I’m Stephanie. You may know me as @wanderingzito. I’m a lifestyle travel hacker, a professional do-gooder, an avid hammocker, a personal adventure coach and an evangelist for most things that make the world better and more fun.

By day I help international humanitarian organizations and businesses committed to sustainable practices build communications strategies and share their stories. By night I’m a pro-travel hacker, credit card expert, and columnist for creditcards.com and bankrate. co-founder 

I’m co-founder of  Color Cloud Hammocks, the creator of the #give10 project and author of two awesome travel guides: Upgrade Unlocked: The Unconventional Guide to Luxury Travel on a Budget and The Honeymoon Hack (a very special guide just for couples who want to earn points to take a free honeymoon).

 

 

I didn’t grow up traveling.  I got my first passport stamp as a university student and magically my eyes were opened. I wanted to see the world. I was lucky to realize at a young age that the opportunity was mine for the taking if I wanted it. And, I’ve been wandering the world ever since.

I’ve been to all 7 continents and more than 145 countries, and have financed most of my travel using airline miles and hotel points.  While I still count countries, somewhere early in my journey, I realized that wandering for the sake of seeing sights wouldn’t ever be enough for me. I wanted more than a stack of photos of the world’s wonders. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to change the world while I was seeing it. So I became a professional humanitarian. I learned all about the world of causes and do-gooding and landed jobs in the far corners of the world. Humanitarian adventures have taken me from the deserts of Sudan to skyscrapers of Singapore, and from London to Laos.

After more than 20 years (!) of living on the road, I realized that a lifetime of living out of a suitcase can get exhausting,  so I planted my anchor in Portland, Oregon where I have a closest to rest my carry-on between flights.


Other FUN facts

Things I love: deep soaking bathtubs, hammocks on exotic beaches, hotel breakfast, people who can laugh at themselves, Asian airlines, coconut matcha lattes, free plane tickets, sending postcards and capturing the beauty and color of the world.

Things I hate: checked luggage, grumpy people, domestic airline lounges, foreign transaction fees, dishonest taxi drivers, high fructose corn syrup, and ketchup.


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Where I’ve been: