My name is Laura, 22 years old, lover of travel. I was born and raised in country Victoria but I've been a student for 3 years in the lovely Australian capital city of Canberra, graduated at the end of 2016 and in this year I'm taking a year off from studying to see more of the world!
I'm new to the whole couchsurfing thing but I've been convinced by people I've met during my travels to give it a go :) Obviously my profile is pretty empty at the moment but I hope that'll be fixed pretty quickly...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to see more than just the main tourist attractions where I travel- show me why I should love your city as much as you do! The longer I travel, the less I worry about seeing my 254th Gothic-style church, and the more I value the conversations I have with the wonderful people I meet. I want to make my travels mean something, and as much as I enjoy the social atmospheres in hostels, that's not where to find it.

When I get back home and into my own place again I'd like to start hosting so that I can use my local knowledge for more than just my daily routine.

Interests

• culture
• coffee
• movies
• reading
• music
• astronomy
• history
• science
• solo travel
• travel
• nature
• social justice
• feminism
• local food
• space
• environmentalism

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC
I'm a huge fan of some local Australian musicians (shoutout to Triple J for all the Aussies!)- Tash Sultana, Ballpark Music, San Cisco, and Illy are some of my favourites (just to name a few). Other than that, I love Florence and The Machine, Adele, Lorde... but really just about anything, although I'm yet to be converted to heavy metal.

BOOKS
I love to read and try to whenever I can. Genre doesn't matter so much to me, I just like a really good story. I think citing Harry Potter as a huge part of my childhood is a given... recently I've enjoyed:
"Do Not Say We Have Nothing" by Madeleine Thien (a novel set 20th century China),
"Perfume: The Story of a a Murderer" by Patrick Suskind (the most vivid, illustrative descriptions I've ever read),
"We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves" by Karen Joy Fowler (10/10 for a shocking twist, recommended if you're into science, ethics, animal rights)
"The Martian" by Andy Weir (I'm sure you've at least heard of it with the 2015 movie. As a space nerd I just love it)
And the Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) series, which needs no introduction.

TV
I spend far more time than I like to admit investing in TV series. I love Sense8, Doctor Who, Orphan Black, Sherlock, Orange Is The New Black, Jane The Virgin... give me good character development, healthy representation, and strong female characters and I'm on board.
I must be one of the few people on the planet to not watch Game of Thrones... give me time! I've read the books- I'll get around to watching the show soon.

MOVIES
I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, warming to DC's (Wonder Woman was fantastic). I'm open to most genres, though I'm not much a fan of romance or mindless action movies. I love documentaries- Louis Theroux and Michael Moore have made some great ones I really enjoy.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Ziplining above the jungle
Snorkelling with sharks and stingrays
Adventure caving in ancient Mayan sites
Sandboarding in Peru
Hiked to Machu Picchu
Eaten all kinds of strange foods

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to learn anything and everything about your city/country- language, food, customs, culture! I've picked up a little basic Spanish on my travels I'd love to keep learning, and I learnt some Mandarin at high school many years ago. If you're interested in science, especially physics and astronomy, I can go on for days.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Terrible Australian humour, decent cooking skills, great conversation.

I'm travelling solo so I'd love to spend some time with you, but I'm also more than happy to entertain myself if that suits you better.

I'm not a party person and far prefer a couple of casual drinks to a big night out, so I won't be coming into your home late at night or drunk

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Northern Ireland, Norway, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia