My name is Paul. I'm from Leeds, Yorkshire, England.

As a young child I would visit France (usually Brittainy) with my 2 sisters and my parents during the summer time. When my sisters became older they represented the United Kingdom in Gymnastics which lead our family holidays moving location, visiting both Germany and Portugal to see them perform.

My first family free travel came in the form of a trip to Amsterdam with 2 close friends, around the age of 16. Whether it was my previous family trips, or this new found freedom that came with escaping the binds of parental guidance, I'm not sure, but I was hooked. Hooked on travelling.

After finishing highschool I decided to take a year out before heading to university. I ended up heading alone to the USA at the tender age of 18. I worked on a ranch in Santa Rosa, California for a couple months before traversing my way from the West Coast to the East. My stops along the way included San Franscico - California, Raton - New Mexico, Colorado Springs & Denver - Colorado, Chicago - Illinois, Washington DC and finally New York City - New York. It was here in America that I first discovered Couch Surfing, my first hosts being a group of 20 or so vegans living in a co-op, who allowed me to stay on their sofa in their basement/library.

Upon returning to England it was time to embark on my 3 years at acting school. During this time i took advantage of my lengthy student holidays to continue my globe trotting. A second trip to Amsterdam was then followed by an attempt to go to India which turned into a trip to Dubai. In our teen ignorance we had neglected to organise visas for India and thus could only go as far as our stop over. Lesson learned. My childhood dream was next fulfilled as I visited Egypt, seeing Tutankhamen and the Pyramids. A romantic trip with a now ex to Spain was my last stop before finishing University.

After my final performance at University I found myself in a drunken state asking a fellow student what she was doing next. She told me she was going to Kenya to volunteer at an orphanage. I decided to tag along. I spent several months working in Uplands, about an hour outside of Nairobi, and discovered a very different way of life. If ever I've had an experience that's changed my view on life it would have been this.

A good friend of mine from highschool had moved to New Zealand whilst I was studying, so my next stop was to the other side of the world to visit. New Zealand is hands down one of the most beautiful places I have visited, Every stop I made had something completely new and unique to explore. Geothermal parks, swimming with dolphins, ice glaciers and so so much more.

Being from England, which is technically a part of Europe, I came to the realisation that I had not taken advantage of the history and culture close to home. So a friend and I bought ourselves an Interrail ticket and off we popped. Paris-France, Brussels-Belgium, Munich-Germany, Prague-Czech Rep., Vienna - Austria, Zagreb-Croatia, Budapest-Hungary, Belgrade-Serbia, Sofia-Bulgaria, Athens-Greece and many stops exploring Italy.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In Summer 2006 I spent half a year travelling the US of A, and that's where I first learnt of/joined/used couchsurfing. I had some amazing experiences over there, and hope to use couchsurfing alot more in order to travel the world.

Interests

One of my big interests is Animation. I have made several animations my self, which you can actually see online if you want (just send me a message for a link).

• culture
• performing arts
• acting
• traveling
• surfing
• gymnastics
• swimming
• animation
• history
• volunteering
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

One great movie is: Big Fish

One great music is: Reel Big Fish

One great book is: The Girl Who played with Fire

Countries I’ve Visited

Egypt, France, Germany, Kenya, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom