Hi, I’m Kel. Like most Australians, I LOVE to travel!

I’m currently backpacking around Asia, and am working as a freelance graphic designer when I find a place I like to stop and spend some time. I love photography, my camera is never far from my side whilst I’m exploring new places. I think one of the best things about backpacking is to meet the local people. To get shown the hidden little places, that a tourist would never know about. Like some good local street food, or where to find the real coffee, or a quirky little dive bar.

Some of the highlights from my current trip are: trekking the Goecha La pass in Sikkim, teaching English to Tibetan refugees in India, exploring the beautiful temples in Bagan by motorbike and lazing on the beach in the Philippines. Some bucket list places for the future are Machu Picchu, seeing the northern lights in Norway and the Galapagos Islands.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've always loved travelling, but have generally stayed in hostels, or with friends. But I've heard so many great stories from other backpackers about Couch Surfing, so I thought it'd be good to try. I think its a great way to meet local people, and really get to see a place. Not just the tourist sights.

Interests

• design
• graphic design
• photography
• dining
• coffee
• traveling
• backpacking
• surfing
• freelancing
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Tunes: Bonobo, DJ Shadow, Fat Freddy's Drop, Massive Attack, DJ Krush, Air, Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, Powderfinger, Kill Devil Hills, Tame Impala, Bob Marley, Neil Young, Beatles, The Doors, Rolling Stones, Daft Punk, Pheonix, The Cure, RDJ2, London Grammar, Alt J, Souls of Mischief, Asgeir, Kings of Convenience, Midlake, Xavier Rudd, Florence + The Machine, Tex Perkins, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Urthboy.

Movies: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, anything by Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson or the Coen Brothers, Star Wars, Warriors, Cadillac Records, Ronin, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Life of Brian, Bio Dome, Uncle Buck, What We Do In The Shadows, Pans Labrynth.

Books: The Rum Diaries, Night Soldiers, The Constant Gardener, Burmese Days, 1984, the Discworld series, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Red Dwarf, The Polish Officer, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, On The Road, The Quiet American, To Kill a Mockingbird, Animal Farm, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Shantaram, The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, War and Peace

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Afew years ago I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with my brother. It was one of the hardest, but most rewarding things I've experienced. Physically very challenging, but to see the sunrise as I was summiting the roof of Africa is something I'll never forget!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malawi, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Thailand, United Kingdom