My name is Jamila (people often call me "Jam" or "Jami") I'm a 29 year old currently working at a social investment company.

Pre COVID I was solo traveler. I graduated and was brought up in the UK, england. I have been travelling, working, volunteering, working, studying for around 3 years in Asia... and after this I was staying in Yogyakarta studying the Indonesian language.

When Covid hit I returned to the UK and used it as an opportnity to explore the UK. I went hitchhiking and wild camping in Ireland, the peak district, lake discrict and took a wild-camping road trip in Scotland.

I love exploring places that are not very explored by tourists and I really enjoy learning about culture and life as a local, I love nature and learning about life as a local and history of a place, my travels and student life in Asia had to come to an end recently due to coronavirus so I have returned back to the UK and I really miss travelling so I'm keen to travel close to my current home.

For me the best thing about traveling is meeting people, learning about different cultures, making friends, learning about peoples perspectives and lifestyles, their opinions. I also love eating cheap local food and nature. I travel on a budget which helps me to get the best out of my experience. It means I can travel for longer and it also means that I get to experience amazing local food in hole-in-the-wall type places and experience genuine culture, like very long night buses and 3rd class trains hahha. It also adds the challenging element to my travels, as otherwise, traveling would be too "easy" and, for me, it would lose the cultural element. Its very easy to spend time with foreigners, speak English and move from hostel to hostel... But for me traveling is all about immersing myself in the life of locals (the former I can do without leaving England!)

I travel with a general idea of where I want to go and what I want to see but I don't have set dates. I'm very flexible in my travel approach and I have no deadline. If I like somewhere, I stay! If I don't, I leave. For this reason it's hard for me to know my exact dates of arrival so I do wholeheartdely apologise in advance if I change my dates. But one thing I've learnt through my time traveling is that the worst thing is when you have to leave a place you love because you "don't have time" or because you've made an itinerary that says you must leave. I love spontaneous travel, it creates more stories and memories than following a rigid (and boring) itinerary that removes all flexibility. It would make traveling such a chore 😂.

I love nature, hiking, mountains etc. I love experiencing culture and spending time with locals to understand culture, local life and Society. I also really enjoy trying new foods as well as cooking and being physically active.

I generally try my best to travel "off the beaten track" which helps me experience more authenticity and culture which I think is more genuine than going only to tourist areas. I really don't like super touristy and busy places (if I want to be surrounded by Europeans, I'd go back home to England haha). I love to spend time with local people, learning about their culture and finding hidden gem type places... The ones that the lonely planet and travel guides (and even sometimes Google) don't even know exists!

Check out my trustroots @jami.dahm , unfortunately I am unable to host at the moment but would be more that happy to explore or meetup.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am really looking to immerse myself in the culture of different cities and get a proper insight into the city, I do not like doing super touristy activities or seeing the fake side of an area, I like to see the authentic side, eat authentic food, learn about the culture and traditions, visit local markets and meet new people!

I think CS is such a great tool to help get the most out of traveling. To learn about new cultures, learn new languages, discover new places that guide books don't mention and to meet amazing people.

I found out about CS 3 months into my travels when a friend told me about his amazing cultural experience using it in Europe. I decided to try it out and since then have really loved the concept... Because I only found out about it. During my travels, it explains why I've never hosted in the past. However when I settle back home (or wherever) for sure I intend to!

I have met some absolutely amazing people on CS and it has really added to my travel experience, it helps me learn so much more about culture, history and local life in that country. I have made some real life long friends through CS!

Interests

• cooking
• team sports
• hiking
• sports
• basketball
• sightseeing
• food
• gym
• nutrition
• nature walks
• lifting weights

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitchhiking in Laos... Definitely not as easy as you may think. And I have so many stories to share from it!

A 27 hour bus journey from vietnam to Laos, with only 1 stop and no toilet

Sitting next to chickens on a bus in Sri Lanka (the best kind of buses)

Getting a ride from the police (I hadn't committed any crime dont worry hahaha, they just offered me a ride because they were going to the same destination #hitchhiking)

Volunteering in a coffee plantation in Indoneisa #coffeeaddict

Volunteered for a Radio station in Blitar (Indonesia) to help promote confidence in English speaking

Volunteered for Positive Living Community, an organisation that works with HIV/AIDS patients

Accepting impromptu invites to random villages that turn out the be the best experiences, meeting genuinely amazing and hospitable people... And finding some unexpected but amazing nature

What I Can Share with Hosts

Information on nutrition, sports and physical exercise (I'm a powerlifter), as well as my knowledge of cooking a variety of foods (including Moroccan 😍). I am a native english speaker so perhaps can help with conversational english too. And My experiences of traveling as a solo female traveler and hitch hiking solo too!

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Cyprus, Georgia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, England, Indonesia, Malaysia