Hello, I’m Chantae and I’m on a mission to try every action sport and adventure activity under the sun! Specifically, ones that involve harnessing the earth’s energy or my own human-power. More wind, waves, snow, and muscle – less fossil fuel. Think kitesurfing, surfing, snowboarding, bungy jumping, scuba diving, and more. I’m up for trying it all. I’m a trained AIDA** freediver, advanced scuba diver, and a surfer who is scared of big waves.
In 2010, I realized that I had just enough money as a broke college student to buy a ticket to Central America… so a few minutes later, I did. I trekked through a few countries with a backpack and surfboard, and my passion for travel flourished. Since then, I’ve graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Southern California, spent the weekends snowboarding at Mammoth Mountain, backpacked through various countries, then moved to Australia for four years.
Now, I live as an expat in Suva, Fiji. Life here is totally different from everything I’ve ever known, and I’m inviting you to come along for the experience.
Aside from Chantae Was Here, I work as full-time adventure journalist for many travel and outdoor publications. I am also the founder and editor of an ocean-themed website, The Salt Sirens.
About Chantae Was Here
Instead of scribbling “Chantae Was Here” on questionable bathroom stalls and risking arrest, I’ve taken to writing it on here. This blog serves not only as my own personal journal of adventures, but also as inspiration for others planning to see what exists beyond their front door. It’s a place to talk about action sports, sustainability, adventure, and travel. On this blog, I’ll share my in-depth tips and tricks for traveling around the world as a modern adventurer.
Here are a few of my favorite posts
Travel
- Don’t Take me to the Guidebook’s Night Market in Phnom Penh
- Sex and Surfing in the Land of 1000 Mosques
- All the Lies I Told My Sister in Bali, Indonesia
- Penguin Island: Paradise for Penguins — Or Tyrannical Seagull Hell?
- The Girl’s Guide to Couchsurfing
- From Slob to Suave: How to be an Eco-Friendly Traveler
- Red Bluff Beauty: I’ve Gone Missing in Western Australia
- Travel Inspiration for Everyone — Not Just Rich White Dudes
- Gnaraloo, Western Australia from the Water
- The Coogee to Bondi Coastal Walk: Things I’d Never Put in a Guidebook
Action Sports and Yoga
- Scuba Diving in a Lightning Storm
- How to Stay Motivated when you’re Horrible at Something
- A Warning to Yogis Traveling to Germany
- When Kitemares Come True: My Worst Kitesurfing Moments
Contact me at hello (at) chantae (dot) com. You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!