ABOUT ME

Chilled, friendly and active, I love to travel - of course we all do, right?

I work in outdoor education/recreation jobs for various employers around Victoria. I enjoy sharing the wonder of the outdoors with others and helping them to challenge themselves and their fears. My underlying motivation is a desire for influencing people towards reversing the dramatic impact we as a race have had on the earth and each other. Yeah, I guess it somewhat fits into the rather cliche bracket of "creating change in the world", but you know, I think it's important to have some kind of intention in what I do.

PHILOSOPHY

I like to think that life is like a cigarette - it must be smoked to the butt. I'm not a smoker though, I like my body healthy as it is.

I live on the basis that everyone has something to offer and there is always something you can offer in return - nobody has everything. I do my best to look for the positives in life, even when it feels like there are none.
One of my favourite sayings is the Japanese phrase "saru mo ki kara ochiru" which means "Even a monkey may fall from its tree" Though it is all too often forgotten, we are all human and must treat each other and our world right if we are to live sustainably.
Apart from this, I still drive a car and even throw recyclable materials in the garbage from time to time - human after all. I'm working on minimising my consumption of plastics and food with excessive embodied travel.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

To date I have only been surfing during my two-month trip around Europe and after the fantastic experiences I had there I have hosted a few travelers since - come and see Bright!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've surfed with hosts in Rome, Naples, Cannobio, Munich, Brussels, Paris, Bordeaux, Madrid and Lisbon - all great experiences with a variety of interesting and kind hosts. From surfing with 10 others at Steve's and partying with a bunch of Germans on a boat/club in Bordeaux to my one night in Madrid, featuring a late night flamenco concert, I've had many different experiences with Couchsurfing, all of them positive!

Interests

Mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, skiing, guitar, Japanese language and culture, films, books and travelling the world.

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: From Queen, Hendrix, Led Zep, Jeff Buckley, Dire Straits, Green Day, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughn to Daft Punk, Depeche Mode, Alt-J, The Scissor Sisters and everyone in between!

Films: most of Tarantino's films (apart from Dusk til Dawn, couldn't really get my teeth into that one), Eastwood's classics, Akira Kurosawa's greats, Scorsese, Guy Ritchie's masterpieces 'Snatch' and 'Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels', Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away' and 'Princess Mononoke', Hot Shots 1 & 2, Kung Pow, Monty Python's films + Flying Circus.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One? Why one? Well, a few things which I would wish for every other human to experience would be waking up to a sunrise while camping in the mountains of England's Lake District, gazing onto the valleys in the shadow of the Velika Planina in Slovenia and getting lost in Venice.

Teach, Learn, Share

I might be able to share some basic Japanese language skills, travel advice for Australia (or some European countries, though I'm hardly an authority on these) and the basics of didgeridoo. In regards to the latter however I'm little more than a beginner myself - not quite up to busking yet...

What I Can Share with Hosts

I currently live in a small cottage just out of Bright, by myself until early December when my girlfriend will move in. I can host up to 2 guests at a time, at least one of whom will be able to sleep on a spare mattress.
As far as the house and its rules... The house has a spare bedroom and spare bed, so room for up to 2 guests sleeping separately. No smoking in or near the house. Limited fridge space. I am a non-smoker, with no pets, no allergies or dietary quirks.
Please get in touch, stay with me, ask any questions you have about the area or your planned route. Bon voyage!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, Croatia, Czech Republic, Fiji, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United Kingdom