I left my home in the United States in 2008 on a year-long round the world trip. That initial trip turned into an open-ended journey around the world and over the years I shared travel stories, my service-based philosophy on life, and photography at A Little Adrift. The site has grown since then from a mere chronicle of her travels into a vibrant community of travelers sharing advice and inspiration.  In 2011, my travel focus shifted quite a bit, and in addition to launching my passion project, a community sourced database of local, sustainable organizations all over the world, I began homeschooling and traveling with my then 11-year-old niece.  It is the sum total of these experiences over the years that prompted me to write my first book, The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook. The book is an extension of my work on Grassroots Volunteering.org, and looks closely at each aspect of the volunteer industry that every socially responsible traveler should understand. It’s the missing pieces, the questions you never thought to ask. My sole goal with this book is to give volunteer travelers the tools they need to make positive choices as they travel the world. I actively travels for the better part of each year, but I am deeply engaged in the travel and volunteer communities if you would like to get in touch via social media, email, or through my travel blog.