Meet Michelle: Global Adventurer, Teacher & Culinary Expert

Name: Michelle Medina

Location: Miami, FL

Interests: Traveling, Yoga and Teaching

Spirited and ambitious is what you would call Michelle if you just looked at her bucket list. Her list of experiences to check off include traveling to all seven continents by December 2016, visiting the Egyptian pyramids, starting a travel blog, becoming an expat in a new city, and squeezing in the time to read a new book every month.

Michelle manages to live the ultimate balanced lifestyle – working full time as a teacher yet still crossing off a total of 25 countries and 5 continents off her bucket list already. In addition to her travels, she’s lived in 3 diverse sets of countries: the U.S., Italy, and Tanzania – where she spent time living with a Maasai family in a mud hut for two months.

“I think I am an expert traveler and foodie. It’s hard not to be a foodie when you are constantly traveling and experiencing new cultures and dishes.”

So although she’s been all over the world, its still her native city of Los Angeles that keeps drawing her back.

“I believe that LA is one of the few cities out there that actually has a large variety of food from all over the world.”

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Her Deck “Los Angeles” is a detailed collection of restaurants and bars featuring a variety of cuisines from around the globe – tried and tested by Michelle herself.

“I am a native Angelino which has given me the opportunity to personally try the restaurants on that Deck. If you are craving anything or if you want to try something exotic and new you could definitely find it in a city like LA. When it comes to foodie cities, LA is on the top of the list.”

And when she manages to take time off to travel to New York, she turns to fellow Vurb Deck “Manhattan- Food” by Harbir Mahal (@harbs).

“She adds something new every week!”

With a collection of 163 different cards of restaurants – its the perfect Deck for an ambitious foodie.

And if you’re like Michelle and love looking for the best eats all over the world, check out Michelle’s other Decks – which cover places from D.C. to Havana to Florence.

Follow Michelle @mmedina3 on Vurb to see what other places she’ll travel to next!

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Meet Esmée: Dutch Expat, Globetrotter & Graduate Student

Name: Esmée van Veen (@esmee)

Location: London

Interests: Dining out, traveling, environmental science

Being new in town is no easy feat, especially when you’re tackling a city as big as London. But that’s exactly what Esmée has done. Originally from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, she recently made the move to London to realize her dream of doing a postgraduate degree in Environmental Science. After whirlwind travels around the globe in countries as diverse as India to Colombia, she’s now settled down in London and is keeping her next travels a little closer to home.

“I love traveling and try to make a trip to an exotic destination every year (India, Indonesia, Colombia, Ghana…). This year, my boyfriend and I decided to explore Italy (Rome and the south) this April. I can’t wait to enjoy all the amazing food and wines there.”

Being a self-proclaimed foodie, she definitely picked the right destination to indulge in great food.

“I use Vurb for restaurants, bars and lunch/brunch/coffee spots. I love exploring the city based on nice spots as they represent the neighborhood, and of course, because enjoying food or drinks with friends is the best way of spending time.”

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And that’s why her ‘LDN Restaurants‘ Deck is her favorite as she feels it represents her love for food. But when she needs inspiration in exploring her new city, she turns to her favorite user Deck ‘Hidden in Plain Sight – London‘ by Ruben (@RubenHorbach).

“It features many places in and around the neighborhood I recently moved to.”

Besides discovering the best in her neighborhood, on Esmée’s bucket list this year is to graduate and become a new London expert.

“But that will take some time as the city is so big!”

However, based on her stellar track record of checking off such diverse global destinations already, we have no doubt she’ll be a London expert in no time.

Check out ‘LDN Restaurants‘ now and follow @esmee on Vurb to get inspired by Esmee’s other awesome Decks!

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Meet Ivy: Adventure Seeker & Travel Junkie

Name: Ivy (@ivyxvine)

Location: San Francisco, CA

Interests: Figure Skating, Traveling, Bouldering

At a young age, Ivy already travelled across the globe –  from Beijing, China where she was born, to Canada’s capital of Ottawa, where she was raised. It’s no wonder she’s such an adventurous free spirit today. Now living in San Francisco, she enjoys exploring her new city through restaurants and keeping up with her hobby of bouldering – a form of rock climbing without the use of ropes or harnesses!

But that’s not the scariest thing she’s ever done. Ivy’s travels have taken her to over 25 countries and 65 cities which have ended up in countless adrenaline rush experiences.

“I’m definitely an expert adventure seeker and traveler. I ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, rock climbed in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, cliff jumped in Lagos, Portugal, and walked the Great Wall of China.”

“I am the ultimate itinerary planner for every trip I take. I will map out in detail each place I will go to, in which order, and what I will do there. This of course, includes what and where I will eat at every destination!”

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When it comes to bucket lists, Ivy doesn’t just make them – she checks them off. Which leads us to her favorite Deck “SF Restaurants”, a collection of 77 cards strong that has amassed 192 followers.  It details every single restaurant she’s eaten in San Francisco since she’s moved here six months ago.

“I love the way that it maps out where I eat often and where I’ve been in the different and diverse SF neighborhoods. When friends come to visit me in the city, I know exactly where to point them depending on the area they’re exploring. I also follow my friend’s SF Restaurants Deck so that we can compare restaurants as we’re both Canadian and new to SF.”

With her first hand experience in curating itineraries filled with jam-packed activities, Ivy hopes to write a book or create a blog sharing all her backpacking experiences so she can inspire others to check off their bucket lists and explore the world.

“I hope to do this in two languages, English and Chinese so that it can have more reach.” 

Check out ‘SF Restaurants‘ now and follow @ivyxvine on Vurb to get inspired by Ivy’s other awesome Decks!

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Meet Cathryn: Designer & Restaurant Connoisseur

Username: @caterbele

Location: Fargo, ND

Interests: Design, Yoga, Cooking

Cathryn resides in North Dakota where she works as a graphic designer, both freelancing and creating unique and beautiful wedding stationery designs under her own brand, Mirth Paperie. When she’s not doing design work you can catch her practicing yoga or wandering through the local farmer’s market or grocery store.

“Besides design, my biggest passion is food. You can usually find me reading food blogs and cookbooks looking for recipe inspiration. I discovered yoga about 5 years ago. I was hooked immediately, and have been practicing ever since.”

She humbly denies that she’s a food expert but based on her friends’ track record of always coming to her first for restaurant recommendations, we beg to differ. And not only does she love offering her advice, she’s good at it too.

“It’s really fun for me to ask them questions about what they’re looking for (part of town, price range, casual vs. fancy, what kind of cuisine, etc.) and come up with a recommendation that’s not just a restaurant that I ate at and enjoyed, but one that really fits their needs in that moment.”

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Just like in her design work, you can see the thoughtful way she approaches everything in life. That’s why you know you can trust her Deck: ‘To Do List: MSP‘, a collection of her favorite restaurants in Minneapolis.

“Although I live in Fargo, I make the 3.5 hour trip to Minneapolis quite frequently, mostly to see friends and family. Since food is such a big passion of mine, I love my ‘To Do List: MSP Restaurants‘ Deck. It helps me keep track of restaurants I’ve been meaning to try, as well as help me plan future visits.”

And when she needs inspiration she turns to her friend Teresa (@teresahatfield), who’s created her own Deck called ‘Checked Off the List,’ that’s an ongoing tally of restaurants, breweries, and attractions she’s done in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

“It’s a great list for whenever I’m looking to do something new in the city, and I love that it’s all inclusive!”

So what’s next on the agenda for Cathryn? She hopes to take her yoga practice to the next level and start a training course this year to become a yoga instructor. As for her bucket list, her goal is to take on the Pacific Coast Highway on a West Coast road trip and check off seeing her favorite artist Ryan Adams headline at the Winnipeg Folk Festival up in Canada.

We can’t wait to see her new Decks and recommendations when that happens!

Check out ‘To Do List: MSP Restaurants‘ now and follow @caterbele on Vurb to see Cathryn’s other awesome Decks!

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Meet Gillian: Expert Epicurean & World Explorer

Username: @gkfishh

Location: Atlanta, GA

Hobbies: cooking, traveling, and exploring

Gillian is from Atlanta, GA but her travels have taken her as far as the stunning coast of Zanzibar, Tanzania to Nairobi, Kenya where she’s stayed at the famed Giraffe Manor (how cool is her photo with the giraffe?). When she’s not traveling abroad, she enjoys cooking and discovering the best dining and nightlife hotspots around her city. On her bucket list this year is getting the coveted VIP experience of eating at a chef’s table.

So what’s her favorite thing to search for on Vurb?

“Restaurants! I save all the interesting spots I hear or read about, and take notes on what various articles or food blogs have said about them, whether it’s a ranking or a recommended menu item.”

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Her Deck ‘ATL Eats‘ boasts an astonishing 254 cards of approved locales, that no wonder it’s her favorite one to share.

“ATL Eats,” is my ever-growing Atlanta restaurant to-do list—once I started keeping track, my list topped 200 in no time. Exploring Atlanta through food has been my favorite way of getting to know the city.”

Her favorite user Deck is ‘B.T.D.T. Atlanta’ (been there, done that) by Jonathan (@jprunner2015) – “it’s another great resource for places to try around town.”

So if you ever plan on making a trip to Atlanta, look no further than Gillian’s thoughtfully curated guide on where to find the best meals for an outstanding foodie adventure.

“I love being able to pull up a map and see all the places I want to try in a given neighborhood. I always have an answer to ‘Where should we eat tonight?’”

And thanks to Gillian, you too can have the answer.

Check out ‘ATL Eats‘ now and follow @gkfishh on Vurb to see Gillian’s other great Decks!

Don’t have the app yet? Get Vurb for free on iOS or Android.

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Meet Adrien: French Expat, Grad Student, & Urban Hiker

Username: @adrienlefranc

Location: San Francisco, CA

Interests: French food, photography, hiking and traveling

Originally from France, Adrien moved to the US a year ago to pursue a Master’s Degree and fell in love with the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Being an expat in the city was difficult at first. You look up guides online but then end up at tourist traps. That’s why I started my search for different apps – I wanted to find the local and hidden hangouts. With Vurb, I like that I’m able to not only search for individual places, but I’ll come across recommended things to do or places to eat at through local user Decks.”

A self-proclaimed foodie and urban hiker, Adrien spent a lot of time exploring different restaurants, landmarks, and bars around the city.  His efforts culminated in his Deck “Favorite Spots in SF”,  which showcases what Adrien believes are “the most interesting places to go to in the City by the Bay.”

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“As I continued to play with the app, I find myself using it more and more for discovery. I love urban walks and exploring new spots in the city, and through other user Decks, I’ve uncovered some great parks and secret hikes.”

His favorite Vurb user Deck? “Walk the Walk” by Chris (@fuzzy).

“This Deck was a game changer, I also enjoy taking photos and some of my best shots are of places from this very Deck.”

Follow @AdrienLefranc on Vurb to see his other great Decks and check out his amazing photos on Instagram!

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