Outbound Adventurer

We’re Tara and Jessi, the geeks behind Outbound Adventurer. We’ve been traveling the world off and on since 2013, sharing our passion for what travel can teach us.

Follow our journeys as we geek out about everything from languages to paleontology, and learn how to incorporate affordable travel and experiential education into your journeys.

Meet Tara Lepore

Hey there! I’m Taormina, or Tara for short, and I’m a 31-year-old Bostonian currently living in the San Gabriel valley of metro Los Angeles. I’ve had the travel bug coursing through my veins for a really long time. Most of my travel adventures have been the result of fossil field work across the United States, from Massachusetts to California to the trifecta of Wyoming, South Dakota and Colorado.

In addition to being an Outbound Adventurer I am a paleontologist and educator. I love ancient life, storytelling, and sharing a passion for educationwith diverse learners. When I’m not blogging I’m conducting fossil field work and making science education fun and accessible. I’m also a word nerd–complex dinosaur names will do that to you!

I Geek Out About: Fossils, field work, camping, languages, dystopias, science fiction and fantasy (Star Wars, Animorphs, Stargate, The Lord of the Rings), movies (Jurassic Park, The Godfather), and classic rock (The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin).

Meet Jessi Honard

Hello! I’m Jessi, and I’m a 29-year-old Ohio native currently residing in California. I’ve been traveling since I was a kid, piled in the back of my parents’ minivan with my two brothers (we upgraded to an RV eventually, but somehow that only caused more fights).

I never say no to a new adventure, whether it’s snorkeling in Iceland, mountain biking in Croatia, or exploring the amazing national parks of the United States. I absolutely love a good challenge!

My first great passion is writing. In 2010 I opened a copywriting firm with Marie Parks of Ardent Camper, and in September of 2015 I took the plunge and left my 9-5 job, looking to writing as a full-time venture.

When I’m not blogging I’m inevitably writing one of many fiction stories or using my teaching background to develop new curriculum.

I Geek Out About: Dialects and accents, rhetoric, rock climbing, alpine skiing, camping and hiking, archaeology, roleplaying, YA literature (Animorphs, Hunger Games, Harry Potter), science-fiction & fantasy (Firefly, Outlander, Brave New World), epic poetry.

 As seen in…

Our love of travel and geekery extends beyond this blog! Check out some of our guest features below!

6 Tips for the Perfect Trip: A Passion and a Passport

Stari Most: Passion Passport Wanderlust Competition, Runner Up

Paleontology, Archaeology and Travel — Where’s the Connection?: A Southern Gypsy

Digital Paleontology: Bringing Museum Specimens into the High School Classroom: The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections

Pteranodon osteohistology: Or, bizarrely bacon-esque bones: Public Library of Science (PLOS) Paleontology Blog

How to Be a Conference Pro: Public Library of Science (PLOS) Paleontology Blog

Digital Fossils in the High School Classroom – with Andrew Farke and Robert Gay: myFOSSIL, Florida Museum of Natural History

WITS ’16 Networking for Introverts: Women in Travel Summit by Wanderful

Interviews:

Meet the Gypsies: A Southern Gypsy

Traveller Insights: Travelling Book Junkie

Interview with KarolinaPatryk

Traveling through Education: Travelling Dan Podcast

Invited Talks:

2015 Educators’ Workshop. Vertebrate Paleontology in the Secondary Classroom: An Exploration into how Ancient Life and Climates Shaped the World Today. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas.

2014 ISEA Presents: More than Outreach: Science Museums and Digital Specimens as a Classroom Tool. Science Teachers Association of Texas Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching, Annual Meeting.

2014 Virtual Paleontology – Bringing Museum Research into the Classroom. Texas STEM Center Coalition, 7^thAnnual STEM Conference and Informal Science Education Association of Texas, Annual Meeting.

Publications and Projects:

Introversion in the Classroom: How to Avoid Burnout and Encourage Success – on Amazon.com

Fossils in the Classroom: University of Colorado Museum of Natural History