Salutations intrepid traveler! Im Jake Stief. I’m a philosophy graduate so naturally, rather than have a career, I travel around the world living out of my backpack. I love rock climbing and I travel with my gear, so if anyone wants to climb, hmu.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to learn/partake in other cultures/life styles. This gives me a better understanding and consideration for other people’s perspectives and points of view. I particularly love to explore what makes various people happy. What are people passionate about? Everyone has a different answer.

Interests

• arts
• culture
• books
• wine
• beer
• traveling
• bouldering
• music
• opera
• rock climbing
• philosophy
• hitchhiking
• food
• adventure
• tea
• musicals
• space exploration

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I believe every genre of music is beautiful in the right context. I’m a huge opera aficionado. I’ve traveled just to see operas, and I will pay top dollar for front row seats. I absolutely adore Puccini. There’s something about opera that overwhelms all the senses — it has music, acting, story telling, stage design — a good production is bound to make me cry! I also love going to jazz clubs, rock concerts, and music festivals.

Books: I’m a philosophy major and classical literature major so I love anything in that vein. I’m a huge fan of Kierkegaard, James Joyce, David Foster Wallace, Proust, Kant, Spinoza, Camus, Fitzgerald, just to name a few. I also enjoy reading historical works of science and mathematics.

Movies: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Into the Wild, Secret Life of Walter Mitty

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

—Hitchhike across Iraq
—Drink Champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower
—Fight off wild boars in the Turkish wilderness
—Run a marathon
—Drive up to the northernmost point of Norway
—Trainsurf across the Sahara desert
—Have a beer with my favorite contemporary opera composer
—Scuba dive in Oman
—Escape getting kidnapped in Tunisia
—Come face to face with the Taliban
—Hike 800 km across the Camino de Santiago in Spain
—Climb the 1000 ft Devil’s Tower
—Make wonderful friends in every country I’ve visited

What I Can Share with Hosts

If you are visiting St. Louis I would love to show you around and give you a tour of the city. Sadly I cannot host at the moment, but I can be a chauffeur to popular tourist attractions and iconic St. Louis food. I work at a climbing gym, so if you want to climb, I can get you in for free.

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Albania, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mauritania, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Wales, Åland Islands

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States