In middle school, I held the coveted yearbook title of “Most Californian” thanks to my obsession with the sea. At age 19, I set off on a surf trip through Central America dictated by weather forecasts rather than guidebooks. I had a small fortune of around $500 USD in my bank account and crossed my fingers that it would last at least a month. Not the best with directions, I became horribly lost in Nicaragua and hitchhiked with fruit salesmen for two days. I paid my way by selling manzanas and mangoes out of the back of their truck until they found a neighborhood full of tourists to drop me off at. The next few weeks proved to be similarly exciting and my life back in California quickly revolved around earning enough money to fund the next trip away.

I’ve now refined my sense of navigation and am a travel and adventure writer based in Suva, Fiji. I keep one foot in the United States–I have to defend my Most Californian title, lest some shaggy-haired 11-year-old take it from me. I am the founder of Tropical Go, a website devoted to coconut lovers, and am the author of Moon Tahiti & French Polynesia published by Moon Travel Guides.

From 2012-2017, I lived in Australia’s wild and untamed region of Western Australia. I used Perth as a launch pad to explore the rest of Australia and Southeast Asia. I’ve trekked to the summit of Mount Rinjani, freedived with manta rays off of Nusa Penida, kitesurfed with sharks in Shark Bay, motorcycled through East Timor, fended off thieving monkeys in Malaysia, and went scuba diving whenever and wherever I could. Thanks to years of bouncing between Perth and Indonesia and collecting travel tips after each mishap-filled journey, I authored the guidebook to Moon Bali and Lombok.

My work has appeared in outlets like Lonely Planet, Travel + Leisure, AFAR, VICE, Scuba Diving Magazine, Escape, Matador Network, and tens of other publications.

Current Projects and Positions

Chantae Was Here: My adventure and travel themed blog, Chantae Was Here, attracts thousands of monthly readers who are passionate about explorations our world has to offer. It was named one of the Top 25 Adventure Blogs of 2018 by The Adventure Junkies and one of the top 50 Travel Blogs of 2018 by People Maven.

The Salt Sirens, Founder and Editor: An ocean-themed website for women centered around marine conservation and ocean sports.

Tropical Go, Founder and Editor: A website devoted to tropical travel destinations like French Polynesia, Fiji, Tonga, and more.

Skyscanner Australia, Editor, Contributor, and Social Media Manager: Skyscanner is the world’s top flight search engine. My duties involve crafting social media posts, engaging with our audience, and contributing travel-related articles for the news section.

Perceptive Travel, Contributor: An award-winning online travel magazine, Perceptive Travel features offbeat stories around the globe by professional travel writers who are also book authors.

Background and Qualifications

Degree and Qualifications:

I am a member of the North American Travel Journalist Association.

I have a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Psychology and Law from the University of Southern California.

SCUBA: Hold PADI Open Water and SSI Adventure Diver certifications.
Freediving: Hold AIDA*** freediving certification. Personal best of 30 meters depth, static apnea time of over 4 minutes.
Wakeboard: Co-Founder and President of USC Wakeboard Team, where my team members and I coordinated trips, taught lessons, and competed for titles.
Snowboard: Competed in the giant slalom and boarder-cross competitions for four years while attending USC.
Surf: Competed in surf contests while attending USC.
Various Adventure Experiences: Have trekked to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite, trekked to the summit Mt. Rinjani in Indonesia, bungy jumped in New Zealand, bungy jumped at Victoria Falls, skydived in California, kitesurfed over 20 kilometers of Shark Bay in Western Australia, scuba dived with tens of bull sharks in Fiji, and have traveled through over thirty countries as a solo traveler.