Lee Thornquist
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About
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The Nomadic Network Chapter LeaderAbout me
Hello! I am obsessed with travel, adventure, and doing things to get out of my comfort zone. I graduated from the business school at Indiana University in 2016, but have since lived in Austin, TX and have explored many places around the world.After a four-month study abroad semester in Singapore, I knew I wanted to travel long-term and without constraints. After quitting my "real-world" job in October 2017, I embarked on a 9-month solo backpacking trip to 12 countries, including Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, The Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. During this trip I started my own travel blog and podcast, Edge of Comfort.
Since returning back home to Chicago, I've continued working on Edge of Comfort. I also started working full-time as a Product Specialist at a luxury travel company. I help design, research, and manage over 30 luxury small group trips to destinations in Europe.
When I'm not working or traveling, I'm training for ultramarathon trail runs, attempting to cook vegan recipes, reading, practicing photography, or scanning Google Flights to figure out my next trip.
QA
- What is the country or city that made you fall in love with traveling?
- Thailand. I fell in love with the food, the friendliness of the people, the scenery, and so much more.
- What's your best budget travel hack or tip?
- Be flexible, especially with flight dates/times. I know this isn't always possible, but if you are able to play with dates and times, you can almost always find flights that are significantly cheaper than usual.
- If you could travel anywhere (regardless of time and money) where would you go? Why?
- Argentina. I love the outdoors, hiking, and adventures that combine these two aspects of travel. Argentina (and neighboring countries) has some amazing treks, so I would love to trek and camp around the country for months.
- What's the most surprising mode of transportation you've used?
- Sitting on the roof of a jeepney, driving through winding cliff-side roads to the Banaue Rice Terraces in The Philippines.
- When do you start packing for a trip? A month, week, day, or hour in advance!
- For clothes, usually 1-2 days before departure. For other items like my camera, laptop, passport, etc., I'll make sure everything is in working order and ready to roll at least a week in advance.
