I grew up with sand in my shoes.
Where other kids had posters of bands and movies on their walls, I instead had a world map hanging above my bed. I was always thumbing through old issues of National Geographic, imagining what life was like in those places.
In high school I was a Rotary Youth Exchange student to Malaysia for a year. I was very lucky to experience all the warmth, love, and generosity of a beautiful country. I experienced life halfway around the world, lived with many wonderful host families, and made lifelong connections.
That year profoundly changed me and how I saw the world. It was quintessential Deep Travel before I even knew what Deep Travel was.
Fueled by my travels, I went on to take advanced degrees in Southeast Asian history and later communications, always finding time to travel for weeks or months at a time.
Now I’m combining my true passion with my more traditional background in project management. I'm a professional researcher, planner, and fixer (In another life I was a project manager).