Hey!

My name is Sam and I am a 27 year old Californian. I like to think of myself as a social and laid back individual who loves getting to know some new people in some new places.

I will be in Buenos Aires in early November and will spend the rest of November traveling through Uruguay and Brazil.

I graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana with a degree in psychology in 2019. After that, I headed to Big Sky Resort in Big Sky, Montana, snowboarding everyday and working almost every night. When this wild virus came around and everything shut down, I headed back to California (my place of origin) where I worked Valet in downtown Sacramento and acquired my Level 5 TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification. I actually had a one-way ticket for South America in September to put that TEFL certification to use but as I'm sure you can imagine that wasn't able to happen.

I am originally from Sacramento, California where I graduated high-school in 2014. I then went backpacking through New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji for four months before I traveled though Europe with a great friend I met in Australia. I then moved up to Bend, Oregon in 2015 for my first two years of uni and moved to Bozeman, Montana in 2017 to finish the last two years of my degree. In August of 2018, I studied abroad in Brno, Czech Republic for 7 months and used that opportunity to take buses all across Western and Eastern Europe as well as parts of the Balkans and Turkey. I mostly traveled solo (not every time but most of the time) and stayed at friends houses who I had met along other previous travels or stayed in hostels if I knew nobody in the area. Once I graduated in 2019, I moved to Big Sky and ski bummed it around working at the resort. Covid hit and I went back to California for a little before making my way out to Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. Did some hitchhiking and took some busses to get around, ended up being on the road for 7 months or so then got low on funds so I went to work in Vail and Telluride for Abit. I'm still living in Telluride for now but have been traveling for the off seasons going where I have time for plus visiting my girlfriend in Peru alot as well.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to meet the local people of places and get to experience a location from a locals perspective which from what I have seen differs greatly than that of other travelers.

Interests

I am an outdoorsy person and spend the winter snowboarding and skiing, having a few boards including splitboards with all the back country gear (shovel, beacon, probe) and my avalanche 1 certification back home in California. When the snow isn't flying, I will mainly be out on the trails, mountain biking but also am an avid backpacker and have been getting into white water kayaking and climbing in the last few years and will be trying to do some more of those as well. I also used to skateboard and longboard all the time growing up in California and still do when I need a break from other mountain activities in the summer. I also recently got into dirt biking which is super fun but I am not all that good yet. I have always wanted to learn how to kite board and surf, although I have been surfing Abit since I've started my trip through Latin America.

• traveling
• hiking
• backpacking
• surfing
• skiing
• teaching
• hitchhiking
• mountain biking
• local food
• climbing
• spanish
• culture exchange
• backcountry skiing
• dirtbiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - Everything except country
Book - Into the wild
Movie - Interstellar and Little Miss Sunshine

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

On my way back from Montana to California by car, I was trying to visit as many hot springs as I could! When I arrived at the first one in Idaho that was also a campground, I quickly found it was closed due to the pandemic. I started to think about a different game plan of where to sleep. I met a lovely couple also bummed about the hot springs being closed and we started talking. I told them my story and they graciously offered me a place to stay in their house 3 hours away. I was taken back by their kindness and humbly accepted this wonderful offer. We ended up staying up most of the night playing boardgames and sharing each other life experiences. It was a wonderful experience and we are still in contact today!

Teach, Learn, Share

Being a level 5 TEFL English teacher, I'm always happy to teach some english if you so desire! I can also offer advise or lessons in mountain biking, longboarding, skateboarding, snowboarding, and splitboarding (or backcountry skiing (avalanche awareness)). I love to learn about new cultures and languages, always trying to pick up at least a few new words everywhere I go. I love learning anything I can, big or small, from any new person I meet.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can offer a glimpse into my life as a traveler and English teacher as well as good, positive energy 7 days a week! As mentioned above, I am always happy to teach English as well as any of the sports that I know. I'm always super stoked to meet new people even if I don't speak too much or any of the language and can find enjoyment in any situation.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Egypt, Fiji, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Colombia, Czech Republic, Panama, United States