CURRENT MISSION

Go running in the mountains etc.

ABOUT ME

Hi everyone

I'm currently sitting on a couch in a hostel in Stockholm. I like couches and most chairs etc.

At present, I've been travelling around the world solo for 2 months doing as much adventure stuff as I can - hiking, trail running, canoeing, rafting. I'm heading to Scandinavia for a month now.

I've met so many truly great people who recommend couch-surfing and I'm wondering why the hell I have waited so long to sign up. In short - I think I'm a natural 'couch surfer' and that you and I will almost certainly get along :)

Anyway, my one paragraph summary is as follows. In a sentence I'd say I'm an undercover-nerd-adventury-sporty type of person. I'm an environmental scientist. I work at a Zoo and cheer myself up by patting cute animals. I like graphs, outdoor activities, nature, that sort of thing.

I've been very privileged to have done lots of travel with family and friends over the years. This year has been my crazy year of travel to make up for 5 years of full time work and study. It's also my first time travelling solo. I've witnessed a cheetah hunt and catch an impala with my own eyes in Africa; I've seen phytoplankton glow in the water like fire flies whilst night diving in Thailand; I've hiked across the Swiss/French/Italian borders in the alps; and I've met amazing people all along the way. The hardest part is saying goodbye. I'm keen to go running/hiking/diving as much as possible and hope to catchup with like minded people. And yes, I have also racked up a scary credit card debt this year :/

Cheers - I hope that wasn't too much detail.
Dan.

PHILOSOPHY

Like most people I fundamentally want to get along with others. I've learned from travel that living is really about people not places or possessions - It's the social connections that make lasting emotional impressions.

I'm an atheist and am respectful to all other private beliefs about the world. I believe that knowledge and education are the key to a future I want to live in, so I love things like TED talks (www.ted.com), or "The Khan Academy" (khanacademy.org) the world's free school to anyone, anywhere. I donate to wikipedia. I want to be hiking when I'm 70 so I try to stay active every single day.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

At this point I'm hoping to hit up some couches during travels. I'll be sure to put my couch up when I return to Western Australia.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm new to this but have definitely stayed on the odd couch. Have met some super cool people on travels that swear by couch-surfing. So here I am :)

Interests

Dolphins etc.

• animals
• make up
• education
• cheese
• running
• shopping
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• canoeing
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving
• trail running
• atheism
• cartography
• teaching
• science
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Yes I listen to music and read books. I can also write - got my pen license in year 2 :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Made it to Mt Everest Base Camp in 2012. Ate a Yak cheese pizza at 4800m.

Teach, Learn, Share

How to Navigate using a smart phone without WIFI or data:

A surprising amount of travellers I've met don't know this little trick. If you are a brilliant navigator like me and can get lost in a shopping centre then this is for you.

1. Using "google maps" app when WIFI is available, preload the map of the city/place you are about to visit. Zoom in and out a bit to get the right level of detail you will need.

2. Locate your target destination (say a house or hostel) on the map by searching or holding your finger on the screen to produce a red pin,

3. Once the red pin has appeared, click the bar at the bottom of the screen, a submenu comes up and click the "SAVE" star.

This will add a permanent waypoint as a gold star on the map. When you are out and about WITHOUT WIFI or data,
just make sure GPS is turned on and you will always have two reference points on the map (yourself as a blue dot and the destination as a yellow star). You can usually add 3 stars at a time.

NOTE: if you are far away from where you will be navigating, be careful not to go back into the maps app after you have done this until you need it, as it sometimes reloads itself in your current location so the preloaded map is lost.

Hope that makes sense.