My name is Ryan and I grew up in sunny Southern California, about an hour north of Los Angeles. And now I'm living in Dana Point, CA with my wife Emily - about 1 hour south of Los Angeles. Back in 2007 I did a semester abroad while in undergrad in Rome, and after that experience I knew I wanted to travel to as many countries as possible. Right now I have a goal to visit 100 countries in my lifetime.

After University I worked in public accounting as an auditor for 3 years, then I was 26, I got offered a scholarship to attend MBA in Seoul, Korea so I quit my job and moved there. After the 2 year program, I worked for 2 years at Hyundai Capital in Seoul. During this time, I traveled around Korea a lot and many nearby countries. My favorite hobbies are moose riding, full contact origami, clubbing with seals, church plundering, and paying taxes - all noble pursuits indeed. Currently, I work in accounting/financial reporting for a restaurant group in Newport Beach, CA.

Here at the top 15 countries that I want to visit in the future, in no particular order:
1. Pakistan
2. Kazakhstan - VISITED JUNE 2019
3. South Africa
4. Tanzania
5. Fiji
6. Finland
7. Russia - VISITED JULY 2019
8. Colombia - VISITED JUNE 2023
9. Brazil
10. Lebanon
11. Syria
12. New Zealand
13. Kenya
14. Serbia - VISITED SEPT 2019
15. Turkey - VISITED AUG 2019

I'm also interested is disputed or semi-autonomous regions, such as:
1. Dagestan
2. Chechnya
3. Kashmir
4. Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)
5. Western Sahara
6. South Ossetia
7. Kosovo
8. Abkhazia
9. Somaliland

If you're from or spent a significant amount of time in these countries (or have similar interests), would love to hear from you.

Instagram: @ryan.lulow
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ryan.lulow.7

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Let's meetup at restaurants, bars, or nature activities. I'm just looking to enhance my travel experiences by meeting other like-minded travelers or locals around the world.

- Trying new restaurants or foods/desserts
- Attending live sporting events
- Playing local pick-up sports like basketball, rugby, football, or tennis
- Hiking/Kayaking/Swimming/Surfing
- Walking aimlessly around new cities

Interests

Sports and food - my 2 favorite things (other than traveling, of course)

Some of the best things I've eaten:
- In N Out Burger, animal style in Southern California
- Yubari Melon in Yubari, Japan
- Grade A5 Kobe beef in Kobe, Japan
- Hummus in Tel-Aviv, Israel at Abu Hassan
- Hummus in Akko, Israel at Hummus Said
- Chili Crab in Singapore
- Live octopus in Seoul
- Soft cheeses in Baku, Azerbaijan at Baku Cafe
- Hanwoo (Korean beef) at my friend's parents house in Seoul
- Gelato in Rome at a shop near my dorm when I did an exchange program

For sports, I love playing rugby and tennis, but pretty much enjoy playing or watching any sport. I've played (like full organized game with my club team and paid refs) rugby in 8 countries (USA, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, and Poland) and American Football in 3 countries (USA, Argentina, Uruguay).

I'm also interested in economic development (such as increasing access to education and healthcare in poor rural areas) and languages, ethnic groups, and general culture topics.

There a few people on YouTube who really inspire me:
Drew Binsky (travel blogger)
Sal Lavello (travel blogger)
Alex Honnold (rock climber)
Harry Mack (freestyle rapper)
Yes Theory (adventure bloggers)
Matt Stonie (competitive eater)
Survival stories (such as Lincoln Hall, an Aussie climber who was left for dead at the top of Everest and somehow survived)

• sports
• rugby
• food

Music, Movies, and Books

These days really liking Rag'n'Bone Man - Skin. And my favorite book is Catch 22. For movie, I'll go with Reservoir Dogs by Tarantino.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In 2018, I quit my corporate job and moved out of my apartment to travel around the world alone for 18 months.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know some pretty random facts. And I make a mean chicken parmesan, but usually like drink a lot while cooking. I'm a good tennis player so I guess I can teach you that. And I'd like to think I'm pretty good at geography, state/country capitals. I have some investment and long-term financial planning strategies that I follow - I'm open to sharing those.

I can also share my experiences living and working in Seoul - I know a lot about Korean culture, from an insider's and outsider's perspective.

I'd love to learn about something you're passionate about, such as energy policy, politics, the environment, opera, fashion, dance, music, etc

What I Can Share with Hosts

I've got some pretty entertaining travel stories:
- Age 20, stayed at a resort in the Bahamas, made friends with the hotel staff and played basketball and went to a strip club with them
- Age 21, an awkward encounter while staying at my friend of a friend's parents house in Stockholm
- Age 21, when I cried myself to sleep in a wet dark hotel room in Prague
- Age 24, when I got food poisoning on a 10 hour flight from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles
- Age 28, a strange request from my Korean boss to visit his hotel at night
- Age 33, crossing the Israel/Palestine border 3 nights by 3 different methods: bus, on foot, and rental car
- Age 33, hitchhiking (with a Polish girl) from Tbilisi, Georgia to Sevan, Armenia
- Age 33, paragliding in the Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine

Otherwise, I'm very laid back and easy-going. If my host wants to hang out and chat, I'm open for that or I can always do my own thing.

HOSTS I'VE STAYED WITH
1. Levon Yeghiyan in Yerevan, Armenia - April 2019 (4 nights)
2. Arris Blom in Rotterdam, Netherlands - May 2019 (1 night)
3. Oleg and Inna Prysiazhniuk in Lviv, Ukraine - June 2019 (5 nights)
4. Askhat and Nargiza Shamshin in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan - July 2019 (1 night)
5. Ulzhana Nagimbayeva in Almaty, Kazakhstan - July 2019 (8 nights)
6. Valery and Svetlana Vaganova in Kazan, Russia - July 2019 (1 night)
7. Valentina Polikarpova in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia - July 2019 (2 nights)
8. Natalia Menshutina in Moscow, Russia - August 2019 (2 nights)
9. Alexandra Weld Queen in Moscow, Russia - August 2019 (3 nights)
10. Alexey Kozlov in Saint Petersburg, Russia - August 2019 (2 nights)
11. Roman Novozhilov in Saint Petersburg, Russia - August 2019 (1 night)
12. Andreea Florea in Timisoara, Romania - September 2019 (1 night)
13. Ry Analba in Manila, Philippines - October 2019 (6 nights)

PEOPLE I'VE HOSTED
1. Anika Godek (Poland) in Taipei, Taiwan - October 2018 (1 night)

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, South Korea, United States