What's up Everybody.

When I was 18 I skipped school with my best friend and took my first real road trip (Connecticut to Virginia). We went to a Thursday night football game in the pouring rain - Boston College @ Virginia Tech. Both teams were in the top 5 in the country, we were soaked, and BC won on a last minute drive. The stadium was shaking, and I was hooked.

A couple years later I drove with two buddies from CT to San Fran and back in 17 days. We camped in National Parks, got into some weird situations, and learned a lot about what not to do.

In 2013 my girlfriend and I backpacked through 15 cities across six countries in Western Europe. It was my first time leaving the US, it was romantic...the whole thing.

In December of 2015 I left on an open-ended solo trip through Latin America. It started in the Caribbean and four months later I wound up in northern Bolivia. All said, it was four months before I returned to New York City. I've since realized it was as self-finding mission (don't ask whether it was as success).

Amid all this, I've spent four seasons as the on-camera host for the New York Yankees (working summers and traveling in the winters). I've also worked for two of the biggest brands in the tourism industry: Sandemans walking tours and Tauck.

Above all I consider myself a writer, and I'm finally setting out to ditch this whole employee thing and make it on my own.

My first adventure of 2017 is a month-long trek from Spokane to Sand Diego. Hope to catch you along the way!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

It's about relationships. The happiest times in my life have been shared with others. As a writer, thinker, and solo traveler I can sometimes lose touch with this sense of community, but nothing pumps energy through my body like sparking a new and quality friendship.

I've traveled to many corners of the world and - as often becomes the case - I'm open to meeting anyone (you don't even have to speak my language).

It can get lonely on the road and that's something I love about traveling, but I also like the connectivity. That's why I'm here.

Interests

Take a look at my website https://kylekesses.com/

• writing
• literature
• yoga
• hiking
• language
• biking
• roadtrips
• outdoor sports

Music, Movies, and Books

Jeez ...like everyone I could go on forever in this category. Lana Del Rey and Jack Johnson are the artists I listen to most consistently, and I'm developing a taste for Frank Ocean. I always find myself coming back to Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers. Leonard Cohen's career arc is incredible, and you can tell he FELT his work. There's a darker side of me that connects with Nirvana and Eminem (I still haven't put my finger on why).

Hemingway is the author who's had the biggest impact on me. When I read The Sun Also Rises and he was describing the parade of townspeople entering Pamplona on the first day of the bull fights, I felt I was reading a painting. It changed my understanding of the art of writing. I also cried toward the end of For Whom The Bell Tolls.

James Joyce, Richard Yates, Valdimir Nabokov, MLK, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eckhart Tolle, Tolstoy, Martin Amis, Donna Tartt, Napolean Hill are some other all-time favorites.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've flown a plane upside down over the Atlantic Ocean

Teach, Learn, Share

I can't think of a group of people who wouldn't benefit from reading MLK's autobiography (the one assembled in the 1990s by Clayborne Carson).

What I Can Share with Hosts

I've got my own perspective. I've worked hard (too hard at times) to fight the norm and develop my own path, but it's brought me to places and people who've helped me understand myself and the world.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States