CURRENT MISSION To be the best at helping young people develop the skills and character they'll need to achieve their goals in life; whatever those may be.

ABOUT ME Epic travel alters perspective! That couldn't be more true which is why I travel the world and am always looking for the next adventure. I have been fortunate enough to have studied abroad on the tiny island of Cyprus in 2006 and travel to nearly 30 of the most influential cities in Western Europe with an amazing group of students from all over the US.

This led to a passion that sent me on four more 3+ month journeys: The first to discover the rest of Europe in 2007 from Ireland/UK to Scandinavia and all the way down Eastern Europe and the second to cover Japan down to Singapore in 2008 with just a bag and a whiteboard to document it all (this time with my sister). Next was Central America in 2009 from Mexico to Costa Rica before setting out on my biggest journey of all: 5 months to go from Cartagena, Colombia to Ushuaia, Argentina at the bottom of South America in 2010/2011. Capping off this trip I cruised down to Antarctica for 10 days of exploration.

Needless to say it's been a wild ride seeing 50 countries by age 25 but I've definitely enjoyed the journey! To fund all this craziness I sold educational books door-to-door for 5 summers in California, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Ya people still do that :)

PHILOSOPHY You don't have to live your life the way other people expect you to. My personal philosophy is to turn vacations into a lifestyle and be described as having passion and a love for what I do! Once you discover your interests, learning is easy and I feel that learning should be a lifelong thing and that is why I choose to travel so much and partake in crazy new experiences. Journeys - whether serious or comic or exhausting - is what life is all about.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING I've been on this platform now for over 10 years. I remember it fondly when 2 girls from Belgium introduced me to the site while I was in Ireland in 2007. Two days later I was officially couchsurfing in Scotland and having a blast with the experience. I had originally joined in hopes to build as many friendships as possible so that one day these same people could visit me in America and see how I live as well.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE So far I've couchsurfed in these locations: Edinburgh, Scotland Cabo San Lucas, Mexico x2, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

I've met CSer's for coffee/events in: Santa Cruz, CA, Denver, CO, Ushuaia, Argentina, Cape Town, South Africa, Sydney, Australia! All in all I have loved what this website/idea has brought into my life. It really adds a local feel to a trip when you can stay or meet up with someone that is like minded and really knows the place.

My first experience was in Edinburgh, Scotland for 3 days and I had a great experience. Very cool guy, gave me a map and showed me cool stuff to go see and do while he was at class, and even invited me out with friends before I left. AWESOME! Since then I have met up with a few couchsurfers in California and even learned how to spin fire and hula hoop which was pretty fun. Back in 2011 I met up with a local celebrity author down in Ushuaia, Argentina and also couchsurfed in Cabo San Lucas before my family came into town on vacation. All have been unique and worthwhile experiences.

Interests

Travel, meeting new people, learning about other cultures, roadtrips, eating interesting/spicy food, great live music, reading books/novels, and doing things that challenge me whether that has been selling books residentially or something more fun like surfing, bungee jumping, skydiving! If I think it'll help me grow as a person then I'm definitely up for it.

• wildlife
• writing
• books
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• triathlon
• marathon
• running
• reading
• traveling
• juggling
• music
• live music
• surfing
• bungee jumping
• skydiving
• soccer
• languages
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Delaying the Real World by Colleen Kinder, Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill & Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, and it's All Small Stuff

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My first Marathon in Fort Collins, CO feels like an amazing thing that I have done. I had always wanted to run one before I graduated college but I hadn't really ran over 2 miles in years. I got on a schedule and trained for 3 months...completing this goal just weeks before getting my diploma. 26.2 miles through the mountains in the high altitude was challenging but the scenery at sunrise when we started was worth it.

As far as something I've seen...Antarctica would have to top the list. It is such a surreal place down there and the wildlife was incredible. I've been fortunate enough to have traveled now to 75+ countries on all 7 continents but this was by far the most remote.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm pretty mean on a INDO Balance Board and can juggle a soccer ball for days. Plus I love sharing insights on off the beaten path places I've traveled around the world.

If you know how to cook tasty unique dishes...wow I'd love to learn!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I know a few jokes in other languages which has been a nice ice breaker while traveling. I can teach them to you :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Cyprus, United States