I am from New Zealand, and my husband Lee is from the UK.

We are all about longterm, slow budget travel... wanting to experience the real life of a country, not the Instagram shots!

We met whilst trekking in Nepal in 1996... and our story has been featured on CNN Travel's Close Encounters series.

Travelling is a way of life for us - we have visited more than 100 countries, and love learning about different places, cultures, languages and food!

The aim behind our Frugal Travellers YouTube channel and blog is to provide budget travel tips, advice and information on the amazing places we've visited and the wonderful people we've met!

We are looking forward to visiting the rest of the world... very slowly as we believe in finding joy in simple things :)

And of course we are looking forward to making new friends along the way!

We can't wait to meet you!

YouTube channel:
https://youtube.com/c/FrugalTravellers

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We always heard such amazing things about Couchsurfing, so had to try it for ourselves! It is a truly wonderful experience to spend time with locals in their own homes, and to be able to have long and fascinating conversations, rather than just having short chats on the street or on buses.

Interests

Lee and I are so looking forward to slowly travelling around the world and meeting new people, to learn more about other cultures and ways of life!

• reading
• sightseeing
• travelling
• football
• learning languages
• learning new things
• vlogging
• making friends
• walking around
• talking with people
• trying new foods
• experiencing new cultures
• talking with locals

Music, Movies, and Books

Mandy:
Music: 80s and 90s, Kate Bush, Ed Sheeran
Movies and TV: Anything light & easy to watch, Marvel, K-Dramas
Books: Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Agatha Christie, Lisa Gardner
(fantasy/urban fantasy/thrillers/crime)

Lee:
Music: 60s and 70s rock music
Movies and TV: Monty Python, National Geographic documentaries
Books: Wilfred Thessinger, Paul Theroux, travel adventures

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The view from Chukkung Ri on the Everest Base Camp trek in November 2017 was one of the most amazing things we've experienced!

Teach, Learn, Share

We are learning Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. We are happy to help with English.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We are so interested in hearing about other cultures and traditions. We are adaptable and can fit in with home life, and can help with English and household chores. We have experience with websites, vlogging and proofreading.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Macao, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, England, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal