I've been loving life working as a doctor in North East England, but realised I was 'living to work' rather than 'working to live' and wanted to change that! I'm now in the middle of a year long career break and have spent most of my time backpacking around South East Asia, seeing amazing diverse places and meeting wonderful people.

As of March 2015 I'm starting the second chapter of my travels and am hoping to spend four months in Europe.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

This is my first foray into couchsurfing. I love connecting with new people and see couchsurfing as a way of making the travelling experience more personal; making friends and sharing experiences.

I'm mostly hoping to find people to meet up with, maybe see some sights and share some stories, and really to enjoy being in a place the way a local would rather than just feeling I'm passing through. I would also appreciate places to stay over on occasion.

It would be great to meet any travellers who are visiting my home town of Newcastle, and I'm happy to offer a couch and show them the sights. However I won't be around until July 2015.

Interests

Most of my free time is spent with friends, enjoying a chat at the pub, trips to the beach, sunny walks, heading to a cafe or dinner out. I love to cook and having people over to share a meal together is one of my favourite things. I'm definitely more of a homebody than an adrenaline junkie!

When travelling, I love to learn more about the place and its history, to explore it's museums, galleries, religious buildings, and just wander the area checking out the architecture and finding a cute cafe to sit and write postcards! I've met great people along the way to share the experience, and love to hear other people's stories.

• arts
• architecture
• cooking
• pub crawls
• traveling
• backpacking
• rock climbing
• history
• medicine
• volunteering
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Music is a big thing in my life, and I'm rarely without my trusty ipod! Much like every other person I suspect, I think my tastes are diverse. My go-to records are mostly guitar based indie rock, but I love Motown, folk, a nice whimsical female singer-songwriter, a bit of classical. Loads of stuff! If you have anything to introduce me to that would be great! I also enjoy going to gigs and festivals when I get the chance.

I love to watch films, mostly mainstream but good quality Oscar-fodder type stuff. The last great film I saw was Boyhood, which brought a tear to my eye. I'd like to watch more 1930s-60s classics. My ultimate pick me up film is Singing in the Rain.

I only read occasionally. Mostly weighty dramas (just started American Gods) and the odd fantasy epic like A Song of Ice and Fire. It's wonderful immersing yourself in a book when I can, and I'm trying to do it more!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent a brief but magical week volunteering at an Elephant sanctuary in Thailand.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like to think I know Newcastle's best quirky cafes and could take you for an awesome Sunday brunch, a wander round an art gallery and a trip to the seaside. Anyone who came to stay would get a home cooked dinner, a trip to the pub, and hopefully some fun conversation with me and my friends. You could also laugh at how bad I am at rock climbing at a great indoor wall near me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Laos, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, England