Hi, I’m Vaughn.

I love traveling, and when I’m home, I miss it!

Hosting someone and experiencing part of their adventure is the next best thing.

Day to day I’m very easy-going and chill: coffee, a book, good food, solid music and some kind of daily movement/outdoor activity. I love DJ sets and EDM (deep house, tech house, psytrance, etc.), beach bonfires, and anything outdoors. The adventurous side of me climbs, camps, hikes, backpacks, scuba dives and sails.

The setup: You’ll have a comfortable queen bed in the main room with clean bedding and towels; I sleep in my own room. The place is central, quiet, and easy to reach by bus, train, or rideshare, about ten minutes from Balboa Park. I keep my place clean and cozy and appreciate the same from guests.

I’m a mix of social and independent. I also have a busy lifestyle. Some stays are low-key and we cross paths and chat in the evenings. Others turn into long conversations, shared meals, zoo visits or a spontaneous border run to Mexico. I let the experience unfold naturally and I respect people who can read the room the same way. I value my own time and I respect yours, no pressure either way.

A handful of my hosting ends up being on shorter notice or last-minute, and I actually prefer that over far-off requests. My schedule changes often, and I’ve traveled enough to know how fast plans can change when the road.

I don’t reach out to host, but feel free to shoot me a message.

My travel channel:
http://www.youtube.com/c/vaughnlower

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The best part of traveling is bonding with people from across the world. Strong, meaningful friendships can be formed quickly off the beaten path or as I call it “The River of Travel."

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Mostly non-fiction — philosophy, history, biographies. Thich Nhat Hanh "You are Here" gets the top spot.

Music: EDM in all its deep corners. Tech house, deep house, psytrance, melodic stuff… all the festivals and fun that come with it, etc. Latin music I also love.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I’ve had a pretty wild mix of adventures over the years.

I’ve scuba-dived in pirate-patrolled waters in Malaysia, danced salsa in Colombia, fetched morning baguettes in Paris, eaten fresh sardines on the coast of Portugal, and barely escaped Morocco on one of the last flights out when the world shut down.

I’ve climbed an 18,000-ft volcano in Mexico and hiked the Salkantay route to Machu Picchu. I drove the full ring road around Iceland on a solo trip, photographing the northern lights at 3am, and spent time with wild horses in Patagonia before visiting both the Arctic and Antarctica.

On the list for the next stretch: Rio, Prague, Hanoi, Budapest, Rome, Tokyo and a few places I haven’t discovered yet.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, England, France, Iceland, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.