Hi! I'm Lex and it's great to meet you.

Having done my first two trips: one around the Baltic Sea through Germany, Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Poland, the through the UK and Ireland in 31 days, I am always on the look out for more adventures while Couchsurfing! Glad to have stayed with 16 hosts totalling over 40 nights spent :).

More on me: I am straightforward, go-with-the-flow, open-minded and an adaptable Dutchman who never lies, nor knows any taboo, so anything is up for discussion! My life tends to be immensely split into different interests, juggling a bachelor, totally different minor and three outlying jobs, each in their own field (governance, IT and teaching). I definitely know a thing or two about any topics you may find interesting, more on that in my interests tab :).

Topic tips: poetry (I write poems and prose myself!), volleyball, travelling (duh), geography, linguistics, physics, cubing, music (try me with your wildest genres), nature, crafts, cooking and film.

You may find me on my social media (all public):
Instagram: @lex__p
Snapchat: @lex_pl
Discord: @Lex#6882
Facebook: l.plantenga
Email: lexplantenga@gmail.com
Letterboxd: lex__p

You may also go to linktr.ee/lex__p to find the aforementioned and more.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Having some experience now, I can say that locals have your best interests at heart and add to the experience of travelling. Not because they are like hotel servants, but like equals who like to share what they have experienced abroad before, too. I have met and spent a considerable amount of time with over 30 people in the Great Britain tour alone, plus more than ten on the Scandinavia one. I can recount all the experiences I've had with them :).

Interests

As you might see, I have an insurmountable amount of interests. If the metaphor "Jack of all traits, master of none" were to be personified, it would be me. I find practically everything fascinating.

Currently, I am studying applied physics with a minor in Journalism and New Media; as a hobby I write (English) poetry; love to cycle through nature; adore cooking (specifically Asian and Arab/Persian cuisines); am a huge geek in quite a few niches and can listen and talk for days; while spending time alone is also a favourite pastime.

Whatever your interests are, I bet to you I share them and can conversate about them at least to some extend. You may also enjoy that I listen to every genre of music and watch every genre cinema has to offer, anything is on the table :).

• arts
• writing
• poetry
• design
• concerts
• cooking
• politics
• trivia
• traveling
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• sports
• biology
• geography
• history
• international relations
• journalism
• physics
• psychology
• nature
• linguistics
• gaming
• learning new things
• cinematography
• debating
• government
• police
• cubing

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Believe it or not, I listen to every genre, from classical to EDM, all the way through to heavy metal and blues. Highlights of artists include Ludovico Einaudi, Noah Kahan, Taylor Swift, Bring me the Horizon, Porter Robinson, Paramore, Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, and Zach Bryan.

Movies: I adore Harry Potter and the MCU, but my all-time favourites would be Inception and Interstellar. The Father has recently been added to the best films I have seen. Though I practically like every genre of film, too, I prefer not to see overly cliché romcoms/sitcoms or jumpscare horror. I have just added my Letterboxd account (lex__p) and will try to keep my library up to date.

Books: although I haven't read a lot, I really enjoyed The Fifth Science, a hidden gem by the not so well known writer Exurb1a (because he is more well-known for his videography work). As a teenager, I was also plenty into the Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Divergent, and Maze Runner series. I intend to read more classic literature to learn from big names, as I am a writer of poetry myself.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I am humbled by what I am about to share. But for my Scandinavia tour, the most memorable, picturesque, seemingly being picked freshly from a romance, memory I have, was right at the start of the trip in Berlin. I had dinner with a fellow traveller and Couchsurfing member and walked through Treptower Park. There, we sat down close to a dance group. A couple, unbothered by others or even the music, just had the biggest smile on their bright faces and radiated just the utmost joy being together, twirling around each other as the sun settled. They were really just picked from a feel-good film or the Woodstock Festival, with hippie-looking clothing. That was an otherworldly experience and sparked me into writing a poem bundle all centred around dance, with experiences in each city I visited thereafter.

Teach, Learn, Share

To teach: writing techniques; physics; writing; calculus; debating skills; solving a Rubik's cube or other puzzles; and trivia for days!

To learn: whatever neat thing you have to offer!

To share: plenty of amazing travel stories or experiences from the past; I'd love to share mine, but also hear yours!

What I Can Share with Hosts

We can share stories, explore the city together, you might receive some Dutch treats too ;). I can travel quite tidy and won't leave a mess. I am adaptive to any environment.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, Poland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands