In short: French-Dutch couple hitchhiking from the Netherlands until Asia

I am French, Bram is Dutch. We met doing the same sport, and were living together in the Netherlands. We used to have a pretty busy life. Next to our jobs (I am a chemist, Bram is a programmer and team manager) we did sport up to 3 times a week and are involved within the sport association to organize 2 events a year. Our sport is called survivalrun. A bit like a military training we have to run and go over obstacles made of ropes, tires, wood etc. If you are curious check out our website https://allterrain.nl/ :)
In 2017 I studied for one semester in Santiago, Chile. Bram joined me for one month of holiday together (Peru, Bolivia, Chile).
And now we are on the road for 1 year. In February 2020 we left the Netherlands hitchhiking, and we are planning on travelling this way until south of Asia. The idea actually came from a couchsurfeur when I was in Taiwan in 2016! We are planning to go through the following countries: Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovine, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.
This means:
- We do not host anybody from February 2020 until May 2021, sorry, we will be on the road
- We prefer when sharing the couch goes the two ways. So if you live in any of the countries we are going to pass by, you are more than welcome here in Eindhoven, but we would also enjoy to stay at your place during our trip. The other way also works, if you help us during our trip you'll always be welcome when we are back :)

If you receive a couch request from us, it is because we chose you, because you seem to us very interesting, and we would really like to meet you! And we also expect from our guests that they at least read our profile.. So if you send us a request, please show that you read our profile, otherwise we won't accept it!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To help travelers by sharing our couch, and being helped when we travel
To taste authentic local life, and learn new things from my guests/hosts
We are not and are not looking for a free hotel!

Interests

Mélanie: Plants (grow them or recognize wild plants, use them), (healthy) cooking, photographie, sport, hiking
I really like discovering how to cook new food. Whether you are my host or my guest, I would love to learn how to cook one of your traditional recipes, and I am also always happy to teach you (or just cook for you) something French or Dutch (or just new to you)

Bram: historical culture, beer and good food, technology

Together: our sport survivalrun, board games

Music, Movies, and Books

Bram likes nu metal, metal core and classical music. He is always happy to talk about it, and maybe make you discover some new bands

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Mélanie:
A skydive
Hitchhike and camp all around Taïwan even if I knew very few chinese words

Bram:
Starting his own company

Together:
A camel ride to reach a Berber camp in the Sahara desert with one night there
A month travel in Peru, Bolivia and Patagonia
Our current hitchhiking trip

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach things linked to France (language, French recipes), and Bram things linked to the Netherlands. He also knows a lot about computers and finances.
I can show you how to ferment vegetables (same technique to make sauerkraut, but you can also ferment other vegetables than cabbage), how to sprout legumes, how to make sourdough bread (if you are our guest)

What I Can Share with Hosts

During our stay we can help you by cooking (French or Dutch specialities!), cleaning or even teaching you some of our skills (cuisine, language lessons, photos...)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Chile, France, Netherlands, Taiwan