¡Hola!

My name is Josh and I am a Scottish backpacker currently hitchhiking with my Kiwi girlfriend Ella. We met in a hostel in Melbourne last year and have been together ever since!

I am originally from Glasgow. I have a Masters in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Edinburgh. I left home in September 2017 to travel Australia. Since then I have travelled extensively through Australia, then later in Vietnam, where I taught English. Last Christmas I was lucky enough to see a bit of New Zealand and meet Ella's family, before coming to South America.

Ella is from Auckland, New Zealand. She studied in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, and has an Honours Degree in Photographic Design and Journalism. She's travelled through Europe and parts of Asia, and one day hopes to make it as a travel writer.

We both enjoy meeting new people and experiencing different cultures. We’ve just spent two months in Argentina in pursuit of the perfect Roquefort empanada, and have recently arrived in Chile. In the next few months we'll be travelling to Brazil Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia - then on to Central America for more shenanigans!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We both like to meet interesting local people who can introduce us to their way of life. The reason we decided to come to South America was to escape the pressures of the city. We bought a tent and booked a way one ticket to Argentina, the plan being to "live free" - that is to take a breath, experience different cultures, meet like-minded individuals, and drink a lot of cheap vino in some beautiful places.

Interests

• photography
• wine
• vegetarian
• vegan
• politics
• reading
• painting
• live music
• hiking
• surfing
• history
• science
• travel
• art
• food
• outdoors
• meeting new people
• trying new things
• drinking coffee
• hiking mountains
• politics.

Music, Movies, and Books

My music taste varies considerably - sometimes I listen to 70s rock 'n' roll, sometimes I listen to hip hop, sometimes I listen to house, sometimes I listen to jazz. If the music is good, I'll probably enjoy it. Ella is the same although she's recently started listening to a lot of Harry Styles and Lizzo so I might have to break up with her (jokes).

We both enjoy watching classic movies - films that make you think, films that make you happy, and films that make you laugh. I enjoy any film starring Matthew McConaughey.

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is one of my favourite novels. At the moment I'm reading The Travels of Marco Polo. Ella's favourites include The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plaith, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Last year I had the opportunity to go skydiving for the first time at Mission Beach in Queensland. I loved it. At Mission Beach I could see parts of the Great Barrier Reef, parts of the rainforest and I even got to land on the beach as well. Nothing I had ever done before compared to it and it is something I want to do again.

Ella went to Sri Lanka a few days after the Easter Bombings last year which she claims was "stupid yet eye opening".

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: Could probably teach you some things about electrical engineering if you really want. Ella is a pretty good cook and loves to paint.

Learn: I love cooking and I'd love to be even better at it. I also enjoy surfing although I am utterly terrible at it. Someone who doesn't mind giving some teaching about surfing would be fantastic - as a bonus you can laugh at me falling over repeatedly. Ella is always happiest by the ocean.

Share: We both enjoy hearing travelling stories and sharing our own.

What I Can Share with Hosts

- Good banter; good laughs;
- Vegan/vegetarian cooking

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, England, France, Greece, India, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, England, New Zealand, Scotland