Finished a BSc in Economics at University of Bristol, UK. Been travelling in India from September 2016 until April 2017, then Thailand for a month, and then back to the UK. Have had previous travel experiences in Europe, Australia and Africa. My career goal is to work in International Development, presumably in India, but still a while away from that. Will be based in the UK for the next few years at least. English is my natural language, can speak basic Spanish, French and German and committed to learning Hindi before I move to India.

I believe that the best way to understand a place is to live with a local. Whilst I do enjoy seeing the sights, the main purpose for my travelling is to understand it's culture and how people live there.

I'm very easy-going, and happy to either go with you or do my own thing depending on what you prefer. I like to meet people of all ages as I think you can learn a little bit from everyone. I truly hate writing about my personality, so I'll link my facebook so you can get a better feel for what kind of person I am and you can judge for yourself: https://www.facebook.com/RajPopat94

Much love Couchsurfing community

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Have technically Couchsurfed a couple of times without going through the website. Really enjoyed my stays at previous places and keen to do it again. Currently in between houses as have been travelling for the last 8/9 months, but will certainly host when I have a base, presumably in either London or Brighton.

Interests

I really think that my main passion in life is helping people, but travelling is certainly up there too. Maybe the two are not completely separate ideas. I really like hitch-hiking when I travel. I think that anyone who can pick up a randomer from the street has to be pretty open-minded and trusting, who are exactly the kind of people I hope to meet. I have done a couple of hitching challenges, once making it from Bristol to Poland in 36 hours!

• music
• hitchhiking
• volunteering
• travelling

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Reggae/Dub. Electronica/Ambient. Hip-Hop. Jazz. Psytrance! As my parents were not born in the UK, I think that I do not have a huge musical influence by them and therefore missed out on the rock scene in the UK. However, my music taste changes a lot and rock is definitely something I am trying to listen to more of. When I travel, I think that music is one of the most common topics of conversation and as a result, have a lot of music from around the world depending on who I've met

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Volunteering at an orphanage in Kenya when I was 18. As I've gotten older, I understand the pitfalls of 'voluntourism'. However, that first experience has really influenced what I want to do in life, which is not something that is really considered.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Telling old stories and making new ones. I think it's important to be a good guest, and am very tidy and also enjoy cooking.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, India, Kenya, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom