We're Mandy (NZ) and Lee (UK).

For us travel is about meeting the people, eating local food and experiencing everyday life, not just going to a place for an Instagram picture 😉🤗

We met whilst trekking in Nepal in 1996 and our story has been featured on CNN Travel's Close Encounters online series.

Travelling is a way of life for us - we have visited more than 115 countries, and love learning about different places, cultures, languages and food!

The aim behind our Frugal Travellers YouTube channel and blog is to provide budget travel tips, advice and information on the amazing places we've visited and the wonderful people we've met!

We also want to break down cultural misconceptions by showing the truth about different religions and cultures in our videos, not the dissent and distrust that can be caused by media sources.

We are looking forward to visiting the rest of the world, very slowly as we believe in finding joy in simple things :)

And of course we are looking forward to making new friends along the way!

We look forward to meeting you!

YouTube channel:
https://youtube.com/c/FrugalTravellers

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

It is a truly wonderful experience to spend time with locals in their own homes.

So much can be learnt and shared by being able to have long, in-depth conversations, and we value the friendships we've made through Couchsurfing.

Interests

We love wandering around cities and the countryside, meeting new people, and learning about other cultures and ways of life!

• reading
• hiking
• football
• learning languages
• learning new things
• vlogging
• making friends
• walking around
• talking with people
• trying new foods
• experiencing new cultures
• cooking together
• talking with locals

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Kate Bush, Paul Simon, Bob Marley, Ed Sheeran

Movies and TV: Mighty Boosh, League of Gentlemen, The Young Ones, Monty Python, National Geographic & travel documentaries, K-Dramas

Books: Wilfred Thessinger, Paul Theroux, Devla Murphy, Neil Gaiman, Sarah J Maas, Terry Pratchett, Agatha Christie, Lisa Gardner, Illona Andrews

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Visiting Medina in 2023.

We never thought we'd be able to visit Saudi Arabia, and to Couchsurf there was such an incredible experience.

We were so moved by the incredible hospitality and kindness of the people we met there.

Teach, Learn, Share

We are learning Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian. We can help with English practice..

What I Can Share with Hosts

We love learning about other cultures and traditions, so can chat for as long as you like 😁

We are adaptable and independent - we can fit in around your schedule and can help with English, cooking and household chores.

We have experience with websites, vlogging, social media, account keeping, and proofreading.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Macao, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, England, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal