*** The entire Bay Area is under Shelter in Place order until April 7, I'l revisit then and open my requests again if it is allowed and safe. Stay healthy everyone. ***

California native but new-ish to the Berkeley. I've quit my job to travel long-term twice, and just recently got back from an 8 month trip through Asia and Europe and I miss it already.

Please read the My Home section before requesting!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Now that I'm home, I'm looking to meet other travelers and pay it forward! I didn't surf as often as I intended to but I used the Hangouts feature a lot while traveling, and even now that I'm home (for now) I want to continue to meet people from all over the world.

Interests

I read a lot and try to spend as much time outside as I can. I love traveling but after two multi-month trips I've "settled down" for the time being, so it's only normal short-term trips for now. I hike a lot on weekends, and try to go camping when I have time - we have beautiful nature near me and if you visit I'm happy to give recommendations for hiking and camping! I'm also really into politics, but if that makes you uncomfortable I'll try to keep it to a minimum :)

• politics
• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• camping

Music, Movies, and Books

I like music but I'm not super picky or knowledgeable about it. I'm an avid reader, my absolute favorite book is Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I ran across the US in summer of 2015, it was an amazing experience. We took three months to travel from San Francisco to NYC by foot!

Teach, Learn, Share

I haven't traveled as extensively as many people I meet every day, but I have been to a fair number of places and have some fun stories to share. More than anything, I'm here to learn and hear stories and travel advice from others - tell me your stories!

If you want to talk hiking, I'm always down to talk hiking and if you stay with me I'm happy to provide direction on our local trails, and I'll join you if I have the time! I'm really interested in longer treks too, I've done two routes of the Camino de Santiago, the Kumano Kodo, and a few sections of the PCT (hoping to thru hike it eventually).

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a pretty considerate guest and always happy to help out, and always interested in hanging out and trading stories. I know many people love cooking but to be honest I'm a terrible cook - but I'd love to take you out for dinner/drinks, and if you don't have time that's fine too, I'll bring wine or chocolates :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Laos, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States