Hi everyone!

My name is Amanda Machado, and I am one of your Global Glimpse Leaders this year! I was born in Pasadena, California, raised in Tampa, Florida, and the daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico City, Mexico and Riobamba, Ecuador. After graduating from college, I taught high school English for two years in the Bay Area before taking a year off to travel the world. Since then, I’ve worked as a freelance writer and remote worker, living and writing in places like Cape Town, South Africa, Havana, Cuba, and Berlin, Germany.

Even though I am no longer teaching, I volunteer as an independent trip leader because traveling has changed my entire life trajectory, personally and professionally, and I want to encourage others to take the same leap I did to explore and adventure abroad. In the past, I’ve led trips with Global Glimpse to Esteli, Nicaragua and Riobamba, Ecuador (my father’s hometown!) This year will be my first time visiting the Dominican Republic! I’m so excited to walk alongside you all throughout this adventure 🙂

Some fun facts about me:

• I hiked the Inca Trail in the Andes in Peru and the Annapurna Circuit in the Himalayas in Nepal
• I went to Brown University in Rhode Island
• I’ve been skydiving
• I rode an ostrich once for about thirty seconds. There’s a video on Facebook.

I love:

• Hiking and being outside
• Natalia LaFourcade and Residente
• Reading books and journaling
• Yoga, and I’m getting better at meditation (Right before our trip, I’ll be on a 7-day meditation retreat for people of color)