CURRENT MISSION

Keep moving! Travel the world whenever I can, enjoy the company of the people who inhabit it, and do some good along the way.

ABOUT ME

In my mind, I have travelled around the world, but due to limited money and days off work, that's not how it is in reality (although I've visited some cool places). That's why, while I'm at home in The Hague, I love to travel the world in my own living room, by reading books, sending postcards to places all over the world, and hosting travellers.
I'm very interested in other people and you will usually find me listening more than talking. I may be a bit shy in the beginning, but nevertheless I like to have people around. It just takes a while for me to warm up sometimes.
I grew up in different places and towns in the Netherlands, both rural and urban areas. For the last 10 years, I've been living in The Hague - with the proximity of the sea (2-3 km from my place) as one of the major advantages.

PHILOSOPHY

Wie het kleine niet eert, is het grote niet weerd. (Who doesn't appreciate the small things, doesn't deserve the big ones.) It's just nice to get your happiness out of small things, such as a good meal, a friendly person, or a nice postcard.
Een dag niet gelachen is een dag niet geleefd. (A day without laughter is a day without life.)

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Generally as a host. Occasionally surfing. And very very rarely, attending CS events.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

After more than 10 years of hosting through CS, I think I can say it is part of my lifestyle.
In general, it is a wonderful community. In my opinion, it is not so much about free accommodation (though that is a nice thing as well), but to connect with local people. I like to host people (and stay with people) who share this idea about CS.
To make sure that people know who they're going to be stayting with, I've hidden a password somewhere on my profile. Please mention that password in your request.

Interests

For quite a few years, I've been a passionate runner. If you visit The Hague because you want to participate in a local run, I would be even more happy to host you than usual. I'll probably be running as well...
I am also quite intrigued by people who are on a long-distance hike, run or bike trip - your stories may convince me to start another adventure - and in return for those stories I can start a washing machine, store your bike in the basement, and offer a warm shower.

Subjects I like to talk about: travels, books, music, (modern) history, politics, science, philosophy, food. And probably some other subjects I forget to mention now. Generally, my problem is being interested in too many things, rather than not interested at all, but there's not enough time to explore all of them.

So if you happen to know an awful lot about a particular subject, and want to share it with me, you're more than welcome.

• dogs
• writing
• books
• photography
• desserts
• baking
• triathlon
• running
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• crochet
• knitting
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• swimming
• history
• psychology
• science
• craft beer
• dinosaurs
• palaeontology

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: quite a bit. Rock, symphonic/gothic/power metal, folk, some jazz, singer-songwriter. Queen, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, R.E.M., Lana del Rey, Billie Eilish, Dool, Nightwish. And many other things. But please introduce me to your favourite artist as well.
Love to listen to old vinyl records.

Books: old and new, fiction and non-fiction. Fiction: literature, some fantasy and sci-fi. Non-fiction: psychology, travelling/adventures, history, science. Lifelong fan of the Harry Potter novels.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

* Being a host for more than 100 people (not everyone left a reference though)
* Raising €4.000 for the Ronald McDonald Foundation by running a 52 km ultramarathon
* Working as a travel guide for a few summers, in England and Scandinavia
* Hiking for 17 days in a row to the Mount Everest Base Camp, without shower
* Running a half marathon in Longyearbyen, Svalbard
* Accidentally competing in the Belgian national Championship while doing my first 1/2 triathlon (in the pouring rain)
* Getting awfully drunk at my friends' wedding on Friday, then showing up for (and completing) an obstacle run on Saturday morning and a 1/8 triathlon on Sunday
* Becoming an aunt to three wonderful nephews

No Insta, but Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/56681054

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach:
* The basics of the Dutch language
* How to knit Christmas balls
* An introduction to the best (and worst) Dutch music
* Sleeping in a hammock (I challenge you!)

Learn:
* Whatever you want to teach me...?

Share:
* Food, beer, wine, cookies, ice cream, chocolate
* The best running routes in my city - along the beach and in the dunes
* Travel and adventure stories

What I Can Share with Hosts

* I can bring you a nice (or tasty) souvenir from The Netherlands. Or from the place I visited before reaching you. It all depends on the space in my backpack.
* My skills in cooking, baking, cleaning, washing up. Anyone up for some pancakes?

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, Nepal, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands