Early Fascination
As a kid, I was obsessed with maps. While other children read fairy tales, I was busy trying to solve the Bermuda Triangle, wondering how the pyramids were built, searching for the Loch Ness Monster, and convincing myself I’d eventually find the Yeti in Nepal. My childhood bucket list was basically every place with an unsolved mystery.
As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, I grew up in a modest household where international travel felt more like a dream than a possibility. I knew someday I wanted to visit Vietnam — the home my parents were forced to leave behind. After escaping by boat, my family was eventually resettled across the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and China. Growing up, I realized that “home” wasn’t one place — it was scattered across continents. That family history sparked a lifelong curiosity to explore the world, reconnect with relatives, and better understand the places that shaped our story.
Finally Taking Off
After graduating and beginning my career as a teacher, I proudly applied for my first passport and booked my first overseas trip. Standing inside the Colosseum, gazing up at the Sistine Chapel, wandering the Louvre, and finally seeing Stonehenge in person felt surreal. Suddenly, the places I’d only read about were real.
Teaching Ancient History only fueled that passion. I love watching students realize the civilizations they study still exist — and they can actually visit them. Every trip sends me home with stories, photos, and artifacts to bring history to life. If I can convince pre-teens that geography is more exciting than TikTok for five minutes, I call that a victory.
In my early twenties, travel meant backpacks, overnight buses, questionable hostels, and saying yes to almost any volunteer opportunity that got me somewhere new. Summers were spent teaching abroad, volunteering, and exploring neighboring countries. Staying with local families taught me far more than any guidebook ever could.
Twenty years later, I can finally afford nicer hotels … and somehow still favor homestays, village life, and volunteer projects. It turns out the best travel memories rarely include room service.
Traveling with Purpose
Instead of simply visiting places, I wanted to understand daily life there, and volunteering transformed the way I experienced the world. I took a year-long leave from teaching and spent six months in Kenya and six months in Myanmar working alongside local communities and nonprofit organizations. Those experiences taught me that the most meaningful journeys aren’t measured by how many places you see, but by the people you meet.
Since then, volunteering has become a meaningful part of my travels. I’ve been fortunate to support projects involving children’s education, wildlife conservation, refugee relief, disaster response, and community health. Some unforgettable experiences include caring for giant pandas in Chengdu, rescuing sea turtles with my daughter in Central America, providing medical aid to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, serving meals to displaced families in Ukraine, and joining a medical relief team after the 2023 Türkiye earthquake.
Growing up in a refugee family has given me a deep appreciation for communities rebuilding their lives. Every project reminds me that kindness, resilience, and generosity exist everywhere. Various projects have taken me to nameless villages in Haiti, hidden Indigenous communities in the Amazon, and places I never imagined existed — but it’s never been about reaching extraordinary places. It’s been about meeting extraordinary people.
Off the Grid
Growing up in Silicon Valley, life revolves around schedules, productivity, and squeezing every minute out of the day. Maybe that’s why big cities aren’t usually my preferred destination — they remind me too much of home. Instead, I feel most adventurous where WiFi is unreliable, cars are scarce, and the day’s agenda doesn’t depend on a calendar.
Some cherished memories include sleeping in a yurt with a Mongolian family in the Gobi Desert, camping with the Mundari tribe in South Sudan, dancing with the Mudmen of Papua New Guinea, and helping prepare a traditional hāngī with Māori families in New Zealand. These moments remind me that happiness has very little to do with convenience and everything to do with human connection.
Discovering New Passions
Over the last decade, I picked up another obsession: mountains. Somewhere along the way, casual hikes escalated into chasing summits, and it turns out I’m happiest slightly out of breath at high altitude. Front-runner adventures include Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, Mount Teide, Mount Kazbek, and Gerlachovský Peak. These days, I also lead treks so fellow adventure addicts can experience some of my favorite journeys — from reaching the Roof of Africa to tracking gorillas in the DRC to exploring the peaks in Patagonia. Watching others reach their goals is a rewarding perk of reliving some of my choice treks.
My love of yoga, meditation, and running has also shaped my travels. India is dear to my heart, and I would return repeatedly, spending many months learning from masterful yogis, eventually earning my teaching certification. It is a huge country with many regions left to discover — one I will continue to revisit for years to come.
Other travelers inspired me along the way, especially those who also love running. I was influenced to run a marathon on all seven continents and all 50 states by TCC member, Steve Fuller. Ironically, I finished those two goals in 2025, which means I saw all 50 states only after seeing every country!
Evolving as a Traveler and Mother
These days, my dearest travel companion is my daughter, Siena. At eight years old, she’s already learning that the world is far bigger — and far kinder — than most headlines suggest.
One recent meaningful trip was to Uganda in June, where we volunteered in the rural village of Kyampisi. Together with two other friends, we helped build a community garden and a women’s vocational center, stack ing bricks, shoveling sand, and hauling more buckets of water than any of us cared to count! We planted fruit trees and learned local gardening techniques. Our accommodations were simple—mosquito nets, limited electricity, and carefully rationed water — but Siena embraced every moment as a lesson on gratitude.
On our day off, we visited Jinja, where a boat ride in Lake Victoria took us to the famous source of the Nile. Watching the water bubble up at its source, feeding into the world’s longest river, was unforgettable. Later that day, we zip-lined above the Nile through Mabira Forest, laughing the entire way.
After Uganda, we rewarded ourselves with a few days in Zanzibar, where we learned about green sea turtle conservation, fed rescued turtles, and even swam alongside them! We also encountered the endangered red colobus monkey in Jozani National Park and met Africa’s oldest Aldabra tortoise — an impressive 201 years old — which made me feel wonderfully young.
For me, travel isn’t about collecting passport stamps. It’s about collecting stories, friendships, and perspective. If I can inspire my students, my daughter, or anyone else to stay curious about the world, then every journey has been worth it.
