The Expedition Leaders
I grew up road tripping in the US with my father and traveling to various other spots in the Caribbean and Mexico. I have spent a good portion of the last 10 years traveling around the globe as much as possible. From Africa to New Zealand to South America I have tried to travel as many places as possible, but I just want more.
The opportunity to navigate a few different parts of the world by car spawned the idea for a trip through central Asia about a year ago. I realized that the one person who had the same interest and was crazy enough to join me was my roommate Steve Bouey. He did not hesitate to get on board and between the two of us we have managed to bring the original idea to what it is today.
Before leaving my livelihood was as a freelance multimedia designer and consultant, which gave me a flexible schedule to be able to pursue other adventures like canyoneering and skiing. Many of my clients were outdoor gear companies and retailers, so my relationship to the outdoor and adventure sports industry has been a big part of my career. I received my Canyon Guide Certifications from the American Canyoneering Association, my Wilderness First Responder Certificate from Wilderness Medicine Associates, and have been involved in many other outdoor organizations over the years.When not behind my laptop my time is usually spent kayaking, wakeboarding, or getting involved in whatever activity my mom tells me I shouldn't do.
Adventure and the diversity of world culture has always fascinated me. My excitement for this journey is huge and I truly enjoy the opportunity to share my experiences and inspire the spirit of adventure in others.
Although born and raised in Oakland California, I consider Colorado my home. I am a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in Political Science and a graduate degree in Public Administration. I have since worked in the public sector and have gained hands-on experience in how governments and people interact and have been fortunate enough to make recommendations on a state-wide basis on how to improve those relationships.
I was drawn to Colorado by its natural beauty and the wealth of outdoor activities available right outside the front door. I have always been fascinated by the outdoors and what our world has to offer. As an Eagle Scout, I have spent hundreds of days and nights hiking, camping and enjoying our natural surroundings. These activities continue to be a driving factor in my life including skiing, for which I am also a volunteer instructor at the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, Colorado. A desire to push myself physically and mentally has also led me to be a competitive triathlete and subsequently, a 5-time Ironman finisher, having competed both nationally and internationally.
Through my travels over
the years, and most recently spending an extended
period of time in New Zealand and Australia, I have
been exposed to different cultures, political systems
and environments. However, I have found these experiences
to be a double-edged sword: I feel enriched by these
experiences but at the same time, I always find
myself left with increased curiosity about what
else lies beyond the horizon. Through this journey,
I hope to not only satisfy my own curiosity about
what the world holds, but to also enrich and motivate
others by sharing these experiences.
The Crew
My first view of the ocean was in Fiji at 19, while moving to New Zealand for a winter season. This changed me more than I knew. I am a Michigan native, but I have never really been one to stay put for very long, save a four year stint in Jackson Hole Wyoming, where I worked as a freelance ski guide, ski photographer, stone mason and stone sculptor to support my ever intensifying career as a devout ski-bum. I was definitely hooked on the only white powder I care to be addicted to. Although the intensity of my ski-bumming has subsided a bit, I have never been able to shake the travel bug and it does not seem likely in the near future.
When I started selling sandwiches on the streets of Queenstown New Zealand, as the result of no work permit, I realized that anyone can go anywhere and do anything on any budget. It just depends on how badly you want to make it happen. Later I lived in Paris for a year, arriving with only a 10 word French vocabulary, no work permit, no visa and little money. These experiences taught me that all you need is will to accomplish your goals, so an invitation to join a crazy adventure like The World by Road was all it took to get me to fly 10,000 miles to join an expedition that struggles to find its way around the globe each day.
Some other recent endeavors include working as an improvisational comedian with the Improv Alliance in Grand Rapids Michigan and some other beginnings as an actor in Denver Colorado with Big Fish Talent. As part of the crew of The World by Road, it seems like I have been training for this for the last ten years. Now, moving every day, living in meager conditions, constantly trying to crack the perpetual language barrier, never knowing what is around the next bend...there is nothing I would rather be doing with my life. If I can help open the eyes and minds of even a few, to step beyond their comfort levels and explore their world through experiential learning and travel, then I have achieved my goal.
I'm definitely a wanderlust at heart. Growing up in rural Northern Idaho in a logging and farming community, I always knew staying put was not meant for me. As a small child I traveled through Mexico with my parents and attended grade school in Costa Rica. Being bitten by the travel bug early, thanks to my dad, I've been restless ever since. The feeling of going just beyond my comfort zone with adventure travel constantly sends me that rush. I've lived abroad and traveled in North, Central and South America, Southern Africa, and Europe. My goal is to hit every continent (even Antarctica) before my 30th birthday. Many places in the United States have been my home, but for the last four years I've been in love with Denver, Colorado.
My education and background in film, marketing and inter-cultural communication have prepared me for life with The World By Road. With a dream for many years to make travel documentaries, I can't believe it's now staring me in the face. The ability to share the beauty of this planet and the wonder of its inhabitants with as many people as possible is incredible.
Beyond my travel and filmmaking obsessions, I'm a happily married unconventional wife and mother, certified yoga instructor, mountain biker, camp stove cook extraordinary, and enjoy playing with fire, running with scissors and pushing the envelope.
Favorite Quote: "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page." ~ St. Augustine
Born in South Africa, raised in Australia and donning an Irish passport, the stars aligned when I was born to claim me as a wanderer. This may explain my itchy feet syndrome and a lack of ability to stay in one place for any longer than a year or two. Having spent the last several years wandering about the cities and dusty far reaches of Australia and New Zealand, I realized a true dissatisfaction with not knowing how the other 99% of the world lived. With my only knowledge, opinions and beliefs of other cultures based on television constructs and information from books, I craved a deeper understanding of others and the world I live in.
I then started a new journey by working on cruise ships, giving me an even stronger desire to visit roads less traveled. While on the cruise ships I saw the world through the eyes of the ‘tourist’ and the way they perceive traveling, with man-made beaches and cocktail bars (all-inclusive with barbed wire fences keeping the locals away). This all really got me thinking about how much of what we know as westerners is so limited from what our world is really like.
A weekend spent out in the Blue Mountains of Australia in an out-of-the-way campground led me to meeting the two Steves in their rather large Toyota trucks. With the seed planted of adventuring with these two and a thirst for traveling the road less traveled, I find myself a year later joining their epic adventure.
There are two places that I call home: Atlanta, Georgia and Montreal, Quebec. Atlanta is where I was raised; Montreal is where I moved for college and, in an entirely different way, also grew up. However it is my time spent traveling that solidified the idea that any "growing up" occurring in my 20s needn't include any sort of set schedule. That being said, I have had the great pleasure of spending all of my free time and money experiencing nearly 100 cities in over 30 countries worldwide. While either living in, formally studying in or just passing through each of those places I have always tried to fully immerse myself in various local flavor. Some are easier than others, some can be slightly more trying and others just plain odd, but nevertheless each corner of the globe is as fascinating as the next and will always afford the best possible education.
Again realizing that time flies by with zero concern for how one chooses to spend it; I am restless and ready to see more! A few months ago I stumbled upon TWBR website. I knew right away that I wanted to be a part of it and before I could devise some scheme to weasel my way aboard, I found the more legitimate "Join Us" section. Within a few days I submitted the application and the rest is history. Sayonara, suckers…!
When the clocks finally turned over to 01/01/2000 with no sign of hover-cars, teleporters, or hologram wrist-watches I decided that I may just have to travel the world the exciting way. Two big trucks and two Steve's later I think I've found out how.
It feels like I've been moving my entire life. Born in Canada, I grew up on hockey and instant hot chocolate traveling around the prairies training to be an NHL superstar. That was curtailed at the age of 13 when my family up and moved to Suwanee, Georgia. Playing hockey in a town where the general population couldn't pronounce "Canadian" proved to be difficult until I found solace in the hockey community of ex-pats and transplants making extended trips to tournaments in Canada and the colder regions of the United States. Fully renouncing my attempts to become a pro hockey player I moved to Montreal, Canada to receive an education equal parts Indiana Jones and Frantz Fanon at Concordia University.
Back in Atlanta awaiting dual-citizenship, I promised myself I wouldn't get stuck in the cubicle Turner Broadcasting had kindly allowed me to write code in. Luckily, they helped me out by removing the cubicle walls along with my entire department. Not content with previous beach getaway trips, I enlisted in The World By Road to experience traveling in a way that few people will ever experience it.
My name is Swinger I am 3 years old. I hail from Siem Reap, Cambodia although I think I was born in a factory somewhere in China, but I was an orphan for a while so no one is really sure. Some people compare me to Curious George but don’t know what kind of monkey he is, nor do I want to be measured up to a monkey like him. I did not really know who Steve and Steve were or what The World by Road was before the two of them came through the front door of the Funky Monkey Bar where I live.
The Steves seemed like pretty cool guys and my parents, Mac and Trixie, thought it was about time that I got out of the house and did something with my life. My parents thought joining up as a crew member on the World by Road would be a great educational experience packed full of adventure, so here I am going around the world. I had to leave some friends behind, but will return with some great stories to share from my travels. I enjoy eating awesome burgers from the Funky Monkey, drinking Brass Monkey, swinging from vines and all kinds of ill s*#t.
Click here…I have my own personal photo gallery.