NOTE:

I’m showing a terrible response rate but I responded to 100% of messages and requests. FYI.

I’m hosting a few surfers these next few months so ask about dates ahead of time, before the request!

➡️ Please message me BEFORE you request a couch! If you request first, I'll assume you haven't read my profile and are just requesting couches en masse and will not accept.

**** I have a two night minimum, now, as this area can't be seen in an afternoon. There are so many people coming in at night and leaving in the morning - ie, treating my home as a hotel - Couchsurfing isn't about FREE ACCOMMODATION it is about meeting and learning from like-minded travelers. I now request you stay two nights to actually SURF with me, not just STAY with me!

CS sometimes shows a low response rate, but I have 100% of the time responded to requests. Some requests come after I’ve gone to bed - so don’t see them until the next day. Sometimes (sadly) CS doesn't send the notification to me - that's a CS tech issue! Sorry I’m not a late night person, but I DO respond. Please don’t fault me for that low response rate. It’s wrong.

I’m doing much more AirBnB this season, so many bookings that come in at short notice are often rejected as I’m full. If you need to be in Waterville, touch base early, and we'll see if we can accommodate you.....

Waterville is a great place to stay a couple of days if you're doing the Ring of Kerry (5 minute walk away) or the Kerry Way (goes in front of my house!) and the EuroVelo 1 cycle route (goes in front of my house). I hope you can stop and enjoy the area!

Susan

Please take the time to read my profile, as many people this year asked for dates or circumstances I clearly could not say yes to. It showed they didn't read the profile - take the time to read it, please.

I am travelling or hosting a lot this year. My room is also used as Air B n B, so well in advance requests work best after a conversation on CS first. If I commit to host you I will block the room. Please don't request for August 15-21; August 31-Sept3rd; September 13-30; October 1st - 9th. Nov 1st, 3rd-4th. Nov . November 20-December 5th. MARCH 2ND - APRIL -14TH. I’m booked!

I stay overnight in Killarney the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of most months, too, so won’t host those times. I'll try to post more dates that I've got booked as I book them!

Susan

I am traveling off and on so please message me first before sending a couch request. We can see if the dates work, then do the couch request!

CURRENT MISSION

I'm travelling between Waterville and Killarney a lot these days. We may host you in Glenbeigh in the summer when the mobile home park opens; rather than Waterville - so give plenty of notice on where you're going and if either place is OK! I go to Killarney for Toastmasters the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month in the fall/winter - all are welcome to check out this world-wide organization that trains speakers and leaders! www.Toastmasters.org

I have a new house! So I have a better bedroom for guests, and I've turned part of it into a photography gallery. I also have a Photo - Walking - Cycling Tour business. I will NOT charge a Couchsurfer for tours, so if I'm doing one, you're welcome to join us if there is space. I can do a few hours or extended days.

Touch base if you're passing through on the Ring of Kerry bus/tour and I'll meet up for tea or a chat. I love giving newbies their first CS review, so I can do that if you're passing through.....

I recently received my Irish citizenship (my grandparents were Irish) but I'm American. If you want a host with an Irish accent I can fake it!

Goal:
To promote the beautiful Iveragh peninsula, Skellig Coast, Ring of Kerry regions, and let travelers know that Ireland is NOT a place to rush! Go Slow! You're better off doing 3 counties and SEEING them than 10 counties and rushing it all!

A few things to know in the area:

February: first weekend is the St. Brigid's Festival in Waterville. In Irish, but they have live translations. It's a wonderful event of song, lectures, dance and more.....

April 28-May 1 is Sneem Walking Festival. Fantastic hikes for all level walkers, fun in the pubs, afterwards!

May bank holiday (first weekend) WATERVILLE TRAIL RUNNING FESTIVAL!

January solstice poetry festival in Waterville. Wonderful event with music, poetry, craic.....

First weekend in July - Ring of Kerry Cycle. 9,000 bikes - don't plan the Ring of Kerry drive for that day!!!

August 10-12 is Puck Fair in Killorglin. Crazy fun.

Third weekend (usually) in August is Glenbeigh Festival - horse racing on the beach!!

Late August I'm often in Achill Island that time of year for a half marathon, so book early if you're interested in case my house is rented out while I'm travelling.

November 2nd weekend is the Sneem Storytelling Festival! I've been 7 times before and I'll go again. A fantastic festival on the Ring of Kerry!

You should check these events out!

ABOUT ME

I am traveling a great deal as I mention above. I'd love to meet up with anyone passing through Waterville!!! I had lots of travel ahead planned like horse races in Killarney, cycling to Dingle, exploring on our bikes with tent, and more. I will meet you if I can! Please read my entire profile for some hints on requesting a stay.

Gregarious, fun, happy, caring, empathetic, and - if I won the zillion dollar lottery I would start a foundation to bankrupt myself by giving away almost everything! (ALMOST everything!).

IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT
PLEASE read this entire section, in fact my entire profile. It will save you time in requesting a couch from me. If you don't fit these guidelines you will get a no, so fill out the request correctly and you'll probably get a yes!

Couchsurfing shows me with a terrible response rate because one person requested a couch for the night they sent the request and I had already gone to bed when the request arrived. Please know I will respond but PLEASE give a few days notice!

******* Couchsurfing shows me (AND YOU!!!) in the wrong place when I log on, often! So just know that the "last login" place isn't always correct! As you travel through the WEST of Ireland it often shows you in Tipperary! Not just my profile - yours, too. So know this as you request couches. Tell people where you are as you write a request!! It often shows my last login 7 days ago when it was last night. So don't count that info as correct, either.

******* I will have friends here April 12-22, traveling to Dublin May 26-31, in Glenbeigh much of the summer (but we have a guest room), I go to Killarney every 2nd and 4th Tuesday night for Toastmasters - so I'm overnighting in Killarney those nights and can't host .

*********** If your Couch request is for your entire trip to Ireland's dates, and your written request for my house is one or two nights written inside the request, I will have to say NO. If I accept a request such as that it blocks dates for others to surf. So - please pick your dates for Waterville and ONLY request those dates, please!******

******* I have a two night minimum, now, as this area can't be seen in an afternoon. There are so many people coming in at night and leaving in the morning - ie, treating my home as a hotel - Couchsurfing isn't about FREE ACCOMMODATION it is about meeting and learning from like-minded travelers. I now request you stay two nights to actually SURF with me, not just STAY with me! I'll make it worth your visit - it's a fantastic village with great hiking, biking, beaching and more.... See TodayInIreland on Facebook Twitter or Instagram for photos of the area. And the albums here, too!

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PHILOSOPHY

•Not all who wander are lost.
•I'll sleep when I'm dead.
•Strangers are friends I haven't yet met.
•My Life: some of it's magic, some of it's tragic. I've had a good life just the same. (gracias, Jimmy Buffett).
•Happiness is like jam: it's hard to spread without getting some on yourself.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I LOVE the idea of Couchsurfing. I talk about it all the time and am constantly on the lookout for converts who need to know about it! I've hosted people from Greece, Germany, France, England, Holland, Poland, Croatia and the US. I've surfed in Estes Park, Colorado; New Orleans; Mississippi; Florida; Italy; Croatia; Ireland and more.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Hosted a great guy from England, enjoyed a few days of showing him around my cool town of Austin! We've become mates, I'm safe to say! He stayed again when I was out of town - I trusted him with the key. Stayed at a nice house in Baton Rouge - where 2 other CS'ers were staying! (it was a big house). Enjoyed meeting them ; having a beer with someone I most likely would never have met! Couchsurfed in New Orleans, and the host and I got along so well she invited me back for Mardi Gras!

Took a Greek CS'er around and showed him Austin when he was there staying at the local Hostel. We now keep up with each other's activities on Facebook, and i've seen him again as he passed through Austin!

While in Key West socialized with some local Couchsurfers (I had a place to stay).

Dinner in Vicenza, Italy - home cooked by CS host! Days on end in Ireland enjoy a tiny little town!

A fantastic week in Florence Italy with a wonderful host, who showed me many thins a tour book would never tell. Two photographers from the USA who helped me see my village with a different eye. A German surfer who opened my eyes up to the world of filmmaking, and was so lovely to have around, that one of my older neighbors asks about him every time I see her! And more!!

Couchsurfing has changed it's motto to "stay with locals instead of at hotels" and that is a very, very bad sign of things to come. It was originally about a community of travelers who were interested in people! I'm sad to say that recently some of the people looking for a place to surf have no interest in Couchsurfing or what it offers - they are looking for a free place to stay. A recent surfer used items without asking permission, and one item was so unexpected I never thought to say "oh, don't use that - it has a leak." If you are doing a bargain trip through Ireland and expect to treat my home like a hostel - move on and contact someone else - or better yet, stay in a hostel. I welcome Couchsurfers into my home that understand the rules of good behavior. Sorry that some bad experiences are tainting my view of all guests.... Please - help prove me wrong....

Interests

Photography ( on TodayInIreland.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter I am TodayInIreland; my non-Irish site is 7SeasPhotos.com ), cycling (touring not racing), hill walking/running (ok, shuffling), cooking (and eating!), storytelling, writing, horse racing, learning real local culture...

I'm also a marketing guru, and enjoy sharing my knowledge with others. What goes around comes around! Expertise in Twitter and Facebook marketing.

• culture
• writing
• photography
• festivals
• walking
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• horse racing
• tours
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

If you love the idea of traveling in Ireland, you must read McCarthy's Bar by Pete McCarthy!!! I also put an Irish book recommendation on TodayInIreland often!

I love most Ray Bradbury (my favorite author); travel essays (Jan Morris, Mary Russell, Dervla Murphy) I love Springsteen, Jimmy Buffet, Celtic and Soca music. I like Country - great for roadtrips! And Irish music - of course!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One way ticket to Khatmandu at age 20. Need I say more?!?
But, really - there are hundreds of amazing things I have seen and done.....thousands...... I'm a very lucky lady....

Teach, Learn, Share

I can help someone learn to take great photos of their travels, and help them to tell their travel stories so their friends and family won't yawn!!
I'd like to learn about off the beaten path places to see.
I can share my marketing and photographic expertise!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share photographic expertise and help out around the house, as needed. I can share hidden gems of County Kerry, Ireland, and share stories of my travels. I can share insights of what to do, how to get around, secrets of car rental in Europe and more!
I run Food Tours - Photo Tours - FUN TOURS so can help you discover the area!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Grenada, Haiti, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Nepal, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Ireland, Nepal, United States

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