ABOUT ME

There are two of us - Jan and Neil. We are an Australian and British couple, easy going, generous and (we like to think) entertaining.

Currently we are 'between homes'. Hence not able to host :-(

Our former homes in Sydney and London now have tenants. Life moves on as do we.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The sharing economy has opened up such a rich tapestry framework to possibilities. There are so many stories out there. People living life their way. It would be so easy to live in a confined box but that isn't us.

We don't have the answer to anything. We're just enjoying the process.

Interests

Our recent travels have seen us tour Europe for seven months in our little van and spend 3 months in Guatemala / Mexico.

Oh the freedom experienced when leaving your job to travel. To be as free as the wind!

We like country hills and quite places and amazing coastal and inland scenery. We love walking and being within natural surroundings.

We have returned (for now) to Australia to 'settle'. With a daughter who is now married and professional careers behind us you have a trustworthy, responsible and mature couple. We've just had enough of 'working for The Man'. Neither of us smokes.

As we have travelled and enjoyed the hospitality of others it is of deep importance to us that our host's property is treated well. As a recent AirBnB host commented, "They left the property cleaner than when they arrived".

For a different perspective - our AirBnB profile shows 50 reviews that we have received. This is both as guests and as hosts. The moment we got back from Europe having met so many wonderful people through Air BnB we knew that we would be hosts ourselves. It gives us great pleasure to have left such a positive impression.

Please see the link below for these reviews:

https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/6686315

We are now enjoying house and pet sitting. Another fantastic way to experience different areas and ways of living. All whilst helping other people out, so that their pets can stay in their home surroundings whilst they are away.

We have a few reviews on AussieHouseSitter too:

http://www.aussiehousesitters.com.au/s/lovely-jan-neil

How will we ever forget taking care of the sheep (Tom, Dick and Harry) or any other of our temporary charges?

• pets
• walking
• traveling
• billiards
• socializing
• boxing
• business
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

We are both attracted to independent films as they usually leave you richer. Whilst we are fairly open to most things we know what we don't like. Horror, brutality for brutality's sake and crude vacuous humour just aren't us .

Music? Anything on the scale of some real dirty drum and bass to an inspirational classical score.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Whilst neither of us would be so self effacing to describe our choices in life as amazing I guess the years we have spent in community support / non-profits are an important part of who we are .

Jan swung her accounting skills around an organisation that supported people with intellectual disabilities. I worked with the homeless in London, with the unfortunate baggage of drug abuse, poor mental health and challenging behaviour.

We have also both worked in the big bad bad corporate world. There are things to be learned everywhere.

Teach, Learn, Share

Perhaps we can assume that you might not want to learn from us regarding double entry accounting or business analysis. Though who knows!

However, we are all so much more than our jobs and there is an incredible joy in sharing facets from our wider knowledge pool and different points of view. At the broadest level it can be argued that to be able to teach you just need to know a little bit more than the person who is seeking to learn. There is of course more to it than that but still something worth reflecting on if one needs encouragement to recognise the value of your own experience.

What I Can Share with Hosts

It is meeting people that make travel. Buildings and other geographical features can be striking and memorable but many would pale if not set into the context of those that we met.

We value every moment where we have the opportunity to share. From drying the dishes, to fixing an ill-fitting door or sharing a laugh. We present ourselves genuinely and honestly so (hopefully) you may feel comfortable to do the same.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United Kingdom