Hi! My name is Rob, I'm currently on a year-long backpacking trip across Europe and Australia (I started in June of 2022 in Iceland). I'm from a rural part of Maryland, USA, and I'm looking to grow my perspective of the world through meeting amazing people and experiencing as many new things as I can.

I've always been interested in going to new places, but my travels really started when I did a student exchange program in Hong Kong in 2018. I met so many cool people (many of which I plan on visiting on my Europe/AU trip), and I was fortunate enough to be able to see a lot of different countries in Asia during those 4 months. I've done a few short trips after that, including Central America, Colombia, and Puerto Rico, but I haven't had the opportunity to couch surf yet and I've been looking forward to another extended trip like this ever since I left Hong Kong.

At home I unfortunately haven't been in a position to host people, but when I return to the states my goal is to move to Tampa, Florida and get a place of my own. Let's connect, I'd absolutely love to finally have the opportunity to host and show off where I live!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've found that my best travel experiences come from meeting new people. Solo trips are great because they force you out of your comfort zone to make connections that you normally wouldn't make, and a lot of times that leads to memorable friendships and stories.

Hostels are great, but you don't meet locals in hostels. Couchsurfing gives you the opportunity to experience a culture and see through the eyes of a local that is excited to share their city. I look forward to meeting people that I can exchange cultures, language, and food with, and hopefully make new friends along the way!

Interests

• culture
• music festivals
• traveling
• hiking
• food
• nature
• edm
• meeting new people

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC
My main passion besides traveling is electronic music. I love going to clubs and festivals, not just for the party atmosphere but because I genuinely enjoy how the music makes me feel (no substances needed). If you like EDM as well, we have a lot to discuss :)

MOVIES
Comedy/sci-fi/horror (favorite movie is a toss up between Deadpool and Interstellar)
I love Marvel movies!

BOOKS
I definitely need to read more haha

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was in a "commercial" for a new gas station in Vietnam!

My friend and I were riding motorbikes out in the Vietnamese countryside, about an hour outside of Hoi An. Our worst nightmare happened, and my friend's bike broke down. Luckily we were just across the street from a brand-new gas station. The people there didn't speak any English, so we whipped out Google Translate and tried the voice to voice translator function for the first time. It worked pretty well! The owner helped us and sent someone to town to get a part to fix the bike. In the meantime, we had a nice long conversation, his wife made us lunch, and he showed us how his family brews their home grown coffee. It took about 4 hours to fix the bike, and when we offered to pay, he wouldn't accept payment. Instead, he asked if he could take a video of us talking about how nice the new gas station is. And no, I don't have the video :( To this day, this is my favorite and most authentic experience I've had while in another country.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm fluent in English, so I can help with that, but also I love learning how to cook! I'm not very experienced with it, but I'd like to pick up some recipes along the way to share with other hosts.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Japan, Macao, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Hong Kong, United States