I have a huge passion for travel. I've been lucky to have quite a few travel adventures, but I'm always ready for the next one! I'll go anywhere - there are so many places in the world to explore!

Euro Bike Trip 
(Czech Republic, Germany, Poland)

Summer 2011 - I flew to Prague with my bike and spent two months bike touring and camping with a friend through the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland. Scattered notes about our trip can be found in my blog posts: 
Euro Bike Trip - Letters from the Road
Euro Bike Trip - Notes from the Road

Recycled Waste Project in India (Maharashtra > Gujarat > Rajasthan > Delhi)

Summer 2010 - I spent two months traveling around India and sharing the craft of plastic bag crochet with NGOs, community groups, and individuals.  I also met with various organizations doing interesting things with recycled waste (such as Daman Ganga, Haathi Chaap, and Tamasha).

The trip was rewarding in many ways. Through 13 formal workshops and several more informal ones, I was able to inspire others to recycle single-use plastic bags into fashionable, reusable creations. And while the project has potential to bring income to impoverished communities, it was also just a fun, non-confrontational way to  inspire people to be more mindful of the things they throw away. 

I gained important insight into India's plastic bag problem and learned valuable lessons on how to plan community projects within a particular cultural context. I also discovered that it is completely possible to set out on a relatively vague, DIY volunteer mission, collaborate with like-minded folks along the way, and watch the idea develop into something larger. 

To help fund the project, I won a $1,ooo Hosteling International scholarship to go on a journey, write a blog to inspire young people to travel, and do a presentation about my trip upon my return. I also raised $1300 through a Kickstarter campaign. And by using various forums, blogs, and social networking tools, I managed to collect over 300 crochet hooks from strangers all over the world.

I  presented  my India project at HI Austin's 2011 Travel Scholarship Kickoff event, as well as at HI Austin’s 2010 Travel Forum at the Radisson Hotel.

A summary of my India project can be found here.
A list of my workshops & events can be found here.

Costa Rica

I made two trips to Costa Rica, and I spent a month traveling around the country each time. During my second trip, I convinced my grandma (who was around 80 at the time and had never been out of the US), that she should meet me. We waited for hours in the heat to catch buses, visited hot springs, volcanoes, and beaches, learned some Spanish, and even managed to get in a car accident. My grandma had an amazing time - and my time with her was the highlight of my trip. 

Assorted Trips to Mexico

2014 - Spent a month traveling around Jalisco (Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, etc.) with my sister

2012 - Mexico DF > Tequisquiapan > Guanajuato > San Miguel De Allende

2007 - Road Trip with Friends
Austin > Monterrey > Saltillo > Tampico > Veracruz > Monterrey > Austin

2005 - Cancun

2001 - Mexico DF

Assorted Trips to Europe

2000 - Went on a whirlwind European tour with my high school band (we visited the Isle of Man, as well as various cities in Ireland and the UK).

2000 - Spent a week in Madrid, Spain (visiting a friend and her family).

1999 - Went on a European trip with my family (we visited Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy).

Puerto Rico

2014 - Spent 2 weeks traveling around Puerto Rico -- driving, backpacking, camping.

Solo Trip Around The World
(USA > New Zealand > Australia > Japan > Vietnam > Thailand > Laos > Cambodia > Malaysia > India > Egypt > Syria > Turkey > Norway > Iceland > Ireland > USA)

2008 - 2009 - I traveled solo for exactly one year, visited 18 different countries, met amazing people everywhere I went, and had countless adventures (many of which have been documented on my travel blog, CircleOurEarth.com). 

Some highlights included hiking on glaciers in New Zealand, snorkeling at the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, wandering through snow covered forests in Japan, riding motorbikes with monks in Vietnam, learning about natural building in Thailand, dancing at a wedding party in Laos, doing craft projects at an orphanage in Cambodia, walking on muddy, leech covered trails in Borneo and spontaneously seeing a wild orangutan, sitting on rooftops to watch giant fruit bats in India, biking to desert oases in Egypt, busing around Syria in search of distant relatives, making friends in Turkey and Norway, and literally getting swept off my feet by a giant gust of wind at the top of a volcano in Iceland. The list goes on an on..
My friend knit me a beautiful pair of socks and I took them with me on a year-long trip around the world. I photographed the socks in over 16 countries, collected my favorite travel photos, wrote long rhyming poems about each country I visited, and made maps to show where the socks went. The end result was a book (that I put together using a combination of Photoshop and MyPublisher). You can view my blog post about it here.

Yarmouk University in Jordan

Summer 2005 - As part of my Middle Eastern Studies degree, I spent two months in Irbid, Jordan for an  intensive Arabic language course at Yarmouk University.  I made friends with Jordanian university students, exchanged English language skills for Arabic lessons, traveled around Jordan, and returned several years later to attend a friend's wedding celebration.

USA West Coast Bike Tour
(Washington > Canada > Washington > Oregon > California)

Fall 2004 - I joined a friend on a two-month bike trip down the US West Coast. I was poorly preparation, had very little bicycle knowledge at the time, and we traveled during the rainiest season of the year. 

It was tough at first, but since I wasn't with a large group and we didn't have a rigid time frame, I learned as I went along. The trip made me stronger in many ways, and it inspired a love for bicycle tourism.

Assorted USA Road Trips & Backpacking Trips

2013 -- 2-Week Camping/Couchsurfing trip with friend -- New Jersey > Pennsylvania > Maryland > 
Virginia > North Carolina > South Carolina > Georgia > Mississippi > Alabama > Louisiana > Texas

2013 -- 3-Week Solo Camping/Couchsurfing Trip --
Massachussets > Maine > New Hampshire > Connecticut > New York > Pennsylvania > New Jersey > Maryland > DC > New Jersey

2013 -- 2-Week Camping/Couchsurfing Trip with BF --
Texas > Arkansas > Tennessee > North Carolina > Virginia > Maryland > Delaware > Rhode Island & Massachussets

2012 -- 2-Week Camping Trip with Mom
New Jersey >  Delaware > Maryland > Virginia >North Carolina > Tennessee > Arkansas > Texas

2012 -- 1-Week Solo Camping/Couchsurfing Trip
 Texas > Arkansas > Tennessee > North Carolina > Virginia > Maryland > Delaware > New Jersey > New York > Pennsylvania > New Jersey

2011 - 4-Day Trip Moving Grandma to Texas
Pennsylvania > West Virginia > Kentucky > Tennessee > Arkansas > Texas

2011 - Weekend Tour De GNR Trip with BF
Texas > Oklahoma > Kansas > Missouri > Arkansas > Oklahoma > Texas

2010 - Road Trip with Friends
Texas > Louisiana > Texas

2006 - Caddo Lake Road Trip with Friend
Texas > Louisiana > Texas

2005 - Road Trip with Friends
Texas > New Mexico > Colorado > Utah > Arizona > Texas