The travel bug hit me hard at a young age and has only continued to grow stronger. I took my first international trip (to Israel) at the age of 19 and now – over fifty-five countries later – I hope I never stop exploring. I’m Stacey: a traveler, dreamer, explorer, yogi, beach-lover, and avocado fan, and I’m thrilled to be sharing my travel experiences with you.
A Little Bit About Me…
I grew up in Plainview, New York and spent a decade living on the beach in Long Beach. I have a Masters in secondary education, and I spent fifteen years as a high school social studies teacher and advisor in NY, traveling on each and every holiday break. From beaches in the Caribbean to the wiles of Southeast Asia, and from domestic U.S. city jaunts to the Gold Coast of Australia – at each destination I learned, I grew, and I couldn’t wait to plan the next adventure. In 2005 I went on an eight-day Contiki trip to New Zealand, and while on the ferry from Picton to Wellington I met a boy from Melbourne. After four years of traveling to far-flung places just to see each other, we got married in New York and chased the sun on an around-the-world honeymoon. Since then, we’ve lived in Australia and New York, and are presently based in San Diego. We’ve traveled around the world twice more, have road-tripped across the U.S. four times, and spend most days dreaming about where we might love to go to next and of those soul-enriching spots to which we yearn to return.
How a Love of Travel Turned into a Love of Travel Writing
It was on that one-year around-the-world honeymoon that I started a blog. Shortly after that, I left the world of traditional education, preferring to have the world as my classroom. Since then I’ve been a freelance writer with an eye towards travel, education, perspective shifts, and choosing the happy life. I still dabble in education, am a freelance event planner, volunteer manager and organizer, and (still) find myself writing and talking travel every chance I get.
What You Can Expect to Read About in Unleash Your Inner Wanderer
My goal is to take you on a destination-based experiential journey and whet your appetite for your next fascinating vacation spot. I’ll be sharing snippets of my own experiences, finding others who have had intriguing adventures, and providing those sought-after travel tips to make each trip even better than your last.
I aim to add to your bucket list and enrich whatever voyage you’re planning next. Travel changed my life, brought me my love, shattered my comfort zone, broadened my perspective, shifted my focus, and has made me who I am today – and I can’t wait to share them all with you.
Lightning Round
When Not Traveling, I’m: Writing, hiking, volunteering, doing yoga, hanging with the husband, or relaxing on the beach, wiggling my toes in the sand and taking in the healing sounds of the crashing waves.
Favorite foods: Avocados, dark chocolate chips, blueberries
Favorite French fries ever eaten: Grill’d (Australia)
Best overwater bungalow experience: Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Destination returned to more than once: Kurumba, Maldives (we even requested the same bungalow)
Most frightening travel experience: Being chased by a hippo in the Okavango Delta
Most exhilarating travel experiences: Jumping into Devil’s Pool at Victoria Falls, walking with lions in Zambia, zorbing in New Zealand
Surprising travel discovery: I am an ocean-loving kid who has grown to adore hiking on the trails
Favorite destinations: Namibia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, The Maldives
Best travel yoga experience: On a rooftop location overlooking the Indian Ocean in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Favorite pastime: Any day at the beach is a good day!
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Stacey Ebert is a freelance writer, educator, event planner, volunteer manager and organizer who has traveled to over 50 of the world’s countries. Writing about adventure, journeys, choosing happy and perspective changing shifts, she encourages travelers to take the leap, use the world as their classroom and get outside their comfort zones. She has lived in Long Beach (New York), Melbourne (Australia) and is presently based in San Diego (California). Check out her blog at thegiftoftravel.wordpress.com.