Hi! My name is Grace, and I am traveling the world as part of my gap year between high school and college for the next eight months. Traveling and getting to experience places and cultures that I've only read about in books or learned about in school has been my dream for years, so I'm very excited for the months ahead. Actually staying with someone who lives in and knows where I am going as opposed to chilling with other foreigners in a hostel adds a whole new dimension to traveling, so here I am!

Next year when I put my traveling on hiatus, I will be going to college to study international relations, since I've always been fascinated with the interactions between different cultures. I'm also an outdoors fanatic, and I love kayaking, hiking, and seeing nature's beauty as it exists untouched. In the modern world, I never miss an episode of The Walking Dead and am a die hard Slytherin, and you can often find me with my head stuck in a tome of great literature whether it be Game of Thrones or Anna Karenina.

A major part of my traveling philosophy is to prove to myself that the world is much larger and people are much nicer than the news media suggests, so I am always happy to meet new friends. Staying with locals and volunteering are both great ways to expand this worldview for me, and maybe show others that the stereotypes are not true and the world is a bit less scary than expected :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have been backpacking for about three months so far and while staying in hostels is nice, I want to expand my experience beyond meeting they typical other western backpackers. There is a different dimension you gain when you actually stay with someone who knows the best places to go and the cool things to see, and you hopefully gain a lifetime friend in exchange.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

As you can probably tell from my references or lack thereof, I am new to couchsurfing. I have met a lot of people who have recommended this to me on my travels, and I am looking forward to updating this section with my experiences as they come!

Interests

• books
• literature
• beauty
• walking
• politics
• news
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• communications
• international relations
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I am unfortunately very lacking in my movie literacy, but I could not survive without music. EDM, hip hop and r&b are my favorites, but I normally just listen to music and play the ones I love on repeat.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I am still very proud of myself for embarking on a solo round the world trip for the next eight months. In total, I will be visiting so many different countries all over the world, and being able to experience that when I am only 18 makes me very happy.

Total list of countries: Ecuador, Peru, El Salvador, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, China, South Africa, Turkey, Israel, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Iceland and Canada!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Palestine, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States