Hey!
I am Daniel, a 33 year old guy living in Budapest with my girlfriend. So far, 2024 is a year of changes for me: by the end of 2023 I quit my job after 9 years (I used to work as a project manager in an automotive company). In the first 3 months of 2024, I visited my sister and her family in Sydney, Australia, which was my first travel outside of Europe. Now I'm enjoying a sabbatical period, so I decided to take a break before I search for a new job, possibly a new career (I am currently doing a course to become a mediator, who helps to solve conflicts where there is a communication breakdown between 2 people).
Right now, I'm planning to make a solo road trip in Italy by train. It's a dream come true: visit some of the cities I always wanted to see but so far couldn't, like Venice, Bologna, Florence, Pisa, Siena, etc. I really like italian culture and the way of living, so I am looking forward to this trip very much! I was wondering that it could be even better if I use couchsurfing, as it has a huge additional value to me to meet and interact with local people. This is something I really miss in the conventional way of tourism and travelling. (I already tried couchsurfing once in Trondheim, Norway when I was there with a friends, who was a big couchsurfer and introduced me to this way of travel - I really liked it).

Per nature, I am a friendly, calm, reliable introvert with a good sense of humor, but I also like to meet new people and listen to their stories, as I also gladly share my story and experience with others.
My most memorable journeys all shaped me and my personality in a good way, which I am really grateful for. I also feel that connecting and sharing our stories with each other is one of the hidden meanings of life - at least for me :)
Thanks for reading through, hope to meet you sometime!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I discussed already in the introduction section, what I love about couchsurfing and this way of travelling. Right now, I am doing a 2 week long road trip in Italy, where I would need some accomodation.

Interests

• arts
• photography
• cooking
• hiking
• skiing
• history
• religion
• cathedrals
• paintings
• running,
• music (playing the guitar)

Music, Movies, and Books

- Music: Beatles, The Doors, Dire Straits, Paul Simon, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Cory Wong, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wes Montgomery, Paul Desmond, The Crusaders, Robben Ford

- Movies: The Matrix, Fight Club, American Beauty, Master and Commander, The Lord of the Rings, everything from Richard Linklater, La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty), Band of Brothers

- Books: Steinbeck: East of Eden; Dostoyevsky: The Karamazov Brothers; Bohumil Hrabal: In-House Weddings, Vita Nuova, Ottlik: Iskola a határon; Szerb: Utas és holdvilág

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- I made the El Camino (Portugal Way) from Lisbon to Santiago
- Through helpX, I helped out an italian guy with his garden work for 2 weeks, living in a small town in Lombardy
- I took part in a huskey sledging in Norhtern Norway, near Tromso.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach:
- I can teach you to play the guitar if you have one at home and you feel you are stuck (or just play you a few songs if you like)
- cook delicious hungarian food :)

Learn:
- traditional recipes of your national cuisine
- your favourite local places in the town you live
- any musical instrument

What I Can Share with Hosts

- openness and curiousity
- my stories
- way of life in Hungary or the places I've been to

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Germany