Hey there, I’m Steph! I am taking a break from a career in neurosurgery research to travel and find something more fulfilling. I believe life begins where your comfort zone ends and CS is certainly one way to put myself out there to make unforgettable memories. I love the outdoors, animals, exploring off the beaten path, and immersing myself in other cultures. I have spent the last 6 months hiking the east coast of the US from Florida to Maine with my cat Sharky. I am super low maintenance, go with the flow, and respectful to you and your space. I welcome the opportunity to spend time together, but I am also content to leave you to your privacy and alone time and keep to myself during a stay. I have had a few amazing home stays outside of the Couchsurfing app and have enjoyed traveling through real human connections and staying with locals instead of hotels or hostels all the time. I thought this would be a great way to experience Europe! I’m new here so I don’t have any reviews in the app, but I’m happy to provide real world references if you would like to verify I am a respectful guest and a generally fun person to be around.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I enjoy getting to know people and cultures through connection and kindness, and find it is the best way to experience the world. I left a hostile work environment and decided to give my soul a break for a bit to recharge and do all of the traveling I couldn’t do while trapped in a draining 9-5. Life begins where my comfort zone ends. Couchsurfing is the perfect way to fulfill my curiosity to learn and connect while doing it scared, and having someone to share the memories with is always a bonus. I find meeting new people and learning from locals is a million times more rewarding than traveling alone and visiting tourist hotspots. I’m here to travel with more meaning, not to save a dollar. Looking forward to hosting once I get settled down in the fall and have a place again.

Interests

I like museums and history, discovering “hole in the wall” local restaurants, talking to strangers, learning and sharing useless fun facts especially about animals, marine biology, hiking backpacking and camping, nature, good coffee and matcha, stress baking, challenging myself to cook creatively with what’s left in the house without grocery shopping, building things and furniture restoration, cats, and repeatedly trying to learn how to dance despite how tangled my feet get every time.

• animals
• cats
• dogs
• documentaries
• cooking
• trivia
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• scuba diving
• snorkeling
• biology
• history
• neuroscience
• volunteering
• mountain biking
• biking
• museums
• meeting new people
• cliff diving

Music, Movies, and Books

I have an eclectic music taste mostly rock, hip-hop, reggae, R &B, pop, and alternative. I love going to concerts and seeing local bands play live. Last 3 concerts: Dirty Heads & Sublime, Train & Jewel, The Who.

I like reading biographies, mysteries, and historical fiction, currently in a WWII niche. Last 3 books read: Misadventure is Better, To Shake the Sleeping Self, Mame.

I have recently started making more time to enjoy cinema and have a very long list of movie recommendations I’ve been working through.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have a lot of cool travel stories, but I’m most amazed at myself for leaving a stable job and demanding a better, more fulfilling, life for myself.

Teach, Learn, Share

Happy to share expertise furniture restoration, painting, general handwork, fixing things, pet care, science, cooking, baking, outdoor survival skills, random fun facts, and English.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Happy to help cook, clean, care for your pets, organize, do minor handyman fixes, as well as share laughs and travel stories, and/or add you to my list of postcard recipients (getting mail that isn’t a bill is always fun).

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States