I grew up in Switzerland and moved to Tasmania do study Marine Science in 2005. I did my Masters through the Australian Antarctic Division and worked/studied in both the Antarctic as well as the Arctic. For several years I worked as a bushwalking guide in various National Parks in Tasmania but primarily on the Overland track. I absolutely love the Outdoors - or more precisely untouched, pristine wilderness areas.

Colleen was born inTasmania. We both studied together at uni and also worked for the same tour-guiding company for a while.

We decided to move to Switzerland in 2010 as Colleen got offered a PhD here. I am working a as a biology teacher since 2012. We both really enjoy being in Europe and spend as much time as we can travelling around the place or scrambling through the alps - although as it often goes, we get bogged down in our working lives more than we want to. We may or may not move back to Australia after Colleen has finished her PhD - it depends on the circumstances then.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We both love travelling and have enjoyed the privilege to visit various countries in recent years. I have met the most wonderful people on my travels and always enjoyed getting a local perspective of a place - seeing how people actually live day by day. To me, this is one of the most important reasons to travel in the first place.

Living in two different countries on both sides of the globe, there has not been so much opportunity to do much travelling that was not either work-, or family-related. So we haven't been able to visit as many places in recent years as we would have liked but we've been able to host a few people in Tasmania and now also in Switzerland and have had a lot of really nice experiences - so we hope to meet more travellers and get an idea of their world while sharing a little bit of ours with them.

Interests

Outdoor activities of all sort (mountaineering, cross-country skiing, hiking, snowboarding, cycling...) Since moving to Europe we've been trying to fit in as many weekend trips to exciting places (often in the Alps) as possible.

Diving (not so much in Switzerland, but used to go a lot in Australia)

...but also board- or cardgames, enjoying good times with family and friends, discussing anything from philosophy or world politics to the contents of kinder-surprise eggs over a good glass of wine or a cup of tea...

• politics
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• mountaineering
• scuba diving
• skiing
• snowboarding
• swimming
• biology
• teaching
• marine science
• science

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Had the opportunity to spend a summer on a tourist vessel in Antarctica while conducting research for my Masters degree.

- I have a (genuine) certificate for having been the northernmost person on the entire planet swimming in any body of water - even if only for a few seconds.

- Spent 8 month going around Australia when I was 19. With two exceptions, we slept in a tent or out under the stars every single night!

- Came within an arms-length with a Southern Right Whale and her baby calf on one of my first ever dives in Tasmania.

- Many multi-week trekking expeditions in Tasmanias World Heritage National parks, especially down in the South-West Wilderness. No doubt one of the most outstanding places left on this planet!

What I Can Share with Hosts

- A nice meal together
- Good conversation
- Genuine interest (otherwise I wouldn't write)
- An open mind

Countries I’ve Visited

Antarctica, Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madagascar, Monaco, Myanmar, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, France, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom