Hello, we are Nic (31) and Denika (29). We are a couple from Canada that decided to quit our jobs and leave our comfortable life back home and travel for an indefinite period of time since November 2016. We started our adventures in China and moved south through the mainland continuing our travels through South East Asia at a rate of about a country a month spending 6 months total in Asia.
Admittedly, this leg of our journey was almost purely for pleasure as we visited ancient ruins and learned of the civilizations that built them, hiked (and scootered) our way through natural landscapes exploring awe inspiring mountains, other worldly caves and majestic waterfalls and enjoyed some fun in the sun on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Though this time of our lives has been amazing, somewhere along the lines we lost our sense of purpose and the act of simply seeing beautiful things lost their appeal.
We have always dreamed of creating a homestead for ourselves back in Canada and creating a life of abundance while living simply and sustainably in a community at harmony with nature. As a result, we set our sights on traveling Europe with a focus on working with communities with a similar ideology where we could learn the skills necessary to make our dreams come true. Our plan is to spend the next 6-9 months traveling Europe while working on farms and in eco-villages offering our high work ethic and help with manual labor in exchange for gaining the knowledge and skills needed to build the life we want back home. This is our primary focus in Europe, however we would be lying if we said the we didn't want to see some of the tourist sights along the way. With that in mind, we are hoping to stop into the major tourist areas for a few days at a time whenever we have a chance in between our time working.
We are a big supporter of the sharing economy and are excited by the opportunity to stay with hosts on Couch Surfing and gain a local perspective into a foreign place and look forward to giving back to the community once back in Canada.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We want to have an honest experience that cannot be bought simply by staying in a hotel, insulated from the local culture. We think there is no better way to gain insight into a city or region than by "rubbing elbows" with the people that live there. We love to learn about a place more deeply and richly than by just experiencing the tourist sights. By using Couch Surfing and staying with a host, we hope to learn about the culture, politics, and movements of a place and possibly expose our selves to new and interesting people, ideas and points of view. We want see and experience a place through the eyes of a local, swap travel stories, learn and play games. We also hope to gain experience into Couch Surfing so that when we return home we can utilize our experience to provide a positive experience for those that may stay with us.

Interests

As mentioned before, our ultimate goal is to build a sustainable community back home. So, with that said, our core values and interests revolve around making that goal a reality and encompasses anything to do with building a homestead that is completely off grid, self-sufficient and sustainable.
We are also interested in personal growth through the enrichment of mind, body and spirit. We nuture the mind by learning new ideas and skills, and by sharing ideas and perspectives. We nurture the body by being physically active and pushing the limits of our body. We nurture the the soul by practicing mindfulness, compassion and gratitude.
We also just like to have fun and enjoy life by playing games, laughing and loving, tasting great food and sharing with others.

• animals
• arts
• documentaries
• sketching
• environment
• cooking
• yoga
• meditation
• gardening
• movies
• board games
• traveling
• homesteading
• music
• hiking
• camping
• skiing
• snowboarding
• sports
• soccer
• hockey
• history
• philosophy
• food
• nature
• adventure
• sustainability
• permaculture
• learning new things
• macrame
• good conversation
• off-grid living
• alternative lifestyles

Music, Movies, and Books

Music- We love anything that's positive and upbeat and evokes a good vibe. Really, any music that isn't angry.
Movies- This one is too hard. Love so many movies for so many different reasons that its hard to pick a favourite, but some would be: Into The Wild, Pulp Fiction, Inception, Old School, The Mist. Really, I could name 50 movies that would make my top 10.
Books- The Power of Now, The Game, Elon Musk Biography, Confessions of an Economic Hitman

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Skydived
Quit our jobs and traveled throughout Asia for 6 months (and now Europe)
Lived in Africa (The Gambia) for 6 months
Lived in Switzerland for 3 months
Hitch hiked through Turkey
Earned pilots license

Teach, Learn, Share

We can share experiences from traveling and living in different parts of the world. We love learning about about sustainable living and building practices and how different people from around the world live. We are also very excited whenever we get to a new place and get to try the popular local cuisine.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We can share a bottle of wine over good conversation and possibly playing some games. We can cook pretty well (at least we like to think so lol). We can help with any household chores or lend a hand with any projects... And if you ever come to Canada, we can share our home with you!

Countries I’ve Visited

Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Gambia, Germany, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Switzerland, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Gambia, Switzerland