I caught the travel bug years ago and have been filling up passports ever since. Even when I'm home in NYC, I'm really just "in between trips."

I love exploring new places, meeting new people, trying to learn at least a few words in every language, appreciating the history and cultures of each country, photographing the beautiful sights, and especially eating my way around a city. Believe me, I'm always hungry and I put that to good use when visiting new places.

My first real international trip was to Spain when I was 18 and I loved every moment of it. I wasn't able to travel much for 5 or 6 years after that but I've been making up for it...49 countries now! I set a goal to get to 50 by age 50 and I've nearly reached my goal!

I usually travel with friends but my first big solo trip--to the other side of the world, 16 days in Australia and New Zealand-- was a blast so I later decided to quit my job and travel around SE Asia. That was amazing so I just did it all over again with Europe! 15 countries in 3 months!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love meeting new and interesting people in my travels. Travelers tend to be some of the most down-to-earth, fun loving, adventurous people with great stories and fascinating perspectives. Traveling is awesome and meeting new people is part of the adventure. It's also great to meet travelers in their home countries- no one understands travel like a traveler.

I was going to be traveling around Europe for a while, so it seemed like a great time to get started with Couchsurfing!

Interests

• culture
• writing
• photography
• music festivals
• film festivals
• fitness
• politics
• movies
• live music
• martial arts
• jiu jitsu
• history
• medicine
• philosophy
• travel
• biking
• karate
• emergency medicine
• netflix
• taekwondo
• judo
• krav maga
• new york

Music, Movies, and Books

Music-
I have very diverse tastes but I guess I would say my favorites are indie rock and 90's grunge/alternative/punk. I go to music festivals and concerts all the time. Faves right now: The Killers, The National, Black Keys, Cold War Kids, Adele

Movies-
Does your group of friends have someone who seems to have seen every movie and can quote them all? I'm that guy. I love movies. I like well-written dramas and suspense thrillers the best. Action and SciFi are fun, too. And obviously comedies, but now I'm just naming every genre. If I have to pick a favorite it's gotta be The Godfather.

TV-
Game of Thrones, Seinfeld, The West Wing, How I Met Your Mother, Highlander, Modern Family.

Books-
I follow the news very closely, so I'm always reading that when I'm at home, but when I have time (like when I travel) I like to read history, philosophy, business, psychology, and especially biographies. My favorite authors are Michael Lewis, Malcolm Gladwell, David McCullough, and HW Brands. All non-fiction if you didn't notice- I get plenty of fiction from TV and movies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Quit my job and traveled around 10 countries in SE Asia, solo for at least half of it.

If I didn't say that, I might say hiking Machu Picchu -- it's amazing! Or teaching English in Bali!

Saving lives as an EMT is also something I'm pretty proud of.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can help you with English, American culture, photography composition (taking better pictures), teach you about self-defense, first aid, or tell you about any of the places I've been.

What I Can Share with Hosts

good conversation, stories from my crazy travel adventures around the world, and hopefully some laughs. The first beer is on me!

(And in Sweden I actually gave my hosts and their friends some free self-defense lessons -- I've been training in various martial arts for most of my life)

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States