting to know some locals and Canadian culture.
It's ideal if you love traveling, but don't like being a "tourist".

Interests

A few things I really love:
-Sports (cycling, hiking, volleyball, tennis)
-Nature and birds
-Alpinism
-Scuba diving
-Learning languages and cultures
-Watching a good film
-Not drinking the capuccino, but just eating the foamed milk off the top

• photography
• yoga
• meditation
• technology
• traveling
• drawing
• alpinism
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• skiing
• sports
• volleyball
• engineering
• languages
• nature
• videography
• social media

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Le Fabouleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain, Mean Girls

Music: Everything. I'm very random in my choice of music

Books: The 100 year-old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared, Wild

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Designing, building and racing with a hydrofoil boat powered by solar energy. Top speed: 55 km/h!

Living with a Chinese family on exchange with a school in Beijing

Traveling alone. Previously: Europe, Southeast Asia, Canada. On the planning: hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail in the US and French Polynesia

Teaching kids who have never seen snow before how to ski

Teach, Learn, Share

Sports and games
Plants and birds
Alpinism
Sustainable mobility
Hydrofoil boats
Yoga and meditation
Dutch culture and language
Anything you may have to teach me!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can help you with:
Cooking and baking
Doing chores like cleaning, getting groceries
Gardening
Maintenance
Taking care of animals and children
Photography/videography
Social media/website

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Cambodia, Canada, China, Cuba, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Laos, Myanmar, Norway, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Myanmar, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom