About Me:

I was carted off in a backpack to India as a small child because my parents hadn't had enough of travelling. I guess that nomadic urge stuck with me and I'm pretty bad at staying in the same place for very long. So my partner Brei and I have decided to give up the corporate life in marketing and advertising to travel the world!

After India I spent 15 years growing up in the UK. Moving into progressively rainier places, until I settled under the cloud that is Manchester. 6 years there inspired me to move to sunnier climate which ended up being Sydney.

Throughout the last 10 or so years, I've been lucky enough to work in an industry, online advertising, that is pretty generous with the airmiles. I've been to a host of amazing places and developed a passion for photography. Some of my trips have been illustrated at jpstonesphotography.com .

Beyond the travelling, I'm fascinated by a whole host of things. Loosely encapsulated into understanding how the world works: politics, culture and economics.

I'm often also interested, by choice or by default, by whatever my girlfriend is interested in. Which is pretty much a revolving door of topics. Last time I checked bacteria and epigenetics. She is actually pretty normal though :)

We just spent some time in Iceland and have found it the most bewildering and captivating place we've been as yet! Witnessing Mother Nature's brutal force is truly humbling.

The sights of Iceland are breathtaking but the highlight of this trip has been trying couch surfing for the first time. It's the memories of time spent with new found friends, which we have come to value over all else while travelling

About Brei:

Hi, I'm Brei and I was lucky enough to meet JP in Sydney almost 2 years ago. Im born and raised in Sydney and didn't get a chance to visit the rest of the world until I turned 23.

I was working in finance and had become uninspired and lethargic. I quit my job and ran away to work on Princess Cruise Lines, which cruised around the globe. So I hosted parties and games on board the cruise line for a few years before I began to miss the shore. I settled for a career in event management followed by marketing before being inspired by jp to chuck it all in and see more of the world.

I spend my spare time reading, watching documentaries, cooking, keeping fit, meditating, investing and drawing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We love the idea of couchsurfing because we hate the idea of turning up somewhere new and having to rely on Lonely Planet or a tour operator to find our way round.

There is definitely a time and place for wandering around a new town aimlessly. But for the most part, nothing compares to chatting to a local over a bite to eat or a drink.

At time of writing we're still fairly new to couchsurfing.com but are pretty much veterans in having friends crash on our sofa when they come to Sydney. Current record 1 month (take a bow Ines) - but don't worry. We don't intend to impose on anyone for more than a night or two, just long enough to get to know someone. Way to many places to see in the world!

Interests

I bet most people start this section with Travelling.

- Turning up somewhere new and feeling both lost and found. There is nothing better than feeling at home in a new foreign place. That inexplicable feeling of belonging before knowing.
- History. What is the point in being somewhere new but knowing how it got to be how it is.
- Economics. Kinda follows from the above and the fact that I like knowing stuff basically.
- Surfing. But in warm places.
- Scuba. But it warm places. Yes i'm getting soft.
- I work in digital advertising. And i guess that is an interest. But maybe if i stopped being paid for it I'd stop being interested.
- Health and Fitness. Tracking everything on my iphone. I am a bit of a data geek.

I've said enough.

• culture
• writing
• photography
• documentaries
• cooking
• fitness
• partying
• drinking
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• drawing
• investing
• backpacking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• economics
• history

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Brei: I went to Antartica
JP: got within 40km of it
Brei: yeah, whatever.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Hmmm... So we're a pretty easy going couple. We've done a fair bit and have a lot of fun stories to share. We travel light so can't promise presents but are happy to cook for you! we try not to turn up empty handed.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russian Federation, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, France, India, United Kingdom