My name is Michael van Vliet. I grew up in a small town in Connecticut before attending college at Temple University in Philadelphia and then transferring to USC in Los Angeles to graduate, where I studied film production. I have spent the past ten years living in LA.

Until recently, I was working for a high-end outdoor clothing brand called Aether Apparel, which specializes in technical motorcycle, ski, cycling, and city apparel. I was involved with the company from the very beginning and served as its in-house writer, branding specialist, and social media manager. But as time the company grew, I started to feel more and more out of place.

Shortly after my 30th birthday, I realized that I had spent most of my mid-to-late twenties working a desk for somebody else. The routine became a little too familiar, a little too deadening. I decided it was time for change. It was time to strike out on my own and see the world.

So along with my wonderful girlfriend Megan, we quit our jobs and launched a camp cooking blog called freshoffthegrid.com. We're now traveling the country, developing recipes, picking up freelance gigs where we can, and figuring out what we want our future to look like.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My girlfriend and I recently quit our well-paying yet ultimately soul-sucking jobs in Los Angeles to pursue our passions of photography and writing, respectively. We are now traveling the country and developing content for our camp cooking blog freshoffthegrid.com.

For the longest time I had put off traveling because I never felt I had enough money. That if I just saved for another year, maybe then I could take a nice long trip. Maybe I could afford a Westfalia or even a Sprinter. But the years went by and the savings never seemed enough. Finally I decided it was just time to take the leap. Perhaps you'll need to rely on the kindness of strangers more than you anticipated, but is that really such a bad thing? Meeting new people is an essential part of traveling and something I look forward to doing a lot more of in the months to come.

Interests

When I was living in Los Angeles, going to live music was a major part of my life and something I would like to keep up while on the road.

I really enjoy cooking and trying new foods.

• writing
• photography
• cooking
• recipes
• clothing
• traveling
• blogging
• music
• live music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• camping
• skiing
• communications
• freelancing

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm a fan of a lot of the music. But small-venue live music is what I appreciate the most.

I have been on a deep, multi-year binge of 19th century Russian literature. Don't ask me how this happened or for what reason, all I know is that can't get my hands on enough Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Gogol, and Puskin.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once kicked Willie Nelson out of my seat on a flight. I apologized to him. But he was definitely in the wrong seat.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My girlfriend and I love to cook. So if you offer up your kitchen we'd be happy to cook for you during our stay.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, England, France, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin (French part), Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.