CURRENT MISSION

To make the most of my life and to become a better person every day.

ABOUT ME

I am really addicted to travelling. Every time I get a few days off, I hit the road and every time that I do not, I am busy planning my next trip, searching for places on the net, looking at maps, reading travel books or listening to stories about other people's trips.
I love every phase of my trips. The dreaming about where to go phase, the starting to organise/I hope it will work out phase, the setting off with a bit of anxiety phase, the arriving and looking around for the first time phase, the going into details/discovering more phase, the midlife crisis of having to do more and see everything before going home phase, the sitting on the bus/train/plain for hours on the way home with happy contemplation of everything that has happened phase and the falling into bed absolutely exhausted but with a contented smile on my face phase :-)
I hate to do nothing, so I am always doing something. :-)
Although I am originally from Budapest, Hungary, I have lived abroad for the last 6 years, doing a million different things and trying out a variety of lives, which has been an immensely enriching experience!
I did my Erasmus in Portugal, was an au pair in Switzerlad, did my European Voluntary Service in South Tyrol, backpacked around New Zealand and Australia for half a year, then started a joint Masters degree during which I was based in Scotland, but also did two semesters in Portugal and Italy. Once I finished that, I got a scholarship to study in Indonesia for a year, from which I have just returned.
Besides travelling, I am quite intent on staying in academia and I am just starting a joint research Masters programme that will take me to Vienna and to Ireland. After this, I really hope to start a PhD in Anthropology.
I have worked as a part-time journalist on the side for almost 3 years, and I am now starting to experiment with travel writing as well, which is a really exciting process.

PHILOSOPHY

Everyone in the world has a lesson to teach you, it only depends on you which ones you want to hear. I would love to live long enough to hear them all! :-))))

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am always enthusiastic about meeting new people from all around the world. Right now I am living quite a mobile life, so I am rarely at home, but whenever I settle down somewhere for long enough to own a couch, I am more than happy to host as well. I love participating in meetings or orgaising language exchange clubs.
If I am at home in Budapest, I like showing people around (I have a favourite route that I have tested on a lot of Couchsurfers :-), take them geocaching, go for a hike in the Buda mountains or anything that you are interested in. I am not that much into partying though, so for that, it's better if you ask somebody else.
Also, I spread the wonderful Hungarian cuisine all over the world :-)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Quite a lot now as my references show, for which I am extremely grateful and I really hope that one day I will be able to return all the kindness I have received in all parts of the world!!! When I registered on this site 8 years ago, I would have never thought how much it would transform my whole life and how addicted I would get to it ;-)

Interests

Travelling of course, languages, different cultures, TED Talks, deep conversations, psychology, writing, hiking, walking, nature in general, geocaching, ice-skating, dancing and creative things. I also love boardgames and quiz nights! Hitchhiking and camping! And I could go on forever...

• writing
• books
• cooking
• meditation
• walking
• reading
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• anthropology
• journalism
• languages
• psychology
• study abroad
• hitchhiking
• language exchange
• mountains
• self-development
• geocaching
• ted talks

Music, Movies, and Books

Depends on my mood, but I am not too choosy :-)
With music mainly pop, retro and world music.
As for books, the ones that make me think not only while I am reading them, but months after that, too. I love travel stories. My favourite one at the moment is The Geography of Bliss, written by Eric Weiner, because it is a travel journal that has a bit of sociology and anthropology in it, too and it is a really fun book to read!
I loved Sleeping Around too, by Brian Thacker, every Couchsurfer should read it ;-) If he is still registered on Couchsurfing, I would love to meet him one day!!!!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

All my trips have been amazing for one reason or another. During each journey, I find out something new about the world and learn something about myself, which I consider a really imporant experience. I love these moment of little revelations. I love feeling absolutely free, but at the same time still being responsible for how things go. One of the most amazing feelings in the world for me is getting off a bus/train/plane, looking around a completely unknown place for the first time and knowing that I can take this road or that or the other one and all mean a completely new, exciting experience!
For a few years now, every summer I have completed a challenge I had set for myself. These have turned out to be some of the best experiences I have had, with the best ones being walking almost 800 kilometres on the El Camino, doing the Vipassana mediatation where I was not allowed to speak for 10 days and doing a 1-month trip around Scotland only hitchhiking (113 rides in total!) and not using any paid accommodation. I hope the next one is going to be biking through the US from one coast to the other.
Apart from this, some other amazing experiences were: a 2-day hike around the Dolomites, the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand, watching an animistic ritual in Tanah Toraja, meeting the most amazing and generous people in Flores, Indonesia and doing my first course in Anthropology.

Teach, Learn, Share

I was told a lot of times that if somebody listens to me talking for a few hours about my travels, they will get itchy feet as well... wanna try? ;-)

What I Can Share with Hosts

The world-famous Judit pie ;-) This is a dish that was created by me, but that has all the characteristics of Hungarian cooking and that I always make for my Couchsurfing hosts. So far, I have had very good feedback ;-)

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Panama, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

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