G'day and Kia Ora, I'm Riley, Aussie/Kiwi traveller 🇦🇺🇳🇿

Update October 2024: Sporadically accepting guests over the winter ❄️

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PLEASE read the emojied section below and "My Home" before sending a request ☺️ - I will know if you haven't read through my profile based on your request
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🇸🇪 I have lived in Stockholm, Sweden with my partner Gro since 2022, and we are open to host.

🏳️‍🌈 We are a queer couple so acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community is essential.
🌱 We are both vegan so we kindly ask that there is no meat in the apartment, dairy is fine but please no meat or fish.
♀️At this stage, we are only hosting women, we will consider couples per each request. We believe that women should always have a safe and caring environment to feel comfortable in when travelling. We can host a maximum of 2 people for a maximum of 2-3 nights, just send a request and lets chat. :)
---PSA for the fellas (Apparently it's become necessary to put this in: Guys, if you don't even read my profile, send me a copy/pasted message then get annoyed when I decline your request coz you didn't even read my profile, you're not making me feel more confident to consider to start hosting men in the future)---
🏠 Please read the section under my My Home for additional information before sending a request.
🚄 We live in Fruängen which is at the end of the 14 red metro line which is a 20 minute ride from the central (T-Centralen), and then just a short 8 minute walk to our door from the metro stop. Please look on a map first, as maybe it is too far for some who wish to be right in the center.
✏️ A personal message goes a long way rather than a copy/paste message when sending requests and clear indication you have actually read my profile.
☕ We both work full time over the weekends so we won't always have a lot of time to socialize during the days but you will have the freedom to explore on your own pace and we're happy to offer any recommendations for local sites and transport. And we can have evenings to chat and hang out
📢 Zero tolerance for homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, racist, or closed minded people regarding anybodies expression of identity or way of living, we are all on this planet together, sharing one big ecosystem, so lets do what we can and make it a kind and loving world to live in.

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🧻🫒 Somehow I'm always running low on toilet paper and olive oil, two of the biggest staples in a house, if you bring these along with you, you will shoot to the top of my favourite guests 😝

I started travelling in 2012 and have since worked and saved to never stop exploring this beautiful planet. I believe in good vibes and positive energy and sharing that with other beautiful and kind hearted humans as much as possible

In 2015, I made the best decision of my life to move indefinitely to New Zealand where I became a citizen in 2019 thanks to my Mums Kiwi side and lived in Taupō and Dunedin since 2022, when I moved to Sweden with my partner. I love the laid back and easy going nature of the kiwis, and the relaxed way of living, some places have "island livin", we have "kiwi livin".
In Taupo I was working at 2 centrally located and busy backpacker lodges, this has allowed me to interact and be surrounded by fellow travellers and their stories while I myself am busy saving for that next adventure. It has by far been the most rewarding and happiest jobs I have ever had, most days vibing on the bar with other travellers rarely feels like work.

I lived in Winnipeg Canada for most of 2018 before coming back to Taupo, it was an experience and a very cold place to live, I love the country and people in Canada, they are some of the kindest people I've met.

I believe in taking care of the planet as much as I possibly can and I am constantly learning and growing myself to do the best I can to have the smallest ecological footprint and impact. I enjoy simply being in nature, drinking tea, and laying in the sun, hiking, discovering different animals while also respecting their space in their natural world and always getting lost in the wanders of nature and all its wonderful, curious and vast life.

Coffee is a huge passion, I drink way too much and no day can begin without a huge cup of coffee.

Some of my favourite countries have been Japan, Egypt, Costa Rica, Canada, and some gorgeous places in Europe, there is always so much more to explore though. I would say I'm a very laid back and respectful guest and love to keep a tidy space. I love to talk about nature and things that make people the happiest in life.
Good vibes! :)

****Please keep in mind my legal name is Kristy, I changed my name by association to Riley in 2018, at this point the hassle and legality of legally changing my name is not a priority for money right now. Very open to questions regarding this. :)****

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Some of my greatest memories travelling have been meeting locals in their homes and spending hours simply talking and learning about all of the things that make them happiest in life, when you meet people travelling feels so different to the "real" world (whatever that means). People travelling are so raw and unfiltered, and we are all on the same wave length that we want to simply be ourselves and absorb other peoples energies, sitting around fires, listening to good music, and getting lost into the night sharing stories and learning each others lives even just for a moment.

Interests

Hiking in nature is one of the most meditative experiences for me, and a normal 2 hour hike for some would usually take me twice as long as I stop and observe all the small but significant plants, trees, and incredible smells I am surrounded with.
I am very curious and passionate about alternative and natural ways of healing and always want to learn more, using food and lifestyle as medicine for the body mind and soul.
I don't drink alcohol, as a personal choice, I don't like the effects it has on my body and mind, doesn't mean I don't like being around other people that drink, I still do all the same things and simply soak up the energies around me and vibe along.
I find meditating for me is one of the best ways I become grounded from a stressful day, slow down, and my body and mind become calm. When I have a permanent home, I burn through so much incense.
I have been vegan for quite a while, and while I do delve in probably too much coffee that I like to admit, my herbal tea collection is always something I'm very sad I can't realistically carry around with me while I travel.

My partner and I are both vegan, I love to cook and create in the kitchen, and joining together with other people in the kitchen to cook up a total experiment of flavours. In my opinion, the kitchen is the center of everything in a home, and the best memories for me come from sharing great food.
My favourite country for its food is definitely Japan, you'll always find me seeking out the first sushi bar or Japanese restaurant in any new town or city.

• writing
• books
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• hiking
• skiing
• tea
• nature walks

Music, Movies, and Books

Music for me completes an environment or situation, paying my monthly subscriptions for Spotify is something I happily spend money on, as I will often get absolutely lost in Spotify discovering music for hours. It would be impossible to list all of the music I like, I suppose I notice myself usually throwing on a mellow, jazz or low beats electronic playlist in the background.
I love soul and anything with a sax that I can feel right into the depths of my body that make me move, I'm a terrible dancer but when beats really get into me, I cant help but move around.

I will attempt to list some of the music I've noticed myself throwing on a lot lately;
Sol Rising, Fat Freddy's Drop, Sepalot, Tash Sultana, Proleter, ODESZA, Bonobo, Sticky Fingers, Bootleg Rascal, Antonio Vivaldi, Khruangbin, Dope Lemon, Lime Cordiale, Masego, Matt Corby, Angus and Julia Stone, Mac DeMarco, Jack Johnson, Chet Faker, Flume, San Holo, Ziggy Alberts, Mentalism, Shakey Graves, Nick Drake, Jamila Woods, Crooked Colours, The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Gentleman's Dub Club, Mumford And Sons, Milky Chance, Parov Stelar, The Black Seeds, The Cat Empire, and Ziggy Marley *phew*

I love live music in the way that I wanna chill on a beanbag or the grass and soak it in with my eyes closed and sun on my face.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Honestly living in New Zealand in itself has been the most amazing thing I have done, I can't break it down to a single event. This country has given me so much happiness
White water Rafting through the Austrian alps.
Snorkelling in New Caledonia surrounded by so many different types of fish.
'Zorbing' in New Zealand
Running through LA for 8 hours dressed as superheroes with 100 strangers in my first ever Hash run
Zipling in La Fortuna in Costa Rica
Sailing down the Nile and experiencing all the fresh fruit that grows so lushly along the river and taking a hot air balloon ride and watching the sun rise over the Nile
Spending a week on the "Island of Freedom" Sziget festival in Budapest
I know it sounds lame but I'll never Forget seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time in 2012 during my first big trip overseas.
Learning how to make sushi at a beautiful Japanese ladies home with a small group and high quality ingredients in Tokyo in 2018
Completing the Tongariro Crossing 4 times and being in absolute awe of the Emerald Lakes, high mountains and deep craters
Hiking on a glacier in Franz Joseph in New Zealand's South Island
I think I saw one of my most favourite sunsets in Santa Cruz, California in 2013 that I'll never forget
I skydived solo with my own parachute in 2017 and hope that one day I can continue the solo course but in all honesty, my money for other experiences is taking priority right now - the feeling of falling out of a plane with my own life in my hands was a time stopping experience.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like to think I'm a pretty decent Vegetarian and Vegan cook and love to whip up some experiments in the kitchen.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United States, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden