A little bit about me....

Things that I am not: normal by any means, a conformist, shy, afraid to try new things, A TOURIST!!!!

I am a traveller, not a tourist. Yes they are two different things ;)

In September 2023 I quit my job to travel around the world. The goal of my grand adventure is to travel from Indonesia to California without taking an airplane. I'm travelling by bus and hitchhiking for now, but in March I will arrive in China, where I will ride my bicycle to Europe. From there the goal is to take a sailboat back to North America. I expect this to take me 3 years total, as I am a very slow traveller and would rather stay in a few places for longer periods of time rather than move every couple days to see the next destination. You can imagine how tired one may get on a trip like this (even for a girl with A LOT of energy), so I travel slowly to avoid burnout which is very easy to fall into when on a long term trip.

A little recap of my trip so far for those who are interested...

So far I have cycled over 500km down the coast of South Korea, travelled extensively in Japan from Osaka to Hokkaido, trekked for 28 days in the Nepalese Himalayas, hitchhiked my way through Sri Lanka, rock climbed for 6 weeks in a UNESCO world heritage site located in India and also the Indian Himalayas, travelled along the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan, hitchhiked over 1,000km and climbed 10 volcanoes in Indonesia! :)

If you can help me on this amazing journey by hosting me for a couple nights, I would be so grateful 🙏🏽

NEXT STOP: Malaysia 😊

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm quite a seasoned traveller, having been to over 15 countries before I was 18 years old. However this trip has been monumental for me because of couchsurfing. Honestly the backpacking scene doesn't serve me the way it did when I was 22, I often feel like I'm just going mindlessly from place to place when I travel the typical tourist route. Although I do enjoy the occasional sightseeing, these days I'm looking for something more authentic, something that really nourishes my soul. My experience couchsurfing has been nothing short of that-- although I'm still fairly new to this app, I've made relationships that I know will last a lifetime-- hosts that have turned to great friends in which I talk to regularly. I hope these relationships keep coming my way.

Interests

I am very passionate about learning languages! I started learning Spanish while traveling in Central America and it made my experience so special. I am also currently studying Korean, and although an extremely difficult task, it has been very rewarding. To be able to communicate with local people makes travelling precious.

I am a woman of many hobbies, highlining/slacklining being my favorites, with rock climbing, mountaineering, and cycling coming a close second. I also scuba dive occasionally, and I love expressing my artistic side through sewing/embroidery projects 🧵🪡 and film photography.

Also I am so excited to learn about (and eat of course) local cuisine. Let's go to your favorite restaurant together!? :) Show me how to cook some local dishes??? Show me any weird food from your country?? If it involves food, I'm game.

• culture
• cooking
• live music
• cycling
• camping
• mountaineering
• hitchhiking
• nature
• trekking
• film photography
• slackline
• climbing
• language learning
• gastronomy

Music, Movies, and Books

Since I was young music has always been something important to me; I'm constantly looking for and discovering new music styles. When asked what kind of music I normally listen to, I struggle to think of a specific style that would encapsulate my taste. These days I often find myself listening to americana, folk/folk rock, and Appalachian styles. However that's only a small fraction of the music that I enjoy. I also cherish classical, jazz, blues, and good old rock and roll. As I travel I am always being exposed to more music styles and very keen to discover more. Travelling has introduced me to more exotic styles such as Ethiopian/Sudanese/bossa nova jazz, Lebanese rock, Carnatic classical, and cumbia. My mind is quite open when it comes to music but I will say that I am not interested in listening to any sort of mainstream pop music that is trendy on the radio with meaningless and sometimes toxic lyrics. Same goes for mainstream hip hop or rap music.

I'm the type of person who is always looking for something new to learn, and for that reason I usually gravitate towards reading non-fiction works. Adventure books or diaries written by early explorers especially excite me. My favorite author of all time is Edward Abbey, if you're into nature writing and some controversial opinions about the United States in its early days of conception he is the author for you. Any sort of mountaineering stories will surely have me glued to the pages (K2, Into Thin Air) and recently I've been especially interested in accounts of early exploration into Tibet or Tibetan influenced areas of China, India, and Nepal (7 Years in Tibet, Mustang).

Favorite movies include Natural Born Killers and A Clockwork Orange. I love directors who have an eye for interesting and obscure styles of cinematography such as Stanley Kubrick or Wes Anderson. I spend a lot of time watching documentaries (mostly mountain oriented) or anime.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'll save these stories for when we meet in person because they are plentiful, but the most meaningful to me and one that has greatly influenced my life today...

I climbed an active volcano in Guatemala and slept on top of a neighboring mountain, where I watched lava spew out of the volcano all night long!
That experience ignited my love for volcanoes. I then traveled to Nicaragua, where I then became a tour guide for active volcanoes throughout the country!!

Teach, Learn, Share

I am eager to learn just about anything! I am an English teacher so I would love to help you improve your English skills. I have travelled solo to over 10 countries so if you want any information or advice about how to travel on a tight budget, how to plan trips, how to gain confidence to travel alone, etc., I'm your girl :) Additionally, I am travelling with a slackline, so if you want to know more about balance and being in tune with your body we can find a park and have funnn !!

I have an open mind and am eager to listen to different perspectives, ESPECIALLY if they differ from my own. I love to learn through my differences with others. I don't expect you to agree with everything I say but will nonetheless respect you as a person! :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I try to bring a small gift for each of my hosts. If there's some sort of food or treat you particularly like, don't be shy to let me know what that may be (I can't promise anything though!) It's the least I can do for someone who is kind enough to let me into their home. I don't mind cleaning up and helping with chores as well, as I realize that hosting can sometimes be a lot of work with an already busy schedule of your own. If there's anything I can do to help around the house, I am at your disposal :)

And of course, travel stories, advice, recommendations, and knowledge are plentiful and I'm eager to share with others. I'd love to tell you about how I manage to save money when travelling and all the tips and tricks I've learned along the way.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Costa Rica, South Korea, United States