Meet the Greenheart Travel Team: Kate Powers

Meet Kate Powers, Greenheart Travel’s Outreach Coordinator!

Kate’s first experience leaving the comforts of home for an extended period of time was when her parents pulled her siblings and her out of school for a year to travel around the United States in a bus. She’s been on the lookout to book her next exciting trip ever since.

While attending a wedding in Greece, paragliding in Ecuador, becoming scuba certified in Thailand, cliff diving the cenotes of Mexico, and skiing the Pyrenees in Andorra, Kate immersed herself in the culture of each new country by staying with locals, learning the customs, and of course, eating everything there was to offer. She likes to spend her time at home meeting up with friends, exploring her new city of Chicago, and reading a good book in a cozy spot.

Read on to learn a bit more about Kate’s favorite international city, her favorite travel “aha” moment and which cuisine she would gladly eat every day.

Q: Where did you grow up?

I lived in New Jersey during grade school, Western New York during high school, and my family is now located in Pittsburgh, PA.

Q: What is your favorite international city?

I fell in love with Budapest right away. The architecture throughout the city is stunning, as well as the views along the Danube river. The food was amazing, there were endless amounts of things to do and see, and the history throughout the city is compelling. I always feel cheated about the time I spent there as my last few days were spent sick and pretty much immobile in my hostel bed, so a trip back is definitely needed!

Q: What is your secret talent?

After years of practice and many disastrous failures, I have finally perfected my favorite breakfast: Fried egg over medium and cheese on an English muffin. (The disasters were of the egg-flipping variety.)

Q: If you could eat only one country’s style of food for the rest of your life, which would it be?

That’s an easy one: Spain! I’ll never get my fill of Spanish cuisine. I think my host family in Spain was a little taken aback at how often I ate.

Q: Complete the sentence: When I grow up I want to __________.

There’s definitely a long list, but living on a houseboat is at the top. I saw it in a movie when I was a kid and the idea has never escaped my mind since then.

Q: What is your spirit animal?

Sea otter. I remember seeing one playing games in the water for hours on end, completely content, and I really related to that.

Q: What is your favorite travel “AHA! moment” or memory?

While I was in Ecuador, the friend I was visiting was trying to explain a game to me in English but I didn’t understand the rules. A second friend walked in the room and asked, in Spanish, if she had explained the game to me. They then proceeded to have a conversation, in Spanish, about how I wasn’t grasping the concept of the game. I had to pause for a second to realize that I had understood the exchange in a foreign language perfectly fine, but couldn’t grasp a children’s game when explained in my native tongue. I wasn’t sure whether to be proud of my budding second language abilities or worry about my lack of comprehension at the moment.

Q: What is your favorite thing about working for Greenheart Travel?

​ So far, it’s working with people who have such amazing and unique stories to share.