I'm a travel writer who is producing and hosting a made-for-TV show about Africa. From 2013-2018 I traveled to all 54 African countries. I am writing a book about the trip. It's all called "The Unseen Africa." To learn more, visit http://Africa54.com. I've written two books. My most recent book is "The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us." I spent 2008-2011 visiting all 25 Eastern European countries. Learn more about it at http://TheHiddenEurope.com Watch my 3 TEDx Talks (they're all about travel): https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=francis+tapon+tedx&page=&utm_source=opensearch I was born and raised in San Francisco, California, USA. My father is French and my mom is from Chile. So I have 3 passports. And I am very confused. Here are the 122 countries I've traveled to http://FrancisTapon.com/travel I'm married to and usually traveling with: https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/rejoice-tapon Go to http://FrancisTapon.com for more info. It's a lot easier than writing it all down here!
Interested in Books & Literature
Fluent in English
Learning Arabic
Pioneer Badge
Why I'm on Couchsurfing
I'm on CS because I write about the culture of every country in the world. Staying in hotels limits your ability to gain insights on culture. There's nothing like seeing families and locals interact. I love to observe the daily cultural habits. I've discussed how I participate in CS on my webpage (http://ftapon.com/cs). That viral article is worth reading. I've had over 180 CS experiences! All positive references. No negative ones. Translation: I'm a safe bet. :) The couchsurfers I enjoy most are the ones where I feel like I've known the person for years. It's rare, but when it happens, it's magic!
Music, Movies, and Books
I prefer non-fiction books. I read at least 1 book per month. My favorite movie is Memento. Like most people, I have varied musical tastes. I love Philip Glass, which drives most people crazy.
One Amazing Thing I've Done
Did a roundtrip on the Continental Divide Trail! That's 9,000 km in 7 months. That's backpacking on foot from Mexico to Canada and back through the rocky mountains. I was the first person to do this. See a 4-minute video of this and lots of information about it at http://FrancisTapon.com/cdt
Teach, Learn, Share
I've summed up all my the big life lessons I've learned in my first book! "Hike Your Own Hike: 7 Life Lessons from Backpacking Across America" Learn more at http://HikeYourOwnHike.com
What I Can Share With Hosts
I can share the knowledge I've accumulated in 50 years: - I've traveled to 120+ countries - Written two books - Graduated from Harvard Business School - Was a Religion Major at Amherst College - I read a lot Knowledge is my thing, and I love to share and learn from others.
My Interests
Reading, writing, backpacking, volleyball, and traveling (duh!)!
