CURRENT MISSION

Explore the incredible world we live in. Grow as a person while doing so. Share my life. Create connections. Offer kindness. Stay curious.

ABOUT ME

I'm an easy-going guy, born and raised in Leuven, Belgium's most awesome student city. A few years ago I moved to Spain for a year and it was a real eye-opener. I met so many nice people, learned a completely new language from scratch and got bitten by the travel virus. After that I decided to try solo travel and just loved the way the universe conspires in your favor when you're brave enough to actually take that first step.

I'm not an incredibly loud person and function better in small groups of people. I've had my crazy years partying but as I get older I start to value different things. The care for our world, the ideology of living sustainably, the importance of making true connections with people, the value of sharing. I believe mutual respect to be the basis for creating a better world, and hope to be able to contribute to that idea.

I generally try to travel on a cheapish budget and enjoy the challenges which come with this. I'm the type of person who would much rather jump on a local bus or hitchhike to a destination rather than getting a taxi or flying. This is purely for the adventure of the journey and for the opportunity to meet some interesting people along the way.

Feel free to check out some of my travel photography on instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nico_vo

PHILOSOPHY

- Everything you can imagine is real
- Just go and the universe will take care of you

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

It's a fun way to meet interesting, open-minded local people who can show you the hidden gems of their city, teach you their habits and customs and share their passions. The generosity and hospitality of people you meet on the road never ceases to amaze me.

I also love having guests come and stay with me when I'm home in Belgium. Hanging out with travellers brings a certain energy to the day and allows me to view my city through the eyes of a tourist. It allows me to truly appreciate the location I'm lucky enough to live in.

Interests

I love watching movies and try to see as many as I can, but apart from that I really like reading, writing, or having a beer (preferably during the activities above). After all I'm a Belgian guy and beer is our national passion! My friends always tell me I'm chilled out all the time, but I also like sports, hitchhiking, theatre, coffee drinking and ice cream. I love ice cream. Lately I've gotten more into photography and I'm currently trying to improve.

• writing
• architecture
• beer
• coffee
• flying
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• guitar
• hiking
• scuba diving
• snowboarding
• sports
• soccer
• languages
• hitchhiking
• volunteering
• storytelling
• permaculture
• videography
• construction
• streetfood
• street photography
• landscape photography

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Everything except romantic comedies. A few of my favorites include:
- Saving Private Ryan
- Fightclub
- The Lord of the Rings
- Coach Carter
- Django

Books:
- The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
- Inferno (Dan Brown)
- The hundred year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared (Jonas Jonasson)
- ...

Music: Everything from Jose Gonzalez to Red Hot Chili Peppers, The XX, Moderat, soft, loud, acoustic, electronic,...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Spend a night under the stars in the Sahara desert
- Hitchhike 10.000km across Europe on a budget of 10€/day
- Do research on living conditions in African slums
- Go whalesharkdiving in Mozambique
- Cruise through the amazing Swaziland countryside
- Volunteer in the Philippines by helping local agricultural cooperations build sustainable training centers to embrace the concepts of permaculture.
- Visit my sisters in Cameroon and Burkina Faso
- Run a marathon
- Hike the Kungsleden trail in Lapland

Teach, Learn, Share

- I'm extremely interested in languages and speak a few fluently and some others just a bit. I can teach you a thing or two in Dutch, English, French or Spanish and would love to improve in German, Portuguese and Italian.
- As a licensed architect I have some skills in building design, which I might be able to advise you on
- Lately I'm returning to storytelling through my blog http://everywhereinparticular.com. I have basic to moderate skills in photography and video editing

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'd love to share my travel stories, opinions and world view, preferably over a few beers or a hot meal! I'm excellent at doing the dishes ;) As I'm traveling for an extended period of time I can maybe give you inside hints, tips and recommendations for things to do in places that are far away or around the corner.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Mozambique, Philippines, Spain