I am Laurien (29y) and live with my brother, sister and parents in Belgium (well, at least that's the place where I always like to go back to after another adventure :D). My family and friends mean a lot to me. We also have a dog called Flo, I would love to bring her everywhere, but the 'nomadlife' makes that a bit difficult...

I graduated 6y ago as a FR/EN teacher. During my studies, I've been a youth animator for 5 years. I have a true passion for hiking, being outdoors and going on adventures where I can meet new people, discover new places and learn lots of new things. Some other hobbies are listening to music/podcasts, going to concerts, reading books, playing boardgames, snowboarding, dancing, meditation,... I've been working as a French teacher for some time, but mainly as a travel guide around Europe (Lanzarote, Val Thorens, Italy, Costa Rica, Lapland, Balkans, Iceland,...). As a child, I was a huge LOTR so that explains me wanting to explore NZ ever since :-)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

For me to travel, means not only ticking of places you like to see. It means learning something about the country and the locals. That's why I value my work so much: I get to travel a lot for work but I stay for several weeks/months in one place so that I can get to know the people, the culture, the customs,... In my experience, I have a better connection with a place if there were also memorable people.

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: rock, indie, alternative, dance... A bit of everything though!
Movies/series: LOTR, GOT & documentaries
Podcasts: De wereld van Sofie

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Snorkeling with whale sharks

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you French and I can share some travel stories.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, United States