I grew up on a farm in Missouri. My dad was a professional rodeo cowboy, but I wanted to join the circus, so I taught myself to juggle and ride a unicycle by the age of 12. I soon learned this career path would require lots of travel, so here I am, bonafide couch surfer-since 2007 no less! I'm pretty active, outdoorsy, always up for a crazy and spontaneous adventure, a bit of a night owl, into sports: lots of golf tournaments and lake time in the summer, snow skiing in the winter. I've been in Seattle full time for 11 years now and don't quite have the same nomadic lifestyle I once used to live. Spent much of my 20's working at sea and living abroad. Having grown up on a farm, I'm not really a city-life person and much prefer beauty and solitude in nature vs. the crowds and traffic of the big city. However, I do ride my bike for everyday transportation, something I learned in Europe. I don't spend much time at home, as I don't even own a tv, nor have any social media accounts. I enjoy hosting curious and adventuresome travelers who share my interests, or just those I find instantly and infinitely interesting. I am a very selective host, if we don't have anything in common, I'm likely going to decline your request, copy and pasted requests, or empty/unverified profiles will likewise be declined. I only host travelers curious about me and my city for short stays. My place is way too small to host you for more than 5 days. Please make an effort to explain why you think I'd want to host you. “Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry."--Jack Kerouac "All that is Gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost."--J.R.R. Tolkien Check out more of my adventures on: austinestabrooks.blogspot.com

I'm an American-born of Indian descent, growing up in New Orleans, and living more recently in Houston, Chicago, and Seattle, and a handful of other cities, coast to coast. I've hosted many people over the years, and it's become an important and valuable part of my life; then when I travel myself, I like to reconnect with former surfers. Sightseeing and seeing famous landmarks is cool, but the main appeal of travel for me is to get to meet the locals of their own values, opinions, and beliefs, while I share my own perspectives as an Indian-American. My travel interests lie especially in East Asia and Mexico and Europe, though I want to travel everywhere. It can be eye-opening to see how happy and welcoming people are in places with a different. I also like to go out in nature; Glacier National Park was a fun trip (even though I was nervous about bears) as was Bryce Canyon. For a living, I write enterprise agentic chat code as software development engineer. Ultimately, for my next job, I want to figure out how to apply software development to some of the big problems the world faces today. But work isn't everything; I try not to work more than 40 hours a week. NOTE: when sending a request to stay with me, please include the word "chocotastic" or "cromulent". Or, if you think key words are silly, just include some indication you read my profile, so I'll be assured I can be a fitting host for you.

I'm the official Couchsurfing Ambassador for Seattle. I'm a World Traveler and official member of the Traveler's Century Club (http://travelerscenturyclub.org/ ) a club for those who have visited 100+ countries/territories. Paragliding and Hang-Gliding pilot (P3/H2). Adventurer. Motorcyclist. Former Salsa teacher/dancer. Avid movie watcher and video game connoisseur (although not as much these days) . I'm originally from Brooklyn, New York, currently living on Bainbridge Island near Seattle. I've lived in many places, including New York, Ohio, Germany, San Francisco, Mexico, Puerto Rico, New Zealand and San Diego. If you are new to CS or haven't been hosted on CS, please read this link first, as it will be helpful for any host to whom you reach out: https://support.couchsurfing.org/hc/en-us/articles/200640010-How-do-I-write-a-good-couch-request- PLEASE NOTE: Due to the large number of copy-n-paste and non-personalized requests received, any such requests will be declined automatically without explanation. An example of such a request: "Hi, I need a place for 2 nights, can you host me?". Please take the time to point out why you'd like to stay (beyond a free room) to ensure a positive experience for both hosts and surfers on CS. If you use the word "Coqui" in your request, I will know you have at least read the "About Me" section of of my bio. (Coqui is the native frog of Puerto Rico) Sometimes you will find my mini golden-doodle and Cavapoo at home. https://www.instagram.com/dashidoodle/ https://www.instagram.com/ebicavapoo/ You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/rich_velazquez/ https://www.facebook.com/velazquez.richard https://twitter.com/Rich_Velazquez

I´ve been in CS for some time and I have met really amazing humans, my experience has been great and I love the feeling of being part of a shared-economy community. This is the most important thing about me. I don’t like platforms such as AirBnB, Uber, EatWith, and others, if I can share something I will, and I believe that it’s the real perk benefit of Couchsurfing. What you can expect when we meet, it’s a person who is willing to share moments, experiences, good conversations and will be honest. I will treat you as a friend I am welcoming/visiting, when I host I will give advice about how to experience my city as a local, and when I surf I will show interest on how to experience your city as a local. Things to keep in mind if you are requesting a place to stay: * I only host people who have hosted before, I believe in the shared-economy community feeling of CS. Host/Surf ratio (~50/50), and a min of 10 references as CS Host. * I host up to 2 people. * If needed, I provide a guest parking-permit close to Seattle downtown (so you can park here, and take the train). * Schedule on Weekends is really flexible. Weekdays are OK but we just need to work our schedules around in the morning, I leave the apartment really early (7am). Afternoons OK. * Last-Minute Request are NOT considered. Min of 7 days or 1 week in advance. * Please, preferably do not send copy-paste messages, no hotel-room request, no Mr./Ms. Perfect, and no party animals. * Personal requests and honest people are highly appreciated. I do that. [COVID19 2025-UPDATE: Vaccinated (initial vaccine, 1st/2nd boosters and all subsequent to date- Pfizer]