"Since we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our minds, it is our duty to furnish it well.” - Peter Ustinov

Born into a middle class family, I was told to set realistic goals in life. In 2009, I graduated from PIH Kortrijk (Computer Science/Industrial IT Network Engineering). I financed my education by working as a cashier for one of Europe’s biggest retail company, Lidl. After receiving my degree, Lidl offered me a fulltime contract as store manager. I wasn't born with a passion for life and I try to make the best of every single day.

I do not experience life as a struggle, I see every day as another opportunity to be a better, more successful person and allow other people to realise their personal vision.

If you like great food, I'm the founder of the local food blog: http://foodbashers.com

Pourquoi je suis sur Couchsurfing

I hope to leave Belgium one day and life in Portugal (where a few of my family members already live). While I'm still here I simply wish to get to meet new people and learn some new languages. I consider couch surfing as a true win-win opportunity and just another way to make life a little less boring :).

Centres d'intérêt

• culture
• dining
• fine dining
• movies
• traveling
• music
• live music
• different cultures
• foodie
• having a good time
• portugal
• porto
• having fun
• learn languages
• having a drink

Morceaux de musique, films et livres

A few of my favourite movies are:

+ Vanilla Sky
+ American Beauty
+ Lalaland
+ Arrival

Some of my favourite bands are

+ Guns and Roses
+ Arcade Fire
+ Dilly Dally
But I also enjoy electronic music, Jazz, classical pieces, there's a right sound for every occasion I guess.

Une aventure extraordinaire que j'ai vécue

Stranded in Istanbul in 2009 during the flash flooding and manage to live to tell about it after I was trapped together with my (no ex) girlfriend within a city in total chaos. This hadn't been possible without the hospitality of some very nice locals...

Stranded in Porto (Portugal) because I forgot my CC and wasn't able to get any rental car. Me and my girlfriend decided to head back to the airport and using the wifi we managed to book hotels on the fly. I still consider this vacation as the best weeks of my life. This might not sound like a lot of trouble but as you can imagine my girlfriend was really looking forward to this nice vacation after having worked a full year and finding accommodations for two people during the most busy time of the year in one of the most popular cities in Portugal is quite a challenge :).

Enseignez, apprenez, partagez

Personally I can obviously show you around my city and help you on your way if you want to see more of the country. I'm the kind of person who loved learning stuff and while I consider couch surfing primarily as one of the many tools to meet and get to know interesting people It's always lovely if a person is willing can share his or her knowledge with me. I'm very interested in learning other languages and I love to learn how to make (and enjoy) a travellers local food.

Some general and useful advice I'd like to share towards all travellers:

Traveler toolbox for Belgium

Googly mappy (Duh!)
Belgium Railway Mobile website:
http://mobile.b-rail.be/en

Bus network mobile website (Flanders)
https://www.delijn.be/en/routeplanner/

Bus network mobile website (French Speaking part)
https://www.infotec.be/en-us/gettingabout/itinerarysearch.aspx

Emergency Taxi Gent (VTAX)
+32 9 222 22 22

Brussels Taxi (LuxoaTAX); No personal experiences but friends have recommended this company.
+32 2 512 31 23

Exclusively for friends and visitors:
You can ALWAYS contact me my sending an SMS with the text "CALLSTEVE " to +32460205611 . This message will ping me through several devices and i'll call you within 15 minutes. Please add both the number and ID message in a quick send text for your convenience. You will receive your ID 48 hours before arrival. Upon arrival you will receive personal phone number.

Ce que j'aimerais partager avec mes hôtes

Just the obvious stuff;

+ I might need to get up very early for work so guests can use my bedroom.
+ Clean bedsheets, Pillow Cover
+ WIFI
+ Access to any equipment present in the apartment
+ Access to a broad range of services (Apple Music, Spotify, Netflix, etc)
This list can go on and on...

I just want travellers to enjoy their stay so I guess I'll just share whatever you need if I can offer it.

Pays que j'ai visités

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey