Frayed Passport

FRAYED PASSPORT  is a community of people who want to pursue adventure, experience personal growth, and impact others through international travel.

At Frayed Passport , our goal is to highlight great travel stories and tips. Our slogan is Travel Prose by Travel Pros—check out our blog and publications for stories and advice from our team and fellow travelers!

We strive to train, publish, and promote aspiring travel writers and bloggers through our publications and upcoming selection of online courses, we’ll give you the tools necessary to share, publish, and market your travel stories and tips. Stay tuned as we launch Frayed Passport Publishing in the coming months!

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ABOUT THE TEAM

SARAH VANDENBERG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Sarah Vandenberg, Frayed Passport

I joined Frayed Passport in December 2012, and couldn’t be more excited! My goal is to develop a platform that will inspire you to travel the world and inspire others to do the same.Growing up, I always wanted to see the world—I dreamed of Beijing, Paris, Nairobi, and other places that seemed incredibly exotic and impossibly far away.

While my family didn’t make it abroad until after I was in college, my parents took my brother and me on road trips around the United States, where I learned to read a map, be patient when things were slow, and act on my feet when something went wrong.

Email me at Sarah@FrayedPassport.com, connect on LinkedIn, or chat on Skype at sarahpalmer09!At 20, I took my first trip outside of the U.S.—a solo volunteer trip to the jungles of Costa Rica. Around the same time, I founded Volunteer Global, which connects travelers with NGOs worldwide that need extra assistance. I built a career on responsible travel—from taking on volunteer projects in Central America to exploring Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean, my passport collects new stamps and dog-eared pages with each incredible journey abroad.My goal for the coming months is to develop publishing house and online course platform that will help you travel like a pro and share your experiences with the world—whether through a blog, an essay, or a memoir.

ERICK WIDMAN, EDITOR

Erick Widman, Frayed Passport

The best experiences in my life all happened overseas. Growing up, I’m grateful I got to live with a host family in Japan, build houses in Mexico, and spend a month in a small French town.

My single most fulfilling year was right after law school when I was twenty-seven. I earned just a few hundred dollars a month teaching international business law to college students in Budapest, Hungary. It became clear that you don’t need much money to set off on a serious adventure, help others in a meaningful way, or impress an amazing girl.

From the beginning, we embraced a simple, minimalist lifestyle. We saved up our salaries—I worked as a lawyer at a Silicon Valley company and she did web design—and traveled all over the world. We squeezed the absolute maximum number of hours out of our four weeks of vacation time (plus every holiday) and always returned home at the last possible moment. Yes, caffeine and exercise are key tools to crush jetlag.

In 2007, we decided to take the plunge to pursue self-employment and moved to Europe.  For four years, our home base was Budapest and we took our travel experiences up a notch further. We continue to work remotely and love the freedom that comes with the internet and a laptop.

Now that two young trouble-makers have doubled the size of our family, our home base is Portland Oregon and our goal is to spend every summer overseas. Our kids have joint Hungarian and American citizenship and amaze us daily with their bilingual skills.

Finally, my wife and I know firsthand that few things in life can top the pleasure of international friendships. They teach us about different cultures, different foods, and different lifestyles, but also show us much we all have in common.  We look forward to getting to know you and the place you’re from. Of course, be prepared that we’ll probably want to visit sometime soon.

Email: Erick@FrayedPassport.com

ROBIN VAN AUKEN, EDITOR

Robin Van Auken, Frayed Passport

Robin is an anthropologist, specializing in public archaeology projects and historic preservation. She teaches at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. Robin also is an author, with more than 25 years’ experience in journalism and communications. She is the author and co-author of ten regional history books.

Her professional memberships include the Register of Professional Archaeologists, Society for Historical Archaeology, the Society for PA Archaeology and the Northcentral Chapter/PA Archaeology.

She has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology, and an associate’s degree in communications.You can view her website at www.RobinVanAuken.com.

Email: Robin@FrayedPassport.comssport’s website >>>