CURRENT MISSION

To visit every country in the world at least once... before I die. :)

ABOUT ME

Hi I'm Valerie! Looking forward to meeting you!

I'm passionate about travel, culture and helping those less fortunate, and have had the good fortune to be able to combine them professionally. I am most passionate about providing assistance around the globe. And, while my adventures have taken me far and wide to some truly exciting locations, there's really nothing more appealing than sharing a campfire under the stars with friends.

Currently I work on short-term contracts in the Canadian Arctic and split my months between there and Toronto. Previously, I spent the last few years traveling and working in disaster zones, specifically relief efforts in far flung places like Thailand, Kashmir, Pakistan, Haiti and Bangladesh.

PHILOSOPHY

Life is too short to be bored. My bags are packed! When are we leaving?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love hosting people at "Villa Valeria"... and hope to be hosted too!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

looking forward to trying it out!

Interests

Like a modern-day Wonder Woman, I can jump out of my steel-toe boots and into high heels with ease. I enjoy afternoons outdoors either playing at the dog park, or zipping around town on my bike, and evenings out at a pub, or at the movies... I also love skiing, scuba diving, yoga, swimming, hiking, and camping. Anything outdoors is a big turn-on for me!

• dogs
• culture
• books
• yoga
• pub crawls
• movies
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• scuba diving
• skiing
• swimming

Music, Movies, and Books

Books - I enjoy historical fiction, books like Pillars of the Earth, and Acts of Faith, and comedic non-fiction by authors like Bill Bryson.

Movies & TV - always a fan of comedies, action and drama... not a fan of slasher or teeny-bopper flicks. I don't have a lot of time to watch TV, I usually PVR The Amazing Race, and Dexter... and my one guilty pleasure is The Bachelor.

Music - an eclectic mix of dance/house to opera/ classical with no country/rap

Food - also fairly adventurous, but not a fan of too hot n' spicy.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've done quite a few amazing things in my life, but delivering a baby is pretty high in my books.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Egypt, England, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin (French part), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, U.S., Wales, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Pakistan, Thailand, United Kingdom