Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Besides acting, Nicole Ari Parker co-founded Sophie’s Voice Foundation (www.sophiesvoicefoundation.org), to raise awareness for global health and wellness initiatives in multicultural communities. The fashionista also created Save Your Do, a stylish headband for women who work out.
“Traveling opens your eyes to different cultures,” says “UnREAL” actress Constance Zimmer. “I have learned that there are many, many people living in countries with so much less than what we have and they sometimes seem much happier (than us).”
“I strongly believe that traveling allows you to discover new opportunities, not only professionally, but also at a more personal level,” says DramaFever co-founder Suk Park. “Previous to starting DramaFever, I worked for an American media company that allowed me to travel extensively, mainly throughout Asia. It was then that I discovered the popularity of Korean dramas throughout the entire continent. I could be in Taipei, Tokyo, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur and at least one broadcaster dedicated their primetime television to a Korean drama.”
Skier Mikaela Shiffrin, 20, born and raised in Colorado, is already an Olympic gold medalist and the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history. “I travel mostly for skiing and feel so lucky to get to do that,” she says. “In Europe, I will have a couple days off from training and my mom and I will just kind of pick up and go to Salzburg or Innsbruck. It’s fun to go into the city and enjoy the scenery.”
Musician Rick Braun says, “I speak some German, but I can be lost. A third-grader can leave me in the dust. I was the MVP of the Rod Stewart tour in 1989, though, when we got to Germany ‘cause I could communicate. I was the hero. “
“We were lucky enough to grow up in a house where both parents were into cooking,” says DavidFung. “I’d definitely hop on a flight back to Seattle for some steamed salmon fish and Dungeness crab real quick.” His brother, Andrew, adds that he would love to revisit the Gum Moon Ting restaurant in Hong Kong to devour the xiao long bao dumplings.
Betty Ann Boeving says that one of her proudest accomplishments has been founding the Bay Area Anti-Trafficking Coalition (BAATC), which fights against human trafficking. Boeving, 39, has visited all seven continents, traveled to more than 85 countries and even climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for her cause. “Understanding the cultural dynamics that lead to this outsourcing and exploitation of so many young women is essential to reducing the number of trafficking victims worldwide,” she says.
A resident of Woodstock, Conn., Caroll Spinney also spends time on the Upper West Side of New York when he films “Sesame Street.” Since 1969, he has been the puppeteer inside the Big Bird costume. Spinney, 81, said it has been fun playing such a famous character without being recognized himself.
Of the first overseas trip he made with the Ramones in 1976, Marky Ramone says, “We were with Richard Hell and toured with the Clash. It was great. London was everything that I had thought it would be. It was like what we had seen on TV, postcards and the movies.”
“For me growing up, the night sky was at the local planetarium,” says astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who resides in New York. “There’s no other way I would’ve been able to see it.” Laughing, he adds, “I want to write a novel one day where the plot will include a group of amateur astronomers. During a blackout that always seems to happen in big cities, people will go outside and be forced to look up to really see the night sky for the first time.”