Meet Briana Gallo of Driftwood Adventure Treks in La Jolla

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Meet Briana Gallo of Driftwood Adventure Treks in La Jolla

My love for travel got me into photography. My dad was from Argentina. My family and I would travel there a lot when I was little. I always had a camera in my hand and a story to tell. I was an only child. I would use my camera, even as a young kid, to break the ice and get to know people. I traveled throughout high school and into college focusing on teaching English as a second language and photography.

My sense of curiosity and my love for different cultures led me to do what I do today. I am an International Fine Art Photographer. I have a favorite saying….. “Courage is the Power to let go of the Familiar.” My inability to stay in one place along with my love for adventure and different cultures took my photography abroad.

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Go For Outdoor Adventure Treks & Soothe Your Soul

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Go For Outdoor Adventure Treks & Soothe Your Soul

Why do we crave the outdoors? What drives us to feel the sun on our face and the rocks under our feet? Is it to be free from the day to day routine? Is it because we need a break, or what people call a “reboot” from technology?

Not that long ago technology, as we know it now, didn’t exist. I remember when my husband suggested I get a cell phone. I was appalled! “Why?” I asked him. No one needs to get me that bad, and if they ever do they can leave a message. Remember that? We would come home after a long day and see the red blinking light on our answering machine? Press “play” and random voices would fill the room with messages we missed. Now it’s a funny electronic beep that commands immediate attention. I find time spent outdoors, say, the Gokyo lake trekking helping me to go back to those days when I wasn’t tethered to a phone.

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Open Doors and Open Hearts By Joanna Read

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Open Doors and Open Hearts By Joanna Read

Pictured here is my beautiful friend May, whom I met by chance on a spontaneous nationwide women's rock climbing meetup in Alabama with the Ladies Climbing Coalition. When May learned that I was undertaking the Everest Base Camp tours with Driftwood Adventures, she eagerly jumped at the opportunity to join us. Her presence brought such a radiant, bright, and peaceful energy to our group. I'm so grateful for the sisterly bond that we developed as roommates over the course of our 17-day trek. 

What's special about this photo is that May is seated by the beautiful bay window in the home of our sherpa, Tshering, and if you research the adventure trek groups in Nepal, you'll soon understand how uncommon it is for the tourists to be able to stay at the home of their sherpa, let alone spend the day at their local village school, receive cooking lessons in their kitchen, or sit around the dinner table with their local friends and family from the village and dance together - more on all of this soon. 

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Give the Gift that keeps on Giving this Holiday Season

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Give the Gift that keeps on Giving this Holiday Season

I can’t believe the Holidays are just around the corner. Although, I love the festive holiday shopping I often think to myself how many socks or trinkets does someone need? It’s fun when you have that person that you are excited to shop for, but after 20 years what else could you possibly get them? Especially when they may just go out and get what they want anyway.

How about an experience? How many times have you heard someone say, “I would travel here if I could only get away”. Or “I wish I would have……when I had the time”. Or maybe you know someone that just needs an extra push. They have talked for years about needed a change, needing an adventure… Or the proverbial “I just need to get away!”

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Girls in the Mountains

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Girls in the Mountains

We, as women, wear a lot of different hats. We are a mom, a wife, a co-worker or a CEO. We are constantly running, moving; taking care of others. It’s important to take time to remind yourself who you were before you wore all these different hats. Is that girl still in there that maybe went backpacking through Europe in college? Or wanted to and didn’t get the chance? We all have that little girl in us that just wants to run free.

Why not run free amongst the beauty of the Himalayas? Explore Everest, the Base of Annapurna, enjoy the Everest base camp tours as well as other regions of Nepal by foot. Treat yourself to a natural reboot surrounded by like-minded travelers as part of the adventure trekking tours in Nepal.

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