Nice to meet you Couchsurfers! I am Toine (say: Tu-an), and I am on a 6-month sabbatical with my German girlfriend at the moment. We have escaped the cold winter in our place of residence, Berlin Germany, and left our jobs to get away from the office and see a bit more of the world. We are currently on our way to New Zealand.

Originally I am from 'Old Zealand', a beautiful seaside region of the Netherlands. I was born and raised there, and after my studies in Breda I went on and lived in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Belgium, Australia, USA and now Germany. Everyone thinks I'm Canadian because of my US accent (picked that up while studying in Northern Arizona). I'm almost always in a good mood and eager to learn more about the areas I visit from the locals rather than Lonely Planet :). I am a proud beard wearer and try to do sports on the road at least every other day.

My friends would probably describe me as a reliable, outgoing, interested and slightly crazy on-the-good-side friend :). Definitely not an alcoholic, but very much a front row beer lover, surfer dude, scuba diver but foremost a hard worker.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I joined Couchsurfing in search of fun and interesting people and places to stay during my travels. Some close friends are hosting as well, and their positive stories got me eager to sign up as well. You know what they say; travel is the only thing that costs you money but makes you richer... Anyone that hosts us can of course count on a welcome place to stay in Berlin.

Interests

You might call me a jack of all trades; I pick up new skills quite fast and I am rather interested in many things :). Stuff I like:

- Star Wars/Lego/Game of Thrones
- DSLR filming and photography
- CrossFit (Hipster, I know ;))
- Gadgets and Lifehacking tips
- Board games

Stuff I don't like:
- Zeekraal (Salty Dutch kind of seaweed, ugh!)
- Injustice
- Grumpy old people on trains
- Soccer (Which always results in me messing up the trivia questions on soccer)

• photography
• cooking
• beer
• trivia
• traveling
• backpacking
• scuba diving
• soccer
• teaching
• film photography
• game of thrones
• nintendo

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite computer game is without doubt the Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time. Favorite music really depends on the atmosphere, love it all (except for gangster rap haha). My girlfriend and I have started practicing the piano with 4 hands. This is as much fun as it is the ultimate relationship test :).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I think jumping out of an airplane, studying abroad and sharing enthusiasm and experience with others is whay thrives me most.

Teach, Learn, Share

In the past I have been a part-time film teacher, and I have provided Lego workshops for kids on a voluntary basis. Lots of fun!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Some international cooking skills, drone photos of any place that you want, board games or Fibbage on Steam (the coolest interactive game), karaoke, great stories from living abroad and the unsatisfiable lust for discovering new places!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Fiji, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, United States