I'm rather bad at presenting myself but I'll give it a shot.
My name is Tom, I'm 19 years old and finished school in early 2022. After that I applied for a part time job, worked to save some money and tried to save as much as possible to realise my dream of travelling the world (or at least Europe and Asia). I discovered Couchsurfing and decided to at least give it a try. So here I am!

I would describe myself as a person that prefers a chill night at home or in a cozy bar over clubbing or partying, if this is your thing though I will join you for sure, maybe you convince me of the opposite :)
In general I'm trying to adapt to my host as much as possible without "losing my personality". I hope not to be the reason you change your evening plans!

FYI: The pictures might be a bit outdated. My hair is a lot shorter now! I just had a hard time finding newer photos that are still interesting/worth looking at, so some of them are quite old (I was 15 in some of them).

I hope to make lots of good experiences here on the platform and am looking forward to spending time with you!

Oh, and if you should ever be in Neuss, Düsseldorf or Cologne I'll be more than happy to be your host!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The whole concept fascinated me the moment I learned about it back in 2019. Being too young to travel alone back then I kind of forgot about it until luckily I remembered it a month before I left.
Opening up the own home to strangers is something that takes courage, but I hope I won't leave as a stranger but as a friend :)

Oh and regarding the courage: I'm totally open to meeting up in a cafe or a bar if you want to get to know me first ;)

Interests

• cooking
• working out
• reading
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• hiking
• camping
• history
• nature
• conversation
• cultural exchange
• card/board games

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: from Pop over Rock and Metal to classical music, I enjoy almost everything! My favourite Artists for the genres being Ed Sheeran, AnnenMayKantereit (a German band not really known outside of Germany, but give it a listen!), Guns N' Roses, SOAD, Queen, Bon Jovi, Nickelback, Metallica, Lamb of God, Rammstein (!), Amon Amarth, Sabaton, Electric Callboy and Sharks in your Mouth (a secret tip for anyone that enjoys metalcore).
As you can tell from the amount of artists, music is very important to me and I'm always looking for more and ready to be inspired by what you listen to!

Books: I used to read a lot when I was 12-15, so mainly children's- and youth books...
Since I started my journey I'm trying to get my hands on as many English classics as possible. So far the most mentionable ones are "20000 leagues under the sea" and "Robinson Crusoe".

Movies: I "actively" follow the MCU, I watched Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and a few Harry Potter movies. Also, I think I consider "Interstellar" to be my favourite movie of all time (so far).
On the "educational" side: Das Boot, Into the wild and Cast Away really had an impact on me.

Shows: Shows I enjoyed a lot were Vikings, Arrow, The Witcher, Naruto and Rick and Morty

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

School exchanges to New Zealand, South Africa and Russia really inspired me to travel on my own when I'm out of school. I got kissed by an elephant, shot my own springbok, flew over the sea in an ultra lightweight plane and tried traditional Russian dancing!

On "my big trip" specifically:
Froze my a** off in the night for a lovely sight of the balloons of cappadokia in the morning.
Hiked a trail with no experience and a way to heavy backpack for 5 days.
Slept under the stars in a desert.
Hitchhiked 1000km in one day with 8 different people.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm afraid I can't teach you much, I'm 19 years old and have little to none experience in the world of work or "life experience".
I can try to teach German to you as long as you speak English decently. I can also explain German culture to you, especially the culture of my home region (Rheinland) if you're interested.
I play the guitar and are happy to teach you some chords!
Lastly, I can share my stories, good and bad, from previous travels with you.

I am rather good with my hands when it comes to repairing and/or building anything in house or garden. If you have anything that you need help with, please ask me!

Generally I'm interested to learn everything you are willing to share. From your story of life over card games to survival tips :)
I'm always eager to hear about recommendations for the area or my future destinations. Tips for travelling on a budget are also more than welcome! And please teach me at least "Hello, goodbye and thank you" in your language :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a young man that is open to learn about (almost) everything you enjoy. I'd love to spend time with my hosts, if you do not wish that, however, I can spend time on my own.
If you have a spare guitar somewhere we could jam together if you'd like!
I'm really into cooking (which does not mean that I'm good at it) and if you like I can teach you German cuisine (I can try).

Overall, I'm looking forward to having a great time with you!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Palestine, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany