I have just been selected by STA to be their first-ever Ultimate World Traveler Intern. What an unbelievable opportunity!! My job is simple: to inspire other youths to travel the world. In order to do so, I will travel journal/blog, post videos of my adventures and the people I meet, and upload photographs from the road.

At the beginning of June, I head to Europe for 4 weeks (England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Holy See, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary), to white water raft in Austria, appreciate Van Gogh in Amsterdam, and explore the remnants of the Iron Curtain in Berlin. Then it's on to 2 weeks in China, where I will hang out in Xian and Hong Kong and then work with endangered species (including TEN Giant Pandas, of which there are only 1000 in existence) and teach English to conservationists in the Qingling mountains. After that I head to Thailand for 1 week, where I will visit Chiang Mai, then hill trek with the tribes of Thailand, and finish up by riding an elephant back in the direction of Bangkok. Following the Thai leg of the trip, I venture onward to Australia, where I will spend 2 weeks out of doors, riding 4x4's, exploring caves by candlelight, and riding the waves on catamarans above the Great Barrier Reef. Seriously? Seriously.

Hopefully I can count on you to visit the website and watch me as I roam for the 11 weeks or so that I'm on the road :)

Please SPREAD THE WORD! The nature of this journey is not just exploration, but also the sharing of knowledge and experience. So, as you watch me this summer, let your friends know, too. Maybe -- just maybe -- it will inspire them to hit the road.

With my camera and my compass at the ready, I shortly face the world and begin the circumnavigation. Best wishes to all of you. Wish me luck.

Rachel

P.S. Join the groups for STA on MySpace and on Facebook, as they will keep you posted on my whereabouts, and you can win trips to various exotic locales simply by joining!