The Winner Revealed: Heather T. Takes the Prize!

I know you’ve all been counting down the days to find out who won my round-the-world giveaway… and that moment has finally arrived.

We received thousands of submissions, and narrowing it down was no easy task. Reading through all the entries took much longer than I expected, and selecting just one winner was even harder. There were so many outstanding entries, but in the end, only one could be chosen—and I had to make that call.

So, without further ado, the winner is…

Heather T. from California!

Heather, 26, studied Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and now works as a Senior Consultant at IBM. Inspired by her mother’s life and passing, she decided to approach her own life with a sense of urgency. She fills her free time with singing, salsa dancing, scuba diving, amazing friends, and as many adventures as she can squeeze in. At twenty-six, she’s recently applied to graduate school, hoping one day to make a difference with an advanced degree in Public Policy.

Here are ten fun facts about Heather, in her own words:

• I’m a certified scuba diver.
• My sister is ten months younger than me. For one month each year, we’re technically the same age.
• I make homemade artisan ice cream in flavors like sour cream, mango jalapeño, and sweet potato.
• I earned my degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University before moving into a business career.
• I’m used to moving around—I’ve relocated more than 20 times (I’ve lost count). I attended five elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools, and three colleges.
• I’m learning Spanish. I’ve always loved the language. Growing up in Los Angeles, I was surrounded by it and always wanted to learn. I’ve been taking lessons, but I’m excited for more hands-on practice!
• I’m severely allergic to cats and really don’t like them. Technically, I’m allergic to dogs too, but I’m a dog lover, so I don’t mind as much!
• I haven’t eaten fast food since I was 16. After watching Super Size Me in high school, I gave it up immediately—along with soda.
• I refuse to shop at Walmart.
• I come from a huge family. My dad is one of five siblings, and my mom was one of fourteen. I also have nine siblings.

She’ll be leaving next month, and we’ll get updates from her journey. Heather will start in South America, then head to Africa, move on to Southeast Asia, and loop back to Europe before grad school! I’ll feature her each month to share what she’s been up to!

Here is her winning essay:

(Heather and her mother)

****Thank you to everyone who entered. I wish I could have chosen all of you, but sadly, I didn’t invest in Bitcoin or any other weird cryptocurrency, so I can’t!

I hope this contest inspired you to take action, plan a trip, and dream big. I wish you well on your future travels and hope my book How to Travel the World on $50 a Day helps you learn how to travel cheaper, better, and smarter!

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Since this is the last post of the year, see you in 2018!

– Matt

P.S. – I’m hosting a meet-up in Bangkok on Christmas Day! Let’s grab drinks and talk travel. Follow the Facebook event for updates.

This article originally appeared on Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site.