Top 10 Finalist Video

Show the judges a local spot that you think they should visit should they ever make it to your hometown.

Come on over and be my neighbor for a few minutes as we checkout the sweetest spot in all of Georgia... Downtown Athens!

2010 WTI Video Application

This bizarre but true montage of my traveling tales will hopefully reveal to you, my STA friends, that I am a worthy candidate for the internship! Pick me, and I guarantee

Natalie's Blog Posts

To Tasmanian Devils and Beyond

I learned a lot from Looney Tunes as a kid. For instance, if you accidentally fall off a cliff, you will just turn into a cloud at the bottom and then magically reappear in a few minutes. Or if you are a Tasmanian devil, you are about 6 ft. 3 and will violently spin around [...]

March of the Penguins

In fifth grade, I wanted to be a marine biologist more than anything in the whole world. In sixth grade, I wanted to be a singer like Britney Spears, so it’s funny how goals evolve.
However, our time in the Tasmanian wilderness took me back to those fifth grade days of old, and I became enamored [...]

Puff, the Melbourne Dragon

Apparently fire-breathing dragons still do exist. And we found 5 of them in downtown Melbourne.
Casey and I managed to snag a behind-the-scenes tour of this city in Oz thanks to the amazing hospitality of the STA Australia staff. These guys are incredible. If you are ever in Melbourne, call them up because they know their [...]

Miracle on Bondi Beach

What do you get when you mix an American Southerner with 13 degree Celsius surfing weather? Total fear.
I thought I was fearless, but today I realized how much of an enemy I have in cold weather as I bundled up with my hat, scarf and gloves on the way to our surfing lesson. You tell [...]

Marathon Traveling

37 hours en route to Australia… and that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call “Marathon Traveling.”
Our adventure included everything from riding in Brazilian taxi shuttles that look like squashed Land Rovers,
to passenger drop-off areas at airports,
to chugging bottled water before going through security lines,
to being patted down by a-bit-too-friendly female security guards,
to power walking [...]

This Is Where Rainbows Are Made

Have you ever wondered where the Lucky Charms leprechauns live?
Well Casey and I found them today. Right at the intersection of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil.
After seeing over 14 rainbows in one sighting of the massive Iguazú waterfalls, I am convinced that this is where those leprechauns call home.  I wish someone had let me in [...]

Meeting My Meat

Let me just say that my Peruvian alpaca friend, Pablo, tasted tender and delicious covered in a wild mushroom demi-glace.

STA Head Office Visit

What do Casey and I have in common with Justin Bieber? We all 3 know what it’s like to be stalked by loyal fans. Although Justin may have a couple million more than we do, we both were overwhelmed by the standing ovation of the STA employees as we entered the office doors on our [...]