[Currently traveling around Germany + neighbors]

A Californian in love with Europe.
I'm fueled by exploration and possibility.
I need mountains like fish need water. (🍫, too)
I make friends everywhere and travel long distances to see them.
Skeptic of excess formal education. Big believer in self-directed learning.
Normal jobs, normal homes, and normal relationships don't make much sense to me.
Biggest ♥️s: writing, reading, cycle touring, partner dancing, trail running, working with teenagers.

Everything else @ blakeboles.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

"Couchsurfing is a worthwhile gamble in assuming the best in others." (stolen from someone else's profile)

Actually, why I'm on it less: https://www.reddit.com/r/couchsurfing/comments/14nunh2/longtime_couchsurfing_user_suspended_for/

Interests

• writing
• trail running
• settlers of catan
• frisbee
• acroyoga
• bike touring
• slacklining
• argentine tango
• fusion dancing

Teach, Learn, Share

The true risks of travel are disappointment and transformation: the fear you'll be the same person when you go home, and the fear you won't.

—Kate Harris

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"Do what you love!" cry the motivational speakers. But I think anybody who tells people to do what they love no matter what should also have to teach a money management course.
"Do what you love" + low overhead = a good life.
"Do what you love" + "I deserve nice things" = a time bomb.

—Austin Kleon

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I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.

—Jack London

What I Can Share with Hosts

BELIEFS:
■ 2-3 nights strikes a balance between “having a chance to connect” and “not becoming a burden.”
■ Things I do for my hosts: buy dinner, cook dinner, clean the kitchen.
■ Things I do without my host: read, write, run, explore coffeeshops and bookstores.
■ Things I don't expect from hosts: constant entertainment, tour guide service, food.

I’ve hosted and stayed with men, women, couples, and non-binary/non-conforming couchsurfers. Everyone is welcome, and everyone should feel safe.

CS ≠ Tinder. Couchsurfing brings together friendly, like-minded people, so I’m not surprised when I sometimes meet couples who first connected here. But to be clear, it is not a dating app.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Italy, Laos, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Germany, New Zealand, United States

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