I traveled the world in 2017 to over 20 countries and there were many couchsurfing hosts who hosted me. I met incredible people through this site and I would like to return the favor and give back.

I am fun loving, curious, adventurer always willing to say yes to something new.
San Diego, California native with Canadian/Finnish roots. At the end of 2016, I decided to leave home, pause my career in local politics without a plan to return. So now I am traveling across Europe in 2017 from Portugal to the UK to Finland and back down to the Mediterranean by the summer. This is a journey of self discovery where I am learning so much from people around the world. I love learning the languages, history and cultures of a place. It's the people that make the experience of a place and the journey is beautiful.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am looking to give back after chouchsurfing around the world in 2017. I am here to meet new people and make new friends so that we can exchange cultures and ideas.
I am not a free place to sleep.
Looking to meet great people along the route of my travels! I love meeting new people and learning about their unique talents and perspectives. The kindness and generosity of strangers sharing and connecting despite any language or cultural boundaries is a beautiful thing!
I always think it is best to meet a local in a new place to hear about their favorite spots, learn about the food I have to try and the tourist traps to avoid. Once I am done traveling I want to open up my home to couchsurfers!

Interests

Art in museums or in the streets, architecture old and new, street musicians playing their heart out, bicycles, cafés, quirky bars, hiking into nature, and above all: new experiences!

• architecture
• street art
• photography
• cooking
• yoga
• gardening
• politics
• reading
• live music
• hiking
• swimming
• art history
• nature
• spirituality
• lgbt
• museums
• bicycling
• transportation
• creative writing
• lgbt friendly
• going to the beach

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: indie-alternative (Alt-J, Arcade Fire), jazz (traditional, like Louis Armstrong, Billie Holliday), classical (Vivaldi!), and maybe some pop-music if I'm in the mood. Mostly everything in music!
Books: biographies! but also... Hemingway, Thoreau, Baldwin
Movies: indie films, comedies, sci-fi! (Love Star Wars and LOTR) and adventure (Indiana Jones) *John Williams is a genius.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiked to Machu Picchu.
Volunteered at a Vedic temple in Germany
Worked on a political campaign in Curacao
Hiked to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. An 18 hour hike!
Swam with sea turtles in the Caribbean

Teach, Learn, Share

I am willing to share my home and in the process be open to making new friends with different perspectives and experiences. I like to learn about how others see the world.
I would love to learn anything fellow travelers have to offer, new languages, new things to cook, especially new music!
I can share California vibes (:

What I Can Share with Hosts

Great conversation about life and the human condition or fun lighter topics like good drinks, music or how to build a chicken coop. I've got insight into U.S. culture and politics if you really want to know, I'm happy to share my unconventional opinions (most people are curious in the age of Trump). I like to cook and can clean up a kitchen well after a meal. Long, deep conversations are my specialty.
It will depend on our common interests, we can hang, chat or go on an adventure.

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Colombia, United States