Amy E. Robertson is a Seattle native who has long been obsessed with travel. She has visited more than 60 countries, and lived in six. Her favorite travel experiences always include connecting with the local culture and people. She is an enthusiastic “voluntourist,” who has helped build a home in Honduras, monitored presidential elections in Ecuador, and worked with youth in Bolivia on the creation of social documentaries. She is also a passionate advocate of community based tourism, and all travel that connects visitors with locals both on a personal level (where travelers have the chance to interact with locals on their terms) and on a financial one (where tourist dollars stay and are invested in the local community). Amy currently lives in Beirut, Lebanon, with her husband and two children, and spends three months a year divided between her family’s hometowns: Seattle, Rome, and Messina (Sicily). You can follow her adventures in Beirut on her blog, www.gardeniasinbeirut.wordpress.com.