Helen and I are a husband and wife from England who are in the process of a year long trip around South America.

We sold our worldly belongings and packed our bags to experience the sights and cultures of this vast continent.

So far we have volunteered, work away'd and wwoof'd our way through Colombia , Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia and now we would love to include couch surfing in our experiences,

We love getting to know people who live and breathe the places we visit, but also to hopefully establish new and long lasting friendships.

We have spent time living with others so we know how to be good guests and understand the need to respect other people's space and belongings, especially when they are kind enough to open their doors and lives to you.

Unfortunately as we are new we don't have many references or recommendations, but I guess you got to start somewhere!!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch!!

Suerte

Neil and Helen

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To meet new interesting people that live and know the town and cities. we prefer to do this rather than following the ususal guide books and gringo trail.

In the process we hope we can share our knowledge and experiences with others too. We have travelled a lot over the last 10 years and this has opened our hearts and minds. We meet so many other travellers and couch surfing seems to be able to provide that extra dimension to backpacking.

Interests

Obviously travel features pretty heavily in this area! We love the freedom and the ability to meet different people from so many different places. We love the stories and the weird and wonderful situations you find yourself in!!

We enjoy volunteering while we travel as this gives us the opportunity to get involved with local people and their communities which really helps us to understand their culture and the difficulties they face.

I love playing football, but my legs don't have as much running in them these days. One of those things when you hit your mid thirties!!

• culture
• books
• beer
• marathon
• running
• traveling
• backpacking
• surfing
• soccer
• social work
• tourism
• volunteering
• wwoof

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many to list but my favorite film is The Goonies, my favourite book is The Beach and music wise you can't beat a bit Rolling Stones.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I ran a marathon three years ago which was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done!!!

Teach, Learn, Share

With my background as a social worker I have been able to help out at different voluntary placements and offer advice when needed especially when working with children. Although my Spanish is not at a level where I can fully utilise my skills, I have been able to help implement different ways of working and thinking

Helen is a counsellor and has volunteered extensively with people who have mental health issues and with survivors of rape and sexual assault. I'm always in awe of her ability to listen and help with situations that are often very sensitive.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Beers, stories and laughter!! (In that order!!)

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Netherlands, Peru, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia