Hi there!

Nice to e-meet you! My name is Filipe and I'm originally from Portugal. I have worked as a nurse and I have done some smaller jobs in photography 📷 I travel along with my wife, Beatriz, who is also a nurse.

📍 We are currently in Indonesia 🇮🇩

DISCLAIMER ⚠️

🔦 If you're a TOUR GUIDE, we appreciate your offer but we're probably NOT interested. We are on a long trip and we do NOT have much money. We will report any behaviour linked to the promotion of tours or transfer services as this is not the purpose of this platform.

📽️ YOUTUBERs, BLOGGERs: We have NO interest on being recorded on video. Unless you want to pay us a commission for each video. We don't want to be an object to be used for more views on your channel. We reserve the right to protect our own privacy.

‼️We're sorry but due to a previous bad experience we tend to decline invitations if you have no references and a fairly empty profile (just not acceptable).

💭 Is this Facebook? Sorry but we don't accept friends' requests unless we actually know you.

CURRENT MISSION 🏔

We are currently backpacking on a budget from Portugal to Australia. We hope to complete this journey exclusively by land and sea, although we acknowledge how difficult that can be nowadays 🌏

We left in September 2022 and are hoping to reach Australia 2 years later, in September 2024. We plan to stay in Australia for about 1 year and then take a different route back to Portugal.

A general idea of our route would be Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia 🗺

ABOUT ME 👀

I wouldn't say I am an extrovert or a non-stop chattering kind of person (neither of us is). I am, however, super curious and adventurous (we wouldn't be doing this trip otherwise).

I would describe myself as a calm, friendly, optimistic, open-minded and very pragmatic person. I am generally unafraid to try new things, especially foreign foods. I am also very tidy and organised (sometimes a bit too much).

We can't promise we will be your most interesting hosted guests but I am generally a very honest and open friend, open to discussing any topic.

We rather spend some time having a nice conversation over a glass of wine or beer than partying all night. Sorry, to disappoint, but we are not so much party animals anymore.

As for my personal choices, I prefer trekking in contact with nature and finding hidden gems to visiting museums (not a big fan of enclosed spaces) or going on organised tours (I prefer to have a bit of room to make choices along the road).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Although we are travelling on a budget, I am not just looking for places to stay to save money, as many people tend to think. I am looking for a chance to dive into different cultures and people's stories. I think Couchsurfing is a good link between any traveller and the cultural roots or identity of the place you're visiting and its people.

Any tourist can visit a certain place and miss a lot of details by not interacting with local people and their daily lives. We are not travelling just to visit museums and sightseeing. I want an opportunity to share stories, meet new people, and learn a bit more about the history and language of every country we visit.

I'm here to find authentic experiences and hopefully make lifelong friends along with them, if possible.

Interests

• photography
• nature
• storytelling
• videography
• different cultures
• local cuisine

Music, Movies, and Books

🎵 Music: I can't say I have a favourite genre. It depends on the current mood, I can just as easily listen to rock or classical symphonies. We will listen to your favourite.

📖 Books: That would be a very extensive list. My only regret nowadays is not having much time to read anymore.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Left my full time job to travel the world
- Trekking volcanoes in Java Island, Indonesia
- Campervan road trip in Iceland, across the whole island
- Backpacking trip around Japan

Teach, Learn, Share

🎓 Teach and Learn: I consider myself an amateur photographer and videographer. I am happy to share my knowledge and/or learn new skills. I am always looking forward to learning new languages and I can also teach some English or Portuguese.

🎁 Share: I've travelled through a lot of different countries and I am more than happy to tell you all about our adventures. I can share tips and details if you are planning to visit any of the countries I've been to. I can share local knowledge of living in Portugal.

What I Can Share with Hosts

💬 I'm an avid storyteller, I can share all our adventures and a bit of our culture. I'm happy to share suggestions from the countries I have visited.

🏠 We are more than happy to help with cooking and any house chores (cleaning, organising, decorating, maintenance, etc...).

💉 We are both nurses. My wife is a neonatal specialist. We are both happy to help with babysitting or help to care for the elderly.

🚿 We are neat and tidy, we will do our best to keep your place absolutely clean.

👍 We are trustworthy and also prefer hosts who can give us flexibility to come and go anytime.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cabo Verde, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malta, Monaco, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Portugal