CURRENT MISSION

Take some big jumps, big jumps (you afraid to break some bones?)

ABOUT ME

I'm an enthusiast to the core. I get very excited about the people and things I love. Friends, family, travel, boxing, pop music, writing, reading, swimming and cycling are at the top of a very long list.

Shoving modesty to one side, I would say I'm friendly, bright, thoughtful, respectful, able to hold a decent conversation, judgement-free and good adventurous company. I'm often told that I am a very low maintenance house guest and I don't smoke or get drunk, so I won't stain your home.

I love travelling and opening myself up to new experiences, whether that be interesting new places or lovely new people. Having spent a lot of my life envious of people who got to do gap years I've finally done something about it and saved up enough to travel for a year myself. My plan is to travel by land and sea from England to Australia. I haven't got anything against flying - in fact I love it - but I like the challenge of getting across the world without taking to the air, and you see so much more of the world from trains and boats.

I'll definitely be stopping in Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines on the way.

I grew up near Newcastle (the proper one, in the North East of England) but have been in London for 15 years and mislaid my accent. I worked for a disability charity, though have also done a lot of music journalism for the BBC and Yahoo, co-founded a blog, and done other writing bits and bobs. I am going to try and write my third novel while travelling. Maybe I'll even let someone else read this one.

Other than that - ask me anything. Well, almost anything.

PHILOSOPHY

"Only connect", EM Forster wrote, and that's my personal motto. I think what makes life living are those connections we make, whether with people or places. I want to spend the rest of my life making new connections, so that when I die I have a LOT of memories flashing before my eyes.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am new to this so I don't know yet. I'd love to host someone in the few weeks I have left in London, but after that I guess I'm looking for people to host me on my epic journey

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None so far. Take my couchsurfing virginity, please! However, I have been a houseguest for many people and always wash up after myself.

Interests

Friends, family, boxing, pop music, writing, reading, swimming, cycling, travelling and meeting new people just about cover it. Oh, and Chess... and curries.

• writing
• books
• flying
• chess
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• music
• cycling
• boxing
• swimming
• journalism

Music, Movies, and Books

Far too many things to list here, so I'll just name 10 random things I'm into right now: Community (the sitcom), Nine Inch Nails, Twin Peaks, Junot Diaz, The Smiths, Pedro Almodovar, Lana Del Rey, Edith Wharton, The Pixies, the Sandman comics...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I paraglided around the Matterhorn, with an eagle sharing my slipstream. That was pretty amazing.

Teach, Learn, Share

I could teach people how to box, play Chess, or improve their English. I am also always happy to share my enthusiasm for great pop music or books, and could talk about that stuff all day long. I did recently teach my little nephew how to swing, but you probably know how to do that. Right?

As for me - if you can teach a 38 year old how to backflip, then I'll love you forever.

Countries I’ve Visited

Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Russian Federation, Spain, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Slovakia, United Kingdom

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