Hey! Are you new to Couchsurfing? Welcome! Couchsurfing is a great community, and we are excited to have you. Here are a few tips for you as you start to wet your toes:

- Couchsurfing is about sharing cultures and experiences. It's wonderful to meet people from different places and backgrounds. Free accommodation is something hosts are happy to offer you, but saving money is a convenient side effect, not the main reason that we are all on here.
- Don't have references? Host another traveler, show someone around your town/city, or go to a Couchsurfing meet up in your area. Getting one or two references before you try to host is going to make it way more likely you'll find a host.
- Write a creative request about why you think you and your host will get along. Generic copy and paste one-liners are going to be declined most of the time.
- Want to meet some locals in Austin? Check out our Whatsapp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FZSM1kY56IzCfpI9axVYSa

Questions? Please ask. We're happy to have you join, but please try to consider these tips before you send a request!

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I'm a Canadian who has somehow managed to settle in Austin, Texas. I want to experience and try as much as possible. I love interesting conversation, adventures, and wandering aimlessly. I like all activities outdoors, eating in random little cafes, talking to the strangers, learning interesting and random facts, etc.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I LOVE COUCHSURFING! I've met lots of fabulous, interesting, outrageous, generous, and funny people surfing.

Couchsurfing is great for people without a plan looking to experience anything and everything. The couchsurfing community is incredible, and I am proud to be a part of it! :)

Interests

It's a new day everyday, so why not a new interest? I love trying new things and places and get restless if I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. I love cooking random meals with whatever ingredients (fresh, local and organic, whenever possible) that I can get my hands on. This has resulted in a few failures (none fatal), but also many new and interesting food adventures. :)

• cooking
• hiking
• camping
• entrepreneurship

Music, Movies, and Books

Austin is definitely the city of live music, and I love it! I'm a huge fan of small shows in bars, or at one of the many great outdoor venues in Austin. I'm pretty open to most types of music, but I find myself drawn mostly to low key folky, singer-songwriter genres. :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One amazing thing is hard to pin down.

Done: Flying solo in a glider

Seen: Small gestures of kindness

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: I can make a meal out of any random ingredients (lettuce and peanut butter, bring it on!). I can also teach you English, French, or Mandarin - just ask me!

Learn: cooking (different foods), driving non-automatic, and anything else that you know that I don't (pretty much everything)

Share: exploration and company....and ice cream, but only if you're really nice to me.

Also, here's a list of all of the coolest places in Austin: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KzK8fjDkWvJlZA-bEkCq6HLqzLGrhqNDwmL9x0R1ZoA/edit

And a Google Map of fun activities I borrowed from a Reddit post: https://goo.gl/maps/WTfC81hox252

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, El Salvador, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kenya, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, China, France, United States

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