CURRENT MISSION

Travel, explore, volunteer, share experiences with others and learn everything I can from anyone who wants to teach me! GROW! :o)

ABOUT ME

I spent years making the "right" decisions and working towards a career. In December of 2010 I realized that the life I was living was no longer the life I wanted, and hadn't been for a long time. Since then I have traveled as much as possible, only returning to the US for brief periods of time to work temporary jobs in order to make money to go back out traveling again.

PHILOSOPHY

My personal philosophy is definitely to follow the "Golden Rule" and treat others as you'd like to be treated. Honor is an incredibly motivating factor in my life and I hold myself to that every day.

I am also deeply motivated by the desire to make a difference in others' lives; even if it's only a small thing I would consider myself successful if I made an impact on at least one person every day of my life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

During the summer I work in northern Wyoming and I can host people during that time, but there is no wifi there so I usually can not accommodate last minute requests. During the winter I travel so it really just depends on where I am, whether or not I can host people.

UPDATE October 2017: I am out traveling again so I can no longer host people. I will be in Thailand for the month of November and although I can't officially host anyone I do know a kick-ass, cheap hostel (which is where I will be)! Get in touch for more info! :o)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I love the concept of couchsurfing. Obviously it's nice to help each other travel longer by providing a place to stay, but I think the best part is potentially making a new friend that you will know for the rest of your life! It's also so great to hear where people have traveled and learn where you may want to go, and to tell them local places that they can visit, that they haven't read about in guide books!

Interests

I love backpacking! I love to get out into nature and really feel like I'm connecting- it's so peaceful and therapeutic to me. Nature is my church, I guess! I like taking pictures, riding horses, snowboarding, and basically just not acting my age at all! I'm the kind of person who likes to explore just about anything and most of the time you would probably think I was about 12 years old if you couldn't see all my wrinkles! :D

I love being active and will do just about any adventurous sport- hiking, canyoneering, caving, snorkeling, diving, freediving... etc- you name it and I'm probably interested! Someday I hope to bungee jump, sky dive, and learn to kite surf and hang glide. My ultimate fantasy would be to have one of those flying squirrel suits. Those things kick ass!!!

My favorite things (besides all that I've listed so far!) include: BBQing in general, game night with friends, meeting new people, margaritas, cooking and baking. And beergaritas (which are not the same as margaritas). :o)

Music, Movies, and Books

Dune, Matrix, LOTR, The Neverending Story, LadyHawke, The Princess Bride, Bound, The Hours, Imagine Me and You, Elana Undone, Medicine Man, Robin Hood, The Last of the Mohicans, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Dances With Wolves, Inception, Wanted, Seven Pounds, V for Vendetta, Avatar... probably many more I'm forgetting now!

I listen to all sorts of music. Currently I am really into Lindsay Stirling and Milky Chance.

I read a lot of epic/high fantasy. George R.R. Martin is my favorite author, followed closely by Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss and Robin Hobb.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Freediving with whale sharks and dolphins. I did it many times during the year that I lived in Utila, Honduras and every time was an incredible experience- some of the most amazing moments of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

Beergarita recipe:
1 (12 oz) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed.
12 oz tequila (cheap stuff is best!)
36 - 48 oz beer (three or four 12 oz cans)
mix and enjoy. :o)

Grilled pineapple is delicious as is. But it's even better if you sprinkle cinnamon sugar on it first!

I am happy to share my experiences with anyone who wants to hear them. If anyone is interested in my travels, my blog address is:

http://laurateaton.blogspot.com/

I love learning new things and just talking to new people in general. It's wonderful to see things from a different perspective.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about anything!

What I Can Share with Hosts

All my experiences in the countries I have visited, advice on cheap ways to travel and cheap places to go, including a lot of places off the beaten track that a lot of people don't know about.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominica, Dominican Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Scotland, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Malaysia, Scotland, Thailand, United States

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