BACKGROUND

After graduating with a degree in Biology I volunteered in Kenya, which spurred my desire to travel. Upon returning to the States I saved up for a few months, sold everything off and traveled around the world for a year on $10,000 (using CS along the way). I traveled through 30 countries starting in Russia, through Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia before settling in Australia, where I lived for a little while. I then returned to the States and started tapping into my entrepreneurial spirit.

CURRENT MISSION

A few years ago I launched a travel startup aimed at helping travelers connect with local hosts while visiting other countries. That has evolved into tripsushi, a travel planning and booking site aimed at making this process easy and fun. We want to help millions of people easily plan and book their next vacation, and to connect with locals along the way.

ABOUT ME

I'm a small town guy coming from growing up on a farm in the Midwest, USA, and living for 7 years in Kansas City, Missouri. Through the years I have become very interested in other cultures, religions, etc. of others around the world. I love to learn about how individuals and groups think and act in different regions and cultures around the world, then develop platforms to help create a better understanding and relationship between cultures. After touring through 40 countries around the world I started a travel company to promote international travel to youth in America. I also launched a cross-cultural collaboration platform between classrooms around the world.

PHILOSOPHY

Have a willingness to learn - Be stoic - Take large risks - Pursue knowledge - Pursue truth - Attain all forms of wealth - "Retire" early - Inflict positive value to the masses - Listen to thy self - Save to seize

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love to use CS to travel for the main reason of true cultural immersion. I've traveled many places many different ways, and I've had some of the best experiences with CS, because of the authentic exposure I get to the culture and that CSers are an incredible breed of open and generous people. I wish to meet up with CSers to help travelers see my favorite local spots as I have had the chance to do so around the world.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

St. Petersburg, Russia: attended a few large CS events
CSed in:
Riga, Latvia
Prague, Czech Republic
Paris, France
Zagreb, Croatia
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Athens, Greece
Istanbul, Turkey
Cairo, Egypt

Interests

Experiencing different cultures, traveling, volunteering, anything outdoors, reading, writing, watching films (lots of films), basketball, American football, scotch, beer, wine, and FOOD!

• arts
• culture
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• entrepreneurship
• religion
• cultural immersion
• whiskey
• startups

Music, Movies, and Books

Films: Belle de Jour, Pulp Fiction, Barbarella, Casablanca, Blow, Top Gun, Young Frankenstein, Boyz In the Hood, The Last of the Mohicans, Purple Rain, Ferris Bueller's Day Off & many documentaries

Music: many different genres, Post Malone, Bad Bunny, Drake, Gente de Zona, Daddy Yankee, Logic, Miguel, C. Brown, Bon Iver, Bone Thugz & Harmony, White Zombie, Gary Clark Jr., John Legend...

Books: Meditations (M. Aurelius), Harvard Classics, Religion for Atheists, siddhartha, Michel de Montaigne writings, The Road

I also study various religious books (Bible, Qur'an) and evolutionary books

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I took nearly a year off from life in the States to travel around the world to over 30 countries on 5 continents, ending up in Australia to work for a few months. All with only $10,000 (thank you, CS!)

Teach, Learn, Share

Though it sometimes helps to hear advice from leaders in your life (parents, spiritual leaders, mentors, friends you can trust), it's not always necessary to look elsewhere for advice. We all have our own inner guru that we can gain great direction from. Listen to your inner self and trust it. It's amazing the places it can take you and the confidence it can reassure in one's self.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Insane stories from military-run Cairo, life in Kenya, beautiful cultures of SE Asia and Australia, running with the bulls in Pamplona, etc. A laugh or two from my goofy side. A friendship for life.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kenya, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Andorra, Australia, Poland, United States