Hello! I’m Daniel, a journalist and travel writer. I recently moved to Potsdam to pursue a master’s degree in international relations and cultural diplomacy.

I started traveling abroad at the end of 2020, several months after graduating from University, and it’s the best decision I ever made! Living this type of lifestyle has always appealed to me, and I jumped at the first opportunity I had to leave. I make money teaching English online, running a few social media accounts for local businesses, and sometimes by writing articles. It gets me by but it’s not very lucrative, which is the initial reason why I joined Couchsurfing.

But I’m glad I did because I have met some incredible people along the way. This app has truly restored my faith in humanity a little bit. It’s such a wonderful and positive community and I’m happy to be a part of it!

I was 34 years old when I graduated from university. Before that I lived the unforgiving life of a professional cage fighter in Fort Worth, Texas, competing nine times in three years. I was becoming disillusioned by the business side of professional sports and realized that there was no future outside of the sport unless it involved going back to construction or coaching at a gym in a city where I didn’t see myself staying. It was an interesting experience and I learned many skills that I still use today, but I enjoy being a journalist a lot more than fighting people in cages, haha.

After undergoing shoulder surgery, I decided to enroll back in university. I moved over 3,000 kilometers away to the beautiful state of Oregon and never looked back.

Soon after I started traveling abroad, I created a website as a way to document my travels that people could use as a guide. It has since evolved into a fun project I use to publish my own travel stories, history of each country, and articles covering geopolitics, which you can find here below. I’d love to hear your feedback 🙂

www.wherethewindgoes.com

I’m also a pretty low-maintenance person and don’t mind sleeping on your balcony if you have one.

Ask me about the connection between Karl Marx and Abraham Lincoln!

Within 370 days, I survived a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine; was detained for half a day by Peshmerga military forces in Iraqi Kurdistan in order to obtain an interview with a commander; covered the protests in Georgia which led to hundreds of human rights abuses from police and special forces in which I narrowly escaped from the grip of a special forces officer myself. Craziest year of my life.

我为什么加入 Couchsurfing

I’m on Couchsurfing because of the altruistic nature of it all. I love that it’s about helping others in time of need and making new friends.

兴趣

History, political science, philosophy, travel, the natural world

• politics
• traveling
• sports
• jiu jitsu
• history
• political science
• sea
• mma
• ocean
• coastal walks
• political philosophy
• hiking in the mountains
• history and culture

音乐、电影和书籍

Music: I’ve found that I enjoy most types of music, and I have some that would love to share with you as well.

Movies and books: anything related to comedy, history, philosophy, or political science. I read way more than I watch movies or tv shows.

我做过的一件不可思议的事情

Interviewed the Bosnian Minister of Defense.

Interviewed a Kurdish Peshmerga Commander.

Took a balloon tour in Cappadocia, Turkey.

Spent several seconds in icy lake water in Finland after a few minutes in a sauna that reaches 120 Celsius. I tried to stay longer but that was enough for me!

Traveled to Transnistria, the country that doesn’t exist.

教，学，和分享

I can teach a lot about nutrition and how to get in shape just by working out in a small space at the house or apartment.

I can also teach some basic boxing, kickboxing, and jiu jitsu skills that may spark a new interest for you.

I would love to hear your thoughts about the world. We will have some pretty good conversations if you’re into media and propaganda, geopolitics, power dynamics, and political philosophy. I can talk for hours about those topics.

我可以与沙发主分享些什么

Positivity, optimism, stories, food, fruit, vegetables, and cans of tuna.

我游览过的国家

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Kosovo, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine

我居住过的国家

United States