CURRENT MISSION

Currently on a year-long round-the-world journey.

ABOUT ME

We are originally from the US but lived in Sydney, Australia for the last 3 years. When we decided to move back to the US, we chose to take the long way home, travelling for a year through Australia, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, and Europe.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I (Mary) have been involved with Couchsurfing for over a decade--surfing, hosting, going to meetups and hosting events. I introduced Joe to CS by hosting some folks in our place in Sydney and now we are surfing couches while backpacking around the globe.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have couchsurfed throughout the US, Europe, and now Asia. I have hosted surfers at my homes in Springfield, Kansas City, Denver, and Sydney. I went to many CS meetups and events and hosted a few throughout the years. My most memorable experience was hosting a surfer from Afghanistan at my grandmother's home. He was lovely and a riot and totally won over my grandma who is a Midwestern lady who's never left the States nor met a person from Afghanistan before. She was nervous at first to have a "stranger" in the house but by the time the surfer left we'd had conversations about life and culture and war and our countries and my grandma came around about CS and this particular surfer, which to me is the spirit and purpose of Couchsurfing.

I was not as active in the CS community for a while due to not having a space to host and then moving countries and being transient myself. I am surprised at some of the changes that I see in Couchsurfing. I remember using CS before smartphones and apps, when I had to type out couch requests on a computer internet cafes in Morocco and France. There weren't as many hosts, but there weren't as many surfers either. Now I see so many profiles of hosts who have clearly been burned by people just looking for a free place to crash so they have pages of rules and secret words that you have to use. I also see so many male hosts who only accept young beautiful women's couch requests, and so many women who have to state in their profiles they are not looking for sex. It's disappointing. All of my experiences with Couchsurfing have been amazing, thankfully. Hosts have taken me and my friends in when we were without a place to stay, wandering the streets. I've become great friends with people I've hosted. I'm looking for more of that. I miss the old CS spirit of travelers helping other travelers, surfers wanting to know the hosts and the local culture, and hosts opening their doors without ulterior motives. I know there are still hosts and surfers out there who embody this spirit, and I consider myself to be one and am looking to know others with the same mindset.

Interests

We love hiking, kayaking, camping, snorkelling, and all things outdoors. We love cooking and eating, especially trying a country's snacks that we don't have back home. The only problem is when we get addicted and can't find the snacks in our home country! Always down for board games or trivia.

• dining
• cooking
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

We've watched pretty much all the main shows on Netflix that most people talk about: House of Cards, Black Mirror, Narcos, etc. Love Game of Thrones of course. Joe will watch most any horror movie even if it is clearly a B movie. Mary will watch any documentary.

Both love the book Ender's Game. Other than that our book preferences vary but we both like to read a lot--books, news, anything.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

We love hiking and have done some amazing hikes in US National Parks and in Australia and New Zealand.

We have been kayaking in many countries but owning kayaks and popping into Sydney Harbour for a quick paddle has been awesome and terrifying.

Teach, Learn, Share

Mary studied religions in college so she could have some obscure knowledge there that may come in handy at pub trivia. We have done most of the hikes/bushwalks around Sydney so can guide you there. Joe worked in the IT field so he is always up for talking about gadgets and technology. He also knows a surprising amount about birds and likes to learn about the local birds of a place we visit.

Joe is currently learning to play the harmonica and speak Esperanto. Mary is reading about beekeeping and organic farming.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We are low maintenance travelers who love to share food, drinks, and conversation. Joe is a great cook and I'm a great assistant to him so we would be happy to share a meal. We have a good balance of being independent travelers but kind and considerate guests who want to get to know locals.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Netherlands, United States

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