Hi, I'm Marissa and I can’t wait to meet you :) When I'm not traveling, I enjoy swimming, writing, reading, and learning languages. Most recently, I've been living and working in Queenstown, NZ, as a Lord of the Rings tour guide. I definitely have a tendency to fall down research rabbit holes. :P I love cats; spicy chai lattes/masala chai; Lord of the Rings (obviously haha); pumpkin pie; and a caramelized brown Norwegian goat cheese called brunost. 🤗

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To meet new people, make friends, and learn through my travels! If there's one thing I've learned in the course of traveling to 55+ countries, it's that travel isn't about the place; it's about the people. 💕

Interests

• cats
• writing
• books
• poetry
• reading
• cycling
• hiking
• swimming
• history
• languages
• solo travel
• travel
• nature
• film
• ocean
• marvel
• lord of the rings
• spontaneous trips
• paddleboarding
• spontaneous adventures

Music, Movies, and Books

There's soooo many. I like to say I'm a sucker for a good story, whatever the format. Here's a handful... :)

Music: The Beatles and classic rock in general, instrumental covers, Bob Dylan, John Denver, The Eagles, Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings soundtrack

Movies: Lord of the Rings, Marvel, Top Gun: Maverick, You’ve Got Mail, Star Wars, Interstellar, The Devil Wears Prada, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

TV: Suits, BBC Sherlock, Poldark, Star Trek, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Avatar: The Last Airbender

Books: ACOTAR & ToG by SJ Maas, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall, The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, anything by CS Lewis, Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton, America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One week spent wild camping and Arctic dog-sledding out in remote Scandinavia; riding the iron ore train in Mauritania through the Sahara; bathing elephants in Sri Lanka; creating and presenting a one-woman living history show (as Abigail Adams) dozens of times to hundreds of people; hiking into Machu Picchu; dancing salsa at a tiny club in Antigua, Guatemala; being an LOTR tour guide & van lifing escapades in NZ... I've got a few good ones! ;)

Teach, Learn, Share

There are always more paths than you perceive.

Opportunities are created and cultivated far more frequently than they are simply 'found'.

"There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction." (JFK)

"I’m not everything I want to be, but I’m more than I was, and I’m still learning." (Charlotte Eriksson)

"Nothing is worth more than this day. You cannot relive yesterday. Tomorrow is still beyond your reach." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

“Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren't grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.” (Roy T. Bennett)

What I Can Share with Hosts

My love for languages, interest in history, nerdiness over film and books, and stories from all around the world ☺️

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, England, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Northern Ireland, Norway, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, United States