About Me

Hi, I’m Anna! I want to share my love of adventure with you.

I’m a freelance travel writer and educator currently living in Boston, with 5 languages and 25 countries under my belt so far. I love chocolate, sushi, biking into the sunset, dancing until I get dizzy, and making friends with strangers. I think one of the greatest pleasures in life is doing what people say you cannot do. I am learning how to tell good stories. When I’m not writing or taking photos, you can also find me giving workshops on improvisational travel — the next one, Urban Biking, starts in Spring 2012. Check out the link for more details.

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I’ve always had a bit of wanderlust in me, ever since moving to the United States from Russia at 7 years old. But really, my journey began the summer between my junior and senior year of college. Up until then, I had been on the fast track to a perfectly normal life, with good friends, decent grades, and a promising career in chemistry.

Then, two things happened. One, the job I took as a summer camp counselor convinced me that I wanted to work with people instead of chemicals, and two, I got bitten — hard — by the travel bug.

That’s how I stepped off the conveyor belt of scientific research and chose to create a life based on adventure. Now, three years later, I’ve been a high school English teacher in Korea and a middle school science teacher in Hong Kong. I’ve gone ziplining through the jungle at dawn, crossed a river on an elephant, and taught a roomful of Korean girls how to dance the Macarena. Two of my most memorable travel experiences are being astounded at the kindness of strangers in Russia and getting a surprise private tour of a temple after hours in Cambodia.

My latest challenge is to balance the excitement of exploring new places with the joy of being surrounded by a close community of friends. This website is my answer, enabling me to move to Boston and be part of its vibrant social scene while working as a freelance travel writer and educator. It’s wonderful to be in a place that feels like home and still be able to travel when I want.

By writing DIY Explorer, I hope to encourage and inspire you, dear reader, to have your own improvisational, unpredictable, amazing adventures.