Profiles of BootsnAll Staff Members

The BootsnAll Team

Sean E. Keener: Director of Boots

Sean exposing himself to new experiences

Sean grew up in Chicago, Illinois and began his journey in 1994 with a year of study at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. His studies and travels there inspired him as he met travellers from all over the world. He quickly learned that a holiday can be more than 1 week next to the pool in warm weather. Following his return to Chicago and graduation from University, he departed 1996 on a whirlwind tour of England and Scotland with 3 Australian friends.

He has since continued his journey alone through countries such as Ireland, France, Greece, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Tibet, Kazakstan, and his native United States. Sean is known for his limitless enthusiasm, voracious appetite for learning, an uncanny resemblance to Silent Bob, and a habit of exposing his bollocks in public places. Sean's boots are "Dexter's" and have proved amazingly resilient to the point of having to be re-soled, twice.

Sean hopes to continue his travels in the near future, but for now will have to be content watching and reading about others. He dreams of someday sailing around the world, stopping at ports for months on end, reading, discovering, and learning from people without time and money constraints (Don't we all!).

Sean's BootsnAll Membership Profile | Sean's Blog

Chris J. Heidrich: Director of N'All

Look at all the pretty colours!

Chris is from Brisbane, Australia and began his journey in 1996 with some friends on a trip to Chicago to pick up Sean, and then on to England to see the Euro '96 football tournament. Thus began a steep learning curve as he realised the folly in trying to haul 4 pairs of shoes wherever he went.

Since then, he has lived and worked in Edinburgh, Scotland answering telephones; Stoke Poges, England as a guinea pig for clinical drug tests and as a bartender (mandatory for Aussies in the UK); and Gardiner, Montana as a breakfast cook for scary looking guys that spoke in grunts.

So what does N'All mean? These days Chris takes care of BootsnAll's design needs. Most everything you see on BootsnAll has passed through his hands so you know who to email if it's broken or you simply can't find what you're looking for! In carrying out his role, he's gained a new appreciation for the colour spectrum but still can't understand who comes up with the names on paint swatches. I mean, come on, Joyful Lilac?

Chris' BootsnAll Member Profile

Jessica Spiegel: Staff Writer & Resident Italophile

Jessie studying hard at Italian

All Jessica's boots have stiletto heels, so she thinks it was her wit and charm (and those bags of Snickers bars) that got her this job. Whatever works.

Though she moved cross-country three times with family as a child, it wasn't until college that Jessica finally got her first taste of overseas travel. She toured Australia and New Zealand with the college choir and then spent a semester in the UK, with side-trips to see some of the European relatives. It was when she first navigated Paris' Metro alone that she felt truly independent.

There was a lull in Jessica's traveling lifestyle after college, as her non-profit jobs didn't allow for much in the way of expendable income. She got lucky enough to meet (and marry) someone whose travel goals were the same as hers, and luckier still that he made a good living! Together they've made several trips to Europe, including chasing the Tour de France, eloping in Scotland and many trips to Italy. They've been studying Italian since 2001 and hope to move there soon so they can buy Italian shoes directly from the source.

Jessica's an avid amateur photographer (is that an oxymoron?) and once sang for a rock band. Her singing is now limited to places like the shower and car, though if you have the misfortune of sitting near her desk you're likely to hear a little bit of humming.

The Italy Travel Guide is where Jessica spends most of her time, although she also maintains the travel inspiration site, Why Go, and she contributes to just about any site they'll give her access to.

Jessica's BootsnAll Community Profile
Feel free to contact Jessica: jessica at bootsnall dot com

Dave Keener: BootsnAll Expert on Everything

Dave just knows stuff

Dave's name pops up around the BootsnAll sites with some regularity, and with good reason. He's our numero uno customer service rep, and (as the saying goes) he's forgotten more about travel insurance and Eurail than most of us will ever hope to know. If you've got a question about the products or services offered by BootsnAll, Dave's the man to talk to. And if you're not in his time zone, don't worry - he doesn't sleep much. He's likely to answer the phone before the roosters are even awake. (Not that we have roosters in the office, of course.)

Feel free to contact Dave: dave at bootsnall dot com

So, there you have it. These guys think BootsnAll is worth being a part of. What about you?

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