TravelTalk - Couchsurfing

Aloha everyone,

I am writing my first blog in Zagreb, I still have many pictures to post, but I am writing from my phone and I just wanted to write a little bit about couchsurfing and a little bit about my philosophy on life.

First,  about couchsurfing. Couchsurfing is an organization where people from around the world want to exchange cultural ideas and thoughts through meetings,  hosting and traveling. I've been very fortunate in my travels to have met wonderful people worldwide. People who have made me appreciate Hawaii and life even more. Living in Hawaii, sometimes we take for granted what is there and what we live with on a daily basis, sometimes it takes a visitor visiting Hawaii for the first time to reinvigorate our passion and desire and reignite the love we have for Hawaii - visiting sights we might not otherwise visit because we are too busy with work, family.... And life.

Couchsurfing has helped me experience cities, cultures and cultivate new friendships based on our passion for traveling and our faith that people are good. To invite a total stranger in one's home and to treat them as a guest takes exactly that - faith that humanity is good. Many may question (friends and family included) , how you can host total strangers or how you can go somewhere and meet someone that you have never met...  Then again...  Isn't that living?

You maybe surprised about my decisions to travel and stay with people, but to be honest some of my best experiences and friendships are based on the aforementioned principles that bring people together...

What am I surprised about? I am rather surprised that we teach our children not to talk to strangers. We close ourselves from people even within our own communities because we are afraid.

Please, don't be afraid. People have life, experiences, richness and culture that we can all learn from - even if we don't agree with their point of view. I have been blessed to have met so many wonderful people and make friends worldwide.

Live. Love. And travel.

Special thanks to everyone who I have hosted, who have inspired me to travel more and trust my instincts to experience life.

Special thanks to those who have hosted me, who have shown me that kindness and openness appears worldwide and allowing me to experience things that people only dream of.

Special thanks to family and friends, for your support. I miss all of you and I hope to see you all soon.

PS. Instead of teaching your kids to "not talk to strangers"... Teach them to say hi and hello.