I'm open-minded, easy-going, make jokes, have lots of hobbies, and when I'm not traveling myself, I love meeting interesting people from other places!
Pics of me and all my guests are at the end of my Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/bergermd/?hl=en

I grew up in New Jersey, then I spent 10 years at university/work in Philadelphia. After saving up for several of those years I quit my job to spend over a year solo-traveling. I came back to real life and worked in Seattle for 3 years before realizing I'm not done traveling, so I quit again and I'm back on the road :)

I get along great with pretty much everyone I meet. In fact, with many of the people I met while traveling I just introduced myself to a group of friends at a bar and asked if I could join them. I'm open to new ideas and I always try to see people who disagree with me as an opportunity to learn something new.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on my second long-term travel trip; throughout all my travels I've seen 70 new countries on my own. It is the most important thing I've ever done and I believe I will feel that way for the rest of my life. I've grown a lot because of my traveling, and the friends I made during it have been many of the most special people I've ever known. I'm on Couchsurfing now because I would love to continue to meet people and extend the same life experiences to other travelers like myself.

Interests

Besides traveling, I enjoy trying to learn any new skill or craft. I consider myself an expert in origami and crossword puzzles, and at the moment I am teaching myself how to cook, carve wood, and speak Spanish; but not all at the same time :P

I donate blood very often, and have given 44 pints (over 20 Liters) so far :)

• dining
• beer
• coffee
• traveling
• puzzles
• origami
• american football
• soccer
• world cup
• engineering
• languages

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I had to bribe a border guard to let me into Peru so I wouldn't be stranded at the Bolivian border. I will never forget my tourist card again! :O

Teach, Learn, Share

I've traveled a lot, so I understand what's important to make it a positive experience. I imagine sometimes you'd like to have a quiet night with your host and a nice conversation, or other times you might want to go out with your host to the bars with a lot of beers but not a lot of sleep, or sometimes you may want to just explore the city on your own. I know long-term traveling isn't always easy, so however you need to do it, I'm happy to accommodate you.

I picked up a book and started teaching myself origami when I was 7, I've loved it ever since then. I'd also be happy to show you how to make some simple models (flowers, birds). Check out my pictures for some more advances models!

And of course I'd love to share my own travel stories and hear those of other travelers!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Northern Ireland, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States