Sebastian

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

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

Description

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.

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.

Find a language partner

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Light gardening

Creative DIY 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:  

Light 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

34

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