CURRENT MISSION

Making friends!

ABOUT ME

Freelance travel journalist and founder of Manta Media www.manta-media.com. Must have been born with the travel bug because so far I've travelled to about 30 countries (but have many more to see). I've lived in Australia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, France and Spain previously.

I moved to Valencia in October 2016 and loved it! Want to know why? You can read my blog post, "8 Reasons to Live in Valencia in Your 30's" here: http://bit.ly/2pZubZ1 I set up a Facebook group for digital nomads and remote workers in VLC which is doing really well, now 1,400+ members. It is a very international group of mostly 30-somethings working as copy-writers, graphic designers, IT specialists, translators etc. It gives people a chance to get out of our homes and co-work from cafes for free! The group meets once a week for co-working sessions in various cafes (which often turns into after-work drinks!) and about twice a month we have a big social night out on the town. We also arrange beach parties, go to wine festivals, and all kinds of other fun things, as well as sharing info on stuff such as getting registered as a freelancer in Spain, how to open a bank account, visa questions, etc. This is the group, but please only request to join if you're a digital nomad or are working remotely in Valencia: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ValenciaCoworking/

I'm an open-minded and friendly person, I enjoy planning lots of social events, trips, adventures and things for me and my friends to do, whatever country I happen to be in. I'm also always there when any of my friends have a problem and usually end up being a bit of a therapist!!! I like to stay active and enjoy scuba diving, snorkeling, running, tennis, cycling and all kinds of other things too! Equally I enjoy chilling out and doing things like painting, meditation, mindfulness and yoga.

I'd love to learn how to sail, get better at tennis, improve my French and Spanish and will give anything a shot at least once! I like trying out new things but can tend to get bored after trying an activity for a few months and move on to something else!

PHILOSOPHY

Be nice!
Appreciate every moment you get.
Live every week like its Shark Week ;)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Would be happy to meet for a coffee or beer and share travel stories! I love meeting new people.

I love this quote from 'The Beach': "Never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience." I pretty much live by this.

Have met some truly awesome people on CS and made some friends for life. I enjoy helping people out when they don't know where to go or what to do, and also I've used CS to hep 'lost' expats by introducing them to new friends and social activities, and had this reciprocated by wonderful people when I have arrived as a newbie too.

Interests

Scuba diving (PADI Advanced), snorkelling, surfing (learner!), running, body-boarding, tennis, hiking, cycling, painting, acting, cooking and organising fun things for me and my friends to do!

• arts
• acting
• cooking
• beer
• coffee
• picnic
• yoga
• running
• meditation
• partying
• traveling
• socializing
• painting
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• snorkeling
• sailing
• tennis
• journalism
• psychology
• beaches
• mindfulness
• eckhart tolle

Music, Movies, and Books

Amelie, The Artist, School of Rock, Some Like It Hot, Leon, Before Sunrise, Wayne's World, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, all James Bond movies, Into the Wild, Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure, Anchorman...TV: 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Peep Show, Blue Planet/nature documentaries

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Too many favourites to mention! Angkor Wat in Cambodia, kayaking in Halong Bay (Vietnam), Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, exploring Bako National Park in Borneo, Taman Negara treetop walkway (Malaysia), mountain-biking in Atherton Tablelands (north Queensland), exploring Hong Kong, snorkelling around beautiful Koh Phi Phi in Thailand, picnic with friends in Central Park, opera at amphitheatre in Verona, cycling around Lake Garda, Old Town Square in Prague, New Year's Eve in Berlin, diving with whale sharks in the Maldives, safari in Sri Lanka...

Teach, Learn, Share

I mentor writers if that's of any interest. I've also successfully taught a few friends how to swim using beer as an incentive...

What I Can Share with Hosts

Positivity, enthusiasm, encouragement, fun, cooking, wine!

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Monaco, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, France, Maldives, Mexico, Spain, Sri Lanka, United States