Sebastian

Reiseinformationen

Ich bin gerade

Tätigkeiten, die mich interessieren:

Beach, mountain, music, hiking, wildlife, dogs, camping, exploring...

Beschreibung

Hey, I'm Tian
34 · From the Canary Islands · Based in Lanzarote — hitting the road again soon

I grew up on a small, flat, sun-scorched volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic — which probably explains both my deep love for the ocean and my equally deep fascination with everything green: forests, rivers, mountains, places where things grow. After 25 years on that island I hit the road, and spent six years of seasonal work, volunteering, and genuinely living in places rather than just passing through them. I'm currently back home in Lanzarote working in hospitality and running my own small consulting practice — and preparing to set out again before long, heading for southern France to pick up an old motorhome and then making my way toward Portugal, where I'm aiming to base myself for a while.

I work hard, I pay attention to detail, I cook a mean meal, and I won't wait to be told twice what needs doing. That's the short version. Here's the long one.

🌿 Conservation & Fieldwork

This is where my life took a real turn. In 2018 I volunteered on a marine wildlife conservation project for the first time — and it genuinely rewired something in me. I went back in 2019, then spent a full season (June–September 2020) on a sea turtle conservation and monitoring project in Greece.

From 2021 to 2022 I lived and worked at a biological field station in Costa Rica — what started as a volunteer placement turned into a paid staff role after six months. My main focus was the turtle project, but when nesting season ended the work shifted: snake capture and handling, large mammal track surveys (jaguar, paca, agouti...), neotropical river otter surveys including genetic sampling from scat, macaw research, general ornithology, Smithsonian-linked forest measurement, and community outreach with local kids. Costa Rica gave me potentially the most meaningful, formative time of my life.

I've also collaborated on island conservation projects closer to home in the Canaries and Cape Verde — six-plus field seasons in total, across four sea turtle species and a lot of early mornings. My current fascination is the marine mammal side of things: I'm actively working toward cetacean research and monitoring work, and any project near that world will find me very motivated.

🏨 Hospitality, Management & Operations

I've spent nine-plus years in hospitality and tourism — pretty much every role you can imagine: waiter, bartender, front desk, bookkeeping, maintenance. From 2015 to late 2019 I managed a small team responsible for a group of holiday rental villas: coordinating 3–4 full-time workers daily, scaling to 7 during renovations, and owning maintenance schedules, supplier relationships, quality standards, and guest experience.
These days I run a small consulting practice advising a three-villa holiday rental business on finances, pricing, and operations.

I believe in leading by example. If something needs doing, I'll do it alongside the team, not from a distance pointing fingers.

🔧 Practical & Hands-On Skills

- General building maintenance — troubleshooting, repairs, upkeep
- Pool maintenance — water chemistry, equipment, cleaning systems
- Basic carpentry — cuts, joints, fitting, light furniture
- Bricklaying & basic masonry
- Electrical basics — AC and DC (enough to be useful, honest enough to know when to call a sparky)
- Gardening & outdoor upkeep
- Vehicle mechanics — I fully restored a 1988 Renault Trafic campervan (carburetor rebuild to suspension work), which taught me more than any course ever could. My next project on wheels is already in my plans.

I'm always genuinely enthusiastic about learning new skills. If you have something to teach, I'm listening.

🍳 Cooking

I love cooking. Always have. But it was Costa Rica that showed me I'm actually good at it. I regularly cooked solo for groups of 7–10, and with a helper for up to 20. After long days of surveys in heavy tropical rain or relentless jungle heat, a proper hot meal is more than food — it's morale. I understood that, and I put real care into it. Volunteers and researchers noticed. People ate well.

I'm comfortable planning, shopping for, and executing meals for groups, I enjoy improvising with what's available, and I have a particular soft spot for fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.

🤝 How I Work

Independently or in a team — genuinely comfortable with both. Proactive, patient, detail-oriented. I don't need micromanaging and I don't micromanage others. I'll share every skill and method I know with anyone who's interested — teaching is something I actually enjoy.

I speak English and Spanish natively (bilingual), basic conversational Italian I'm keen to keep practicing, and I'm starting on Portuguese — one of the reasons Portugal is on my route.

I'm eco-conscious in the way I live and work — not performatively, but practically. Waste less, observe more, tread carefully.

🌊 What I'm Looking For

Somewhere meaningful. A project with purpose — conservation (especially anything marine), sustainable agriculture, community living, ecological restoration, creative hospitality, somewhere which has a fair amount of room for creativity, or somewhere where i can engineer solutions to real functional or mechanical problems.

Portugal is my main target — paid or part-paid opportunities especially welcome, since I'm keen to properly learn Portuguese while contributing. I'll likely be travelling by motorhome, meaning I can bring my own accommodation, along with a very well-behaved dog.

I'm not here for a holiday. I'm here to contribute. If that sounds like what you need — let's talk.

Just ask me for any more info you want or need to know, and I'll be glad to share it.

Interessengebiete

Schreiben

Astronomie

Kunst & Design

Erlebnissportarten

Segeln / Boote

Selbstentwicklung

Technik

Nachhaltigkeit

Wintersport

Wassersport

Leben im Camper-Van

Yoga / Wellness

Natur

Outdoor-Aktivitäten

Haustiere

Darstellende Künste

Gärtnern

Musik

Gebirge

Sprachen

Farmarbeit

Gartenarbeiten

Wandern

Heimwerken & DIY

Kultur

Camping

Tischlerarbeiten

Kochen & Backen

Strand

Tiere

Sprachen

Gesprochene Sprachen
Englisch: Fließend
Spanisch: Fließend

Mehr Infos zu meinen Sprachinteressen
Dieser Workawayer gibt an, dass er/sie dir gern seine/ihre Sprache(n) beibringen oder selbst eine neue Sprache lernen würde. Bitte wende dich direkt an ihn/sie, um Einzelheiten zu besprechen.

Einen Sprachpartner finden

Bereiche, die mich interessieren oder in denen ich anderen etwas beibringen kann

Interessiert mich:  

Leichte Gartenarbeit

Kreative Heimwerkerprojekte

Ökoprojekte

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Bereits etwas Erfahrung vorhanden  

Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof

Betreuung von Tieren

Karitative Arbeit

Kunstprojekte

Hilfe mit Computer /Internet

Hausarbeiten

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In der Lage, anderen etwas beizubringen:  

Leichte Instandhaltungsarbeiten

Tourismus / Gastgewerbe

Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie

Sprachen

Was könntest du arbeiten?

Flexible with work. Easily adapt to other cultures and societies. Open minded. Easy going. Self-motivated. Likes animals. Lives with music and love discovering new sounds. Very dadecated with tasks that fulfill me.

Alter

34

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