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54 days. 5 continents. 1 storyteller.

How much time do you have? We want to tell you a story. Well, actually, our friend Mariah wants to tell you a story, and it’s going to take her the next 54 days, so buckle up.

Who is Mariah, you may be asking? She’s our Ultimate Storyteller. More on that in a moment. What on Earth is she doing that could possibly take two months? The answer is: pretty much everything it has to offer. She’s going to boogie her way through Brazil, chase sunsets in the Greek Islands, and cozy up to the Eiffel Tower with a comically oversized baguette. Oh, that’s just the first month of the trip BTW.

All of this, you see, is a part of our highly anticipated Ultimate Earth 2019 trip. We first ran Ultimate Earth last summer, and it went so well we decided to do it again. 54 days. 9 countries. 5 continents. But, this time, we ran a contest to find one uber-talented candidate to capture it all, and give our travelers a taste of what it’s like to say yes to every adventure and seek out what the world has to teach us. We needed a travel freak with a serious case of wanderlust, a shutterbug, a foodie, a textbook extrovert, and a social media guru all-in-one to do this trip justice. In short: an Ultimate Storyteller.

Enter Mariah.

woman on a boat with her hair blowing in the wind

After hundreds of applications, we knew we found our Storyteller. She’s an environmental science major with an eye for natural beauty, and a Greenpeace social media fellow with a sense of spontaneity. Mariah is living proof that you don’t have to come from a long line of travel addicts in order to see the world. In fact, she didn’t leave the country until she was 18. Little-by-little she stepped out to see all of the beautiful things that make us different and the strong bonds that bring us together across the globe.

Joining her will be 28 other travelers, and their fearless leader: Dario the Tour Director. Dario is a quad-lingual Ultimate Break legend, consistently top-rated by travelers as one of the best Tour Directors—and as the Tour Director with the prettiest eyes—whose job will be to guide the trip, ensure everyone has the maximum amount of life-changing moments, and sing the occasional Italian love song to them.

man outside leaning on a door smiling

And, hey, don’t take our word for it. Here’s some (pretty standard) praise for Dario from a past traveler:

Dario is the best tour director there ever was! He really feels like someone I’ve known my whole life. He makes everyone feel so loved and so welcome. We always joke that he’s our dad away from home, but it’s true. I’ve never felt in better hands than I do with him!
group of people smiling for a picture

Oh, and we almost forgot the most important person joining the trip: you. Follow along as Mariah takes you to Rio de Janeiro, France, Italy, Greece, Dubai, South Africa, Thailand, Japan and Australia—all via our Instagram: @efultimatebreak.

And, yes, we are running Ultimate Earth next year. Check it out here, and if you’ve got the time, we know you’ll come back with a story to tell, too.

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About the author

EF Ultimate Break Staff

EF Ultimate Break is the best way to travel for anyone 18–35. Our staff is made up of experts in world travel, and as a proud part of EF Education First, EF Ultimate Break draws on 55 years of expertise to create amazing travel experiences.

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