What is the point of traveling for us?
Cultural exchange. Learning. Growing. Experiencing. Connecting.
That’s why we travel. That’s why we couch surf.
Our first stop on our crazy six week trip before the conference, we were invited to couch surf with a family who lived in the quaint community of Lowell. We love couchsurfing with families and have done so many times throughout our travels in Latin America. But we’ve never couchsurfed in the United States, so I thought this would be not only a great reentry back into the US, but …

We live on a budget. A small budget.
We travel on even a smaller budget. Our lives have changed drastically over the last 4 years, but that’s a choice we’ve made. Together, we’ve become comfortable with living with less, living frugal and the best part, working less. Our quality of life has gone up drastically, but our bank balance has gone down. Drastically.
So, when Miro and I were asked to present our story about life-learning, world-schooling and travel at the Life Rocks Conference in New Hampshire, we were so excited …

Is it for me?
We love Couch Surfing!
Why? Because we love people. We love meeting people, learning about new cultures, connecting in an authentic, meaningful way…
We love having friends in every country and from around the world.
Group of couch surfers from around the world hanging out on the beach in Taganga, Colombia
But if you’ve never tried it, the idea of staying with strangers in their homes can be daunting to some.
All I can do is share our experiences with you and let you decide what’s right for you.
Miro and I …

In Episode #14, Lainie & Miro speak with adventurer Paul, who was inspired to build a boat  to visit the secluded Mayan ruins on the  Usumacinta River in Mexico and found much more than he bargained for.
Also in this episode, the history of a Panamanian port village, discovered by Columbus complete with real-life Pirates on the Caribbean.
Portobelo
Portoblo is a sleepy port town in the Caribbean, but underneath it’s surface, a  rich history. Pirates, a mysterious black Christ and it’s devoted pilgrims, and a rebel slave revolt driven which …

Das Boot
If you read German, we hope you will enjoy these entries from Paul’s Diary, written about his 1 1/2 month adventure building a boat to travel down the Usumacinta River in Mexico.
If you haven’t listened to Podcast #14-Swashbuckling Tales of Carnage, Adventure & Love!, where Lainie interviews Paul about his journey,  please [click here] to listen to the interview.
Ich war 28 Tage in Frontera Corozal, dem Dorf, in dem ich mein Boot gebaut hab. Am Anfang haett ich nicht dran geglaubt, aber ich hab es …

The Couchsurfing Project.
In Episode #8 Lainie & Miro talk about their experiences with the global project known as Couchsurfing.com As longtime Couchsurfers & hosts, they have made many significant friendships through the project, experienced a global community, and provided & received the economic benefits associated with Couchsurfing during travel.  Also in this episode, Lainie interviews Tom, Couchsurfing Ambassador from Bonn Germany about his role in the project.

“In a world of war and prejudice, Couchsurfing encourages tolerance and understanding.”
“In a world of greed and avarice, Couchsurfing stands for sharing.”
“In a world …