Pre-Script
Big up love respect & tolerance. Love meeting new people, old-young, man-woman, gay-straight I hold no qualms, (as I believe no man should). Feel free to give me a shout. Unable to host at the mo out of respect of my flatmate, but always keen to introduce newcomers to the beautiful Kingdoms, and also inspire them to explore outside of London - come on people, there's plenty more to see and do than try to get a picky of the Queen in her nighty!

So you want to know more about me?
So I'm Rhys (Meaning passionate yn Gymraeg (in Welsh) ;p woop!) Born & bred in the beautiful idyllic lands of South Wales before leaving at 23 post-uni to travel around a bit. Sort of got hooked up on the great things to do abroad and lived in Australia (2 years) New Zealand (1.5 years) and then came back via Thailand (1 month) before getting a job in Manchester (2 years) and finally moving down to London (to date). So that's effectively my CV.

I love adventure, culture, science, travelling (obvs.) partying, chilling, picnicking, generally anything which makes me feel like I'm making the most of my time on the planet. Unfortunately that often means I'm out of pocket, but hey-ho the banks can worry about that when I'm gone! I love writing too, and tend to draw inspiration from what I've done, consciously and subconsciously. Sports wise I'm big on adventure sports (but don't presume I'm good). I love snow, (it turns me into a big kid), I love surf (it turns me into a big kid) and I'm terrified of heights (It turns me into a big baby). I'm real easy to talk to, very open minded and laid back, but this does mean I'm often terrible at replying, which I'm very sorry about! My current resolution is to get on here more often and chill with the cool CS cats.

I also work in the travel industry, another great excuse to get out there and travel as far and wide as possible!

Post-Script:
BTW: I'm an advocate of the LGBT. I love to help people feel welcome in the Kingdoms as this is an awesome country to be in for tolerance. Happy to help & advise on where to go and what to do while you're here so feel free to chat.

Read onwards and you might agree - I'm a bit of a Jack o'Trades.
:o)

Safe Travels!!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

What I love:
The open-mindedness of travellers and the willingness we all have to learn & share. As such I want to be a part of it however I can. I also love how CS tends to tangent random adventures with people you'd never expect to meet. Be it trips to places you'd never normally visit, or just relaxing in the company of new people. I believe your home becomes far more exciting when viewed through the perception of an guest.

What I've done:
I've CS'd in Aus & NZ and used this page to meet people for gatherings and events. It quickly makes the world a smaller place and creates a nice global community, something to value. I've met up with a few surfers and helped them settle in and get a kick out of welcoming new peeps to the show.

What I want:
More of the above!

Interests

As stated, I love my writing. I'm aspiring to one day be published (hopefully it's not a pipe dream) but linking into that I do have a love of myths & legends and cultures. I'm always keen to learn more about any culture especially the stories of the old gods (& the new, ha!) I also get a lot of inspiration from science and history, so if you're keen to learn something - ask me to take you to a museum (but leave the dinosaurs till last as I probably won't want to leave).

Sports wise: the more entangled with nature the better. I'm not a gym bunny as I don't find it engaging at all. I love bouldering as you have to plan and think about what you're doing, before you do it. Also love snowboarding and surfing and trying out any other out-doors sport. True mettle is tested by the elements! Though surf is good in the kingdoms (Cornwall, Wales & Ireland) it can be a tricky one to reach without a car, and Snowboarding (Scotland) can also be a test, but if you're keen so am I!

Otherwise I'm into mindfulness and healthy living at the moment. I'm prone to the blues and I find a great cure (aside from travelling) is expression through creativity. Writing helps in part of this, as does art. I've learnt a little about street art, which is something I'm fostering an interest in - it's not graffiti if it's got a point.

With regards to healthy living: all in all at 29 you stand at the precipice and I'm hoping that my future is a gradual descent into a comfy bed, rather than clumsy collapse off of a cliff...

Music, Movies, and Books

So, this again is pretty diverse. As I love to process my thoughts and emotions creatively, I find music a great catalyst for this. Depending on the mood, I'll apply a different music type to engage it. That's not to say when I'm angry I listen to heavy mettle, and when I'm bouncey I listen to pop.

Generally you'll find I've a scattered & eclectic taste. I've developed a love & respect of Electric Swing music but still keep my personal indie classics close to heart. I'm ok with a bit of pop (guilty pleasure) but you probably won't find much of it on my spotify playlist.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

So the oooooold Bucket list:

Well I've done a fair few odd things, unfortunately my mind isn't too good at organising, storing and recalling. So they tend to pop up mid conversation when nerves fire up. I've already ticked off Swim with Dolphins, Bungee Jump & Sky Dive. But that's now evolved into wanting to Swim with Whales & sharks, and venture into space to see the world from a higher vantage point - not sure if that's realistic though.

I've been to Oceania, Asia and across the breadth of Europe. I've seen the Northern lights and ridden a husky sledge through the snow within the Scandinavian Arctic Circle.
I can tell you about life in a sustainable community in New Zealand, and also about the many deadly snakes of Australia.
I've been drenched to the bone on a tuk-tuk circling the spiritually besieged city of Chiang Mai during Songkran, and I've been red in the face with tomatoes tossed by the people of Bunyol during La Tomatina.

In short: I've laughed & loved, cried & cheered, drank & chilled, sang & danced with people all around the world and I only want more!

So you know:
Next little trip includes interrailing from Bucharest to Athens then up to Venice for the carnival - see this space for more pics & deets.

Teach, Learn, Share

I don't think you can actually sum up the lessons you learn from other people in this way. The best way to teach, learn and share is to be social. Meet up, chill out and talk. You'll get all of the above through this method. You'll teach, you'll learn and you'll share.

Personally, I tend to teach people about the random things they'll never need to know, i.e. how the moon was created, the difference between bacteria & virus', the ways Hera sought revenge Zeus - I don't think my lessons are even useful in a pub quizzes but I've always been a bit of a wonderer, which I think is the fuel of my wanderlust.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Well, if none of the above takes your fancy, I'm pretty sure I can at least give you some directions or some tips on where to go in Manchester & Cardiff ;) that and I'm good for a pint or a coffee, depending on your preference.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, China, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom

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