Hi! I'm Vikas - a social entrepreneur, foodie, sports aficionado, an amateur writer, and a backpacker.

I travel regularly and write about learnings from my journeys for travel magazines, including Nat Geo. Marrying my passion for words with a desire to see the world has been life-changing. I love to experiment with various world cuisines, try the local drinks wherever I go, go dancing, and talk endlessly to locals and share my stories while learning of theirs.

I've spent the last decade running a not-for-profit charity with the aim of teaching children in under-resourced schools key life skills through football, music, and LEGO. We operate across India and recently launched in Vietnam too (More on enablingleadership.org); My TED talk is here for those interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkzljKGiUXE&t=288s

Currently based in London, after finishing my graduate studies.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is the perfect platform to meet like-minded travellers from around the world. It not only enables meeting new people but also gives both parties a chance to exchange their culture and ideas, building a more open view of the world.

Interests

Playing badminton, Going for pub quizzes, watching sports, writing stories, and dancing

• backpacking
• football
• travel writing
• food and drinks
• social entrepreneurship
• quizzing
• non profit

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - Soft Rock, Acoustical, Classical (Hindustani), Instrumental
Love to read, but been reading much fewer of late. Thoroughly enjoy a good crime fiction, psych thrillers, dramas, the classics, and historical fiction.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Does riding horseback through the snowy mountains of Kyrgyzstan for 3 days, without having ever ridden a horse before, count? ;)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm happy to share my learnings from the development sector, my journey in leadership, about the history and geography of India, and about my travel experiences across the world. I'm also happy to cook up a "curry" if you will, teach you new games, watch all and any sport with you, and talk endlessly about great food (besides eating it, of course!)

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, United Kingdom