I'm Tom! A LGBTQ+ photographer (multi-artist) from Brazil 🇧🇷

Back in 2019, when I was 24, I traveled abroad for the first time! It was fascinating to experience a different culture and learn a new language (I talk more about this trip down on my profile). Specially for someone who grew up in a random small town in the middle of nowhere in Brasil (yes Brasil is originally spelled with S and not Z 😅). Since my first trip I've never stopped traveling (with exception of during the hard times of the pandemic).

In 2021 me and my best friend Sarah embarked in our first backpacking experience together. I had less than $600 USD when I left Brasil and I made it last 4ish months while exploring Mexico. That sounds insane for most people I share, but honestly it's possible to travel with so little if you're willing to do work exchange and be creative.

Traveling brought me experiences and friends that no money in the world could buy. I'm eternally grateful for everyone I met on the road who helped me to understand better what is to be human!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To be part of a community of people like me, who likes to travel and to share!

Interests

• graphic design
• photography
• cooking
• coffee
• yoga
• meditation
• music
• hiking
• backpacking
• travel
• art
• food
• nature
• museums
• outdoor
• bossa nova

Music, Movies, and Books

I love indie music, bossa nova, some pop, some rock and I have an emo past who sometimes listens to the 2000s emo bands (Paramore is my fave).

I can't think of a movie at the moment, but I like the ones that aren't obvious. I don't like when I can kinda predict what's coming in the next scenes.

I can talk about some shows I like: Stranger Things (I love the 80s), Breaking Bad (OMG), Sense8, Fleabag and so many more

The biggest book I read is called Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and I loved to understand a little more about our species and how we did get here. I also like Dan Brown's books. Lately I've been trying to read more.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This is the part I talk about my first trip abroad (I mentioned above). In 2019 I was invited by Google to attend to the Connect Live conference in their headquarters in California. They selected 200 people around the world and paid for the whole trip (flights, visa, hotels) and hosted this amazing event to connect their top Google Maps contributors from all over the world. In the occasion I met so many people from different backgrounds and cultures and had the amazing opportunity to visit the Google Campus and attend to the most fun event in my life!

In 2021 I started a backpack where I spent 6 months in Mexico (mostly the south: Oaxaca and Chiapas), 2 months in Guatemala and also 6 months in a road-trip in California getting to know this beautiful state from north to south! Backpacking was def one of the most life changing events that happened to me and provided me with not just a new language (I learned Spanish on the road) but also friends and memories I'm gonna bring for life!

Another amazing thing I've done is to hike an active volcano in Guatemala! Acatenango is a 3976m (13,045') volcano connected to the Fuego volcano (an active volcano that erupts every 15 minutes). Experiencing this was not just challenging due to the intense hike, but also extraordinary! Seeing a volcano erupting in front of you is definitely a once in a lifetime thing everyone should see!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm curious and always up for learning something new!

I can teach a bit of the languages I know (Portuguese, Spanish, English). I can also teach you how to operate a professional camera ;) and also give you tips on how to take really good photos using your phone!

What I Can Share with Hosts

A friendly company for talking, walking, hiking, going out to explore the city. I can also give you photography and graphic design tips and share a bit about my travel journey (I'd love to hear yours).

Countries I’ve Visited

Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, United States