I'm Preston — 🔓 hacker, 🛠️ builder, ⚔️ fencer, 🌍 full-time nomad. I cofounded a 🎮 gaming studio, run an 🤖 AI development agency, and spent 4+ years volunteering in 🇺🇦 Ukraine doing aerospace engineering during the conflict. I also happen to be a certified professional hacker, so yes, your WiFi password is safe with me.

When I'm not building things or crossing borders, I'm chasing down the best 🥩 meat dishes on whatever continent I'm on, swapping travel hacks with strangers, and collecting stories worth telling. ⚔️ Saber fencer — I'll show you a move or two if I've got my gear.

I've been in a few 🎬 documentaries. The rabbit hole starts here:
🌐 https://prestonzen.com

Socials:
📸 Instagram: @prestonzen
💬 Telegram: @prestonzen
🟢 WeChat: prestonzen
📱 WhatsApp: DM me

My Travel Map:
🌏 https://travel.prestonzen.com

My travels (48 countries, 103+ cities, 330,000+ km):

🌸 2026 — 🇻🇳 Vietnam → 🇰🇭 Cambodia → 🇵🇱 Poland → 🇮🇹 Italy → 🇯🇵 Osaka for sakura → ✈️ Hawaii and back to Osaka. 🇮🇹 Italy / Europe is next

🇺🇦🇺🇸 2024–2025 — Road trip loop through 🇵🇱🇨🇿🇸🇰🇺🇦. Osaka World Expo. 🇬🇪 Georgia. 💻 Defcon in Vegas. 5 months in 🇺🇦 Lviv. 🇻🇳 Vietnam. 102,608 km tracked.

🌏 2023 — 257 days. 25+ countries. The big one. 🇹🇭 Thailand → 🇰🇭 Cambodia → 🇻🇳 Vietnam → 🇭🇰 HK → 🇨🇳 Shenzhen → 🇹🇼 Taipei → 🇯🇵 Osaka/Kyoto/Tokyo → 🇰🇷 Seoul → 🇵🇭 Manila → 🇧🇳 Brunei → 🇮🇩 Bali → 🇸🇬 Singapore → 🇲🇾 KL → 🇳🇵 Everest Base Camp → 🇮🇳 Delhi/Mumbai/Goa → 🇹🇷 Istanbul → 🇷🇴🇷🇸🇭🇺🇨🇿 Balkans → 🇺🇦 Ukraine → ⛵ 🇬🇷 Greece.

🌍 2022 — 16 countries, mostly by train. 🇺🇦 Ukraine during the conflict → bussed to 🇵🇱 Warsaw → trained through 🇦🇹🇨🇭🇫🇷🇮🇹🇲🇨 → road tripped to 🇦🇩 Andorra → ⛵ sailed to 🇲🇦 Morocco and back → flew to 🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela → then 🇬🇧 London through 🇧🇪🇳🇱🇩🇰🇸🇪🇫🇮🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹 Nordic/Baltic capitals back to Warsaw.

🇺🇸 2021 — Amtrak Chicago to Seattle, drove south through Oregon and the Redwoods to San Diego.

🇺🇸🇲🇽 2020 — 16,000+ miles coast-to-coast by truck during COVID. Bay Area → Vegas → Florida → Key West → Maine → Chicago → Route 66 back to LA. Also motorcycle through the desert to the Grand Canyon. Border runs to Mexico.

🇭🇰 2019 — San Diego to Hong Kong across the Pacific. Neon skylines and dim sum.

🇪🇬 2018 — The Great Pyramid. Bucket list.

🇨🇦 2017 — San Diego to Vancouver x2. Mountains, ocean, sushi.

🇺🇸 2016 — Pacific Coast Highway. Big Sur at sunset.

2015 - Finishing up School

🇨🇿🇵🇱🇩🇪 2014 — First trip outside the Americas. Prague, Krakow, Berlin. The spark.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've lived in 7 countries, visited 55+, and done everything from motorcycle trips across the American Southwest to road-tripping Eastern Europe during wartime. I'm here to meet other nomads, share a meal, trade life hacks, and experience cities the way locals actually live in them — not the TripAdvisor version.

Interests

• sauna
• drones
• technology
• sailing
• fencing
• travelling
• linguistics
• learning languages
• space
• ai
• aliens
• exploring nature
• cybersecurity
• urban exploring
• space exploration
• extraterrestrials
• aerospace
• life hacks
• space travel
• business ideas
• culinary arts
• aerospace engineering
• meatlover

Music, Movies, and Books

Music (Artists)
No Mana - EDM
Beethoven - Classical (EDM remixed)

Movies / Shows / Series
Inception
No Game No Life & NGNO Zero
Burn Notice

Books
Enders Game - Scott Card
YFHM - Dan Pena

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Created a college cybersecurity degree program at 19, taught cybersecurity at universities internationally by 22, then pivoted into aerospace volunteer work in an active conflict zone for four years. Somewhere in between I cofounded a gaming studio and started building AI systems professionally.

Teach, Learn, Share

I went to culinary school — I can teach you recipes from paleo to vegan (but I'll be eating the steak). I can walk you through the dark web without getting you arrested, show you how to actually secure your devices while traveling, or debate the best eSIM providers for nomads.

Currently learning: Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, Chinese. If you speak any of these, let's practice over food.
Still waiting on a good alien story. I'm all ears.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Tech life hacks tips for travelers, Lifestyle AI , culinary tricks, travel hacking strategies, fencing lessons (When I have my gear), and probably the wildest volunteer-in-a-warzone stories you've heard at your kitchen table.

App notifications are terrible: Message me on socials if I don't respond!

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bolivia, Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, North Korea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Georgia, Japan, Mexico, Thailand, Ukraine, United States, Viet Nam