Screen name: 
Age: 
26
Gender: 
Female
Travel status: 
Coming home
Hometown: 
Berkeley, CA
Currently in: 
Berkeley
 
Favorite places I've been: 
New York, Boston, Washington, DC, New Mexico, Zion National Park, Grand Canyon, Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong, Thailand, China, London, France, Spain, Berlin, Prague, Switzerland, Italy, Lisbon, Oahu, Australia, Slovenia, Budapest, Sarajevo

Places I want to go to: 
New Zealand, Colorado, New England, Chicago, Kauai, Maui, Big Island of Hawaii, Scandinavia, more of Mainland China, more of Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, India, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Israel, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Greece (esp the islands), more of the UK especially Scotland, more of Italy, more of Spain, more of Portugal, more of France, more of Germany, more of Australia... is there anywhere I don't want to go?

 
About me: 
I love to wander the world while writing about and photographing my experiences. I grew up speaking and learning multiple languages, a lifestyle that has continued into my adult life. My college strongly encouraged its students to learn about other cultures and to travel abroad, and even after I have graduated I could not put an end to it. I did an internship in London during a summer while I was still in school, and studied abroad in Madrid and Paris the year after I finished. From then on, I was hooked on travel and have been abroad every year since. I have also developed a taste for all sorts of exotic cuisines that I attempt to recreate in my kitchen at home. I try not to bring back any tacky, kitschy souvenirs from my travels, only ones that are practical, consumable and/or useful, such as clothing, food and pottery. My travels have so far taken me to four continents, including a few stints living in Washington, DC, London, Madrid, and Paris. I have a fairly low tolerance for mediocre food. I like meeting new people and am convinced that everyone has a story to tell. My passion is writing and my dream as a travel writer is to introduce others to new lands and cultures they would otherwise be unaware of. I have written for World Hum, Tango Diva, The Travel Channel, Hungry? San Francisco (restaurant guide), Not For Tourists, and soon to be contributor to GrassRoutes Travel guides (a new series of sustainable travel guides).

 
 
 
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by jesspaul14 | 2008/09/04

Thanks! Yeah, we are hoping and planning on going there in Feb. 2009. May I ask: did you fly to Europe and take a discounted European airline there or did you fly there a different way?

by jesspaul14 | 2008/09/01

Wow! I love your photos! You have some really great travel experiences and I look forward to reading your blogs!

by outsideobserver | 2008/07/01

gotta love Berkeley...lived there for 5 years...it kinda lit the fire under my ass to get the hell out of the states. good meeting you

by deva | 2008/05/18

Hey Valerie, I've been loving the Eastern Europe blogs! Once you get home, are you back in the Bay Area for the summer? Or more travel plans?

I should be in the area in mid-August, planning to loiter around the (free) evening events at Book Passage. I know Jim is going to be there again, too!

By Valerie  |  Location: United States  |  07/02/08  |  Pics: 0

Most of us who have traveled solo have faced bewilderment from the less travel-savvy for that choice. "You're so brave!" is one of the few compliments I get. More often, the response is more of an interrogation, especially from certain relatives of mine.

"How are you going to get around? What if you...

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By Valerie  |  Location: United States  |  06/26/08  |  Pics: 0

Cassie, my fellow globetrotter-in-crime, posted a note on her Facebook yesterday entitled "The Official Languages of Me." As soon as I finished reading it I knew it needed to be read by more people than her facebook friends. Those of us who left comments were completely in agreement on everything she...

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By Valerie  |  Location: United States  |  06/03/08  |  Pics: 0

I've been back about a week now. Slowly I'm getting over my re-entry shock. In some ways going to Vienna was part of the re-entry process. It was a city I'd been to 3 years ago, so some places were familiar to me, including the hostel I was staying at and the Turkish restaurant around the corner....

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