Hello, I'm Joe, a 34 year old Londoner. I've just come back from 14 months travelling in South America with my girlfriend.

I worked in advertising for ten years but I wasn't very happy so my girlfriend and I decided an adult gap year was necessary. We travelled and volunteered all over the continent which meant we turned our hands to monkey handling, eco-construction, chocolate making, hostel management, farming and permaculture design.

I want to help people live happier, more socially connected and environmentally conscious lives and am currently applying to retrain as a garden designer.

I'm friendly, eager to learn new things and make new friends so I hope to meet you along the way.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We had two amazing couchsurfing experiences while travelling; one in Quito, Ecuador and another in Recife, Brazil. Both times our hosts were unbelievably kind, generous and accommodating, taking us to the best places off the tourist trail and introducing us to their friends.

We're staying with friends and family now but when we get our own place we want to repay their generosity to other travellers.

Interests

Meeting new people, learning new skills, practicing Spanish, reading interesting books, not taking life too seriously.

• books
• design
• chocolate
• gardening
• reading
• traveling

Music, Movies, and Books

Five recent books I liked:
1. Wild, by Cheryl Strayed
2. Happy City, by Charles Montgomery
3. The Moneyless Man, by Mark Boyle
4. No War, by Naomi Klein & Others
5. The Consolations of Philosophy, by Alain De Botton

Five recent films I liked:
1. American Sniper
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Dallas Buyers Club
4. Ten Years A Slave
5. Bourne Legacy

Five songs I like:
1. Petition, by Tennis
2. Take A Fall For Me, James Blake
3. Happy, by Pharrell Williams
4. Mr November, by The National
5. Weird Fishes, by Radiohead

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Quitting my job and travelling around South America for fourteen months was probably the best experience of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I respect peoples' space and boundaries, I'm friendly and outgoing, tidy and I'd be very grateful for your hospitality.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United States, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

England