CURRENT MISSION

Visiting the entire world!

ABOUT ME

I used to feel younger than my age, but feel about right now! I'm loving studying again and am much more committed than when I did my original degree (the consequence of being older and more diligent). I work for a small business I've been with for 10 years which can be stressful and fun by equal measure. Generally enjoy life.

PHILOSOPHY

See the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm happy to couch surf people if I'm about, although I travel quite a bit for work and personally - give me plenty of notice! My place is just inside Scotland over the English border - 1 hour to the Cumbrian Lake District, just over an hour to Glasgow.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I started couch surfing in the 90s when I went to work in the USA while on summer holidays as a student (taught rock climbing/abseilling at a summer camp) - spent 4 weeks in '96 and '97 following camp surfing couches of mates I made. Since then couch surfed all around UK on mates/family/family friend's sofas visiting fun places and also returned to relatives in Canada to surf there.

Interests

I'm less fit than I should be, but like to hill walk and mountaineer. I've climbed all over Scotland and previously in the Alps, but couldn't do Alpine routes now! I love reading, films, red wine, beer halles, and most of all travelling. Been all over Europe, but love Eastern Europe the most. Keep pushing further east and recently travelled to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

• culture
• architecture
• wine
• red wine
• beer
• running
• partying
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• camping
• mountaineering
• surfing
• rock climbing
• business

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies - drama mainly - Capote, Gerry (anything Gus van Sant), City of Gold, Raising Victor Vargas etc.

Music - very eclectic from metal through punk/rock to ambient/electronic.

Books - Brett Easton Ellis (all), House of Leaves, In Cold Blood, If on a Winters Night a Traveller, Lord of the Flies. Reputed (by my mates) to like poncy books written by Frenchmen (Nausea - Sartre), but like a light read as much as a challenging one!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

If I had to pick one it would be Independence Day in Moldova which was simply superb - huge street party, cheap beer and an amazing set by Russian rock band DDT! Also in the running is Uzbekistan, but Bukhara in particular - amazing architecture and culture and superbly friendly people.

Teach, Learn, Share

The most important thing when travelling to a new city is to learn the underground/metro system (if it has one) very quickly - if you know it early on you don't look like such a lost tourist when you're striding around it with confidence! Also, alway learn 'hello', 'please' and 'thank you' in the local language as a minimum (and I always find the number in my group plus 'beers please' useful too!)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State, Zambia

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom