Sebastian

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

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

Description

👋 Hey, I'm Tian
33 · From the Canary Islands · Currently wandering

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 it's been about six years of seasonal work, volunteering, and genuinely living in places rather than just passing through them.
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, and community outreach with local kids. Costa Rica gave me some of the most meaningful, formative time of my life. I'm actively looking to find my way back there. I also did some work in general ornithology in the region, and forest measurement through Smithsonian-linked survey work.
I also have collaborated in island conservation projects closer to home in the Canaries and Cape Verde.

🏨 Hospitality, Management & Operations
Before the conservation chapter, I spent years in hospitality and tourism — pretty much every role you can imagine: waiter, bartender, front desk receptionist, bookkeeper, and maintenance. From 2015 to early 2020 I managed a small team responsible for a group of holiday rental villas. That meant coordinating 3–4 full-time workers on a daily basis, and scaling up to 7 when renovations or urgent works were underway. I was responsible for making sure everything ran — maintenance schedules, supplier relationships, quality standards, guest experience. I took that seriously.
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
I'm comfortable with a wide range of physical and technical work:

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 — both AC and DC systems (enough to be useful, honest enough to know when to call a sparky)
Gardening & outdoor upkeep
Vehicle mechanics — currently mid-restoration on a 1988 Renault Trafic campervan, which has taught me more than any course ever could

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 people. After long days of surveys in heavy tropical rain or under 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 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 cooking with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.

🤝 How I Work
Independently or in a team — genuinely comfortable with both. I'm proactive, patient, and detail-oriented. I don't need to be micromanaged, 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), and I have beginner-level Italian.
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 — whether that's conservation, sustainable agriculture, community living, ecological restoration, creative hospitality, or something I haven't thought of yet. 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.

Interests

Writing

Astronomy

Art & design

Adventure sports

Sailing / Boating

Self development

Technology

Sustainability

Winter sports

Water sports

Van life

Yoga / Wellness

Nature

Outdoor activities

Pets

Performing arts

Plant care

Music

Mountain

Languages

Farming

Gardening

Hiking

DIY & crafts

Culture

Camping

Carpentry

Cooking & food

Beach

Animals

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent

More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.

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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Eco Projects

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Some knowledge of:  

Life at a Farmstay

Animal Care

Charity Work

Art Projects

Helping with Computers/ Internet

Helping around the house

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Able to teach about:  

General Maintenance

Hospitality/Tourism

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Languages

More details about your skills

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.

Age

33

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  no

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  Special dietary requirements
  none