I was born and raised in San Jose, California and exposed to travel at a young age through trips to Austria and Germany to visit my dad's family (I was so little in my first passport photo that my mom had to hold me!). It wasn't until age 19 that I explored on my own when I did a study abroad trip to Australia (and months later a second one to South Africa). From that point forward, I officially became a traveler. Since then, I have visited almost 50 countries/territories and all seven continents. And there is no sign of a slow down anytime soon! I love to inspire others to travel and my goal is to show the world that you can have a full-time job and travel 3-4 times per year! Why should I have to choose between income and adventure?

I love talking travel -- it is truly my passion. I am currently writing a book called Do It While You're Young that is a how-to guide to travel for young women embarking on their first trip abroad (more about the planning and prep versus destination specific). My dream job would be to host my own show on the Travel Channel! I want to show young women the mainstream places like Paris and Rome but also more off-the-beaten path places like Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Some of my most cherished memories have been in places that are barely a speck on the map!

I also love adventure travel! I have gone skydiving, bungee jumped at Victoria Falls, repelled down cliffs, gone scuba diving with sharks, white water rafting in crocodile infested waters (didn't find that out until after!), went on a microflight and once skied off a cliff in the Austrian Alps with a parachute on my back!

I also think it is important to be sustainable when you travel and I am happy to see that GeckoGo and the travel industry as a whole are picking up on that. My travel rules include:

• Supporting the local economy in any way I can. I try to seek out family owned hotels, restaurants, and shops. I am also a big fan of supporting local charities. I feel you can make a bigger impact when you work directly with the organization. My employer just launched a program where we get five paid days a year to volunteer and you better believe I will be doing that abroad (Latin America and Africa are the places where I would like to volunteer the most).
  
• Leave only footprints, take home memories instead.When I visit places, I really try to leave minimal traces that I was there. I have been known to bring paper and empty toiletry bottles home for recycling and am obsessed with my reusable water bottles. I am also the funny tourist who brings a reusable tote to markets across the world. The store owner will often try to hand me a plastic bag and I whip out my trusty tote. Their expression is always priceless!
• Eating locally and green is something I practice all the time but especially when I travel. I like to seek out places that are making an effort to do this. My absolute favorite experience was in Nepal. The restaurant had free-range chicken but had it listed on the menu as "chicken that is allowed to walk around freely." I loved their conscious effort to be green!
• Public transportation is budget-friendly, green, and a great way to experience the culture and meet the locals.
  

Thanks for your support! If I win, I promise lots of blogs, photos (above and below water!!), and videos (just got the Kodak ZI-8 digital video camera).

Feel free to send me a message if you have questions about me or places I have been. Or Tweet with me: @KristinaWeg and @DIWYY (my blog)

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