A couple of years ago I started off as a primary school teacher. Soon, I decided to quit my job and I started backpacking for one year. This epic trip brought me to some of the most beautiful places on earth and I met a lot of wonderful people. Back home I made a switch, because instead of teaching I'm currently studying photography in Amsterdam.

I'm not an experienced couch surfer yet. The only experience I've had so far is staying with some friends I've made on my travels. But I'm a relaxed person, easy to communicate with, always in for a good laugh or a drink, probably both, and eager to learn. So, it shouldn't be to difficult to deal with me!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Working as a photographer allows me to combine two of the things I love the most, being photography and traveling, and make a living out of it (or at least that's the idea). I want the world to be my office and fellow travelers like yourself to be my colleagues. I treasure our planet and would like to make a difference when it comes to it's protection. Though teaching allowed me to preach a lot, the proces was to slow for me. Instead I want to spread awareness by documenting our precious world through photography. And that's where you come in, because I need your help to get me off the beaten track and find the places worth documenting. Not because they are in a guidebook or some sort of list, but because they are valuable to the people living close by.

Apart from that I also think it's a lot of good fun to meet new people, to experience the local customs, food, en celebrations through people that can actually tell you something about it and to share stories with others!

Interests

The obvious ones are photography and traveling. When it comes to traveling, my main interests are (modern) architecture and hiking/trekking in the great outdoors.

What else? I watch a lot of movies. I'm kind of a geek when it comes to movies. I like good food, but I'm a terrible cook. I love music (so if there's live music in a local pub you should definitely take me there), but I can't play an instrument. My friends, road trips, drinks, history, books, music festivals, going out, my dogs.. That's pretty much it.

• photography
• dancing
• drinking
• movies
• hiking
• modern architecture

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: from soundtracks and indie/alternative to old classics and dance.
Movies: my list of favorite movies is way too long, but most of them have something to do with road trips, history, sci-fi or cultures.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I studied in Oslo, Norway for four months me and some of my fellow students had rented a cabin all the way up north on a remote and almost abandoned island in the middle of a fjord. During the day we would look out of this massive window towards the fjord that was completely covered in snow. After dinner we would go in the sauna, cool off in the snow, put on our snow gear and lie in the snow for hours to watch the northern lights. Pretty amazing week that was!

Another amazing thing I'll always remember is walking the Kumano Kodo in Japan. This ancient pilgrimage route takes about a week to complete and during each day I would walk through dense forests covered in mist, passing sacred shrines, without seeing any other person and in the evening I would stay with a local family in a traditional ryokan, where I would get one of the best meals I've ever tasted and after dinner I would walk to a natural onsen hot spring nearby to relax. That was a pretty good trip too.

What I Can Share with Hosts

In return for your hospitality you have my everlasting gratitude (of course!) and my promise that I will return the favor whenever you are close by. On top of that I can teach you everything there is to know about Dutch cheese, Kingsday, tulips, windmills and maybe even a thing or two about photography. And if that doesn't interest you, we can always share some cool stories!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Norway