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
Olivia Raymer: Marketing Coordinator & Analytics Junkie
 |
| Olivia analyzing Morocco |
Olivia is a native Pacific Northwesterner who has lived in almost ever corner of Oregon and Washington, but calls Bend, and now Portland, home. Her first stint of international travel (Canada doesn’t count in the PacNW) didn’t come until grad school, with a summer study-abroad program in Marseilles, France. After returning from the south of France with a serious case of the travel bug (not to mention the gelato withdrawal), she started planning her next big trip. A year later she decided to just take a career break instead of a two week vacation. 20 countries and an epic year later, she returned to Portland to give employment another go.
Olivia is BootsnAll’s marketing coordinator, resident pescatarian, and lover of all things data, information, and Excel. In fact, she’s probably analyzing your online behavior as you read this. When she’s not coordinating, Olivia can be found looking for sun breaks, pretending to be a Portland tourist and/or Martha Stewart (but not at the same time), and scheming her next adventure. Next up: Iceland!
Feel free to contact Olivia: olivia at bootsnall dot com
Katie Hammel: Editor, Writer, & Iceland Enthusiast
 |
| Katie enjoying the fruits of Argentina |
Katie Hammel has been a freelance travel writer since 2008 and joined the BootsnAll team as Editor and Staff Writer in 2010. She edits the feature and traveler articles that appear on BootsnAll.com, manages social media and community events, and writes the WhyGo Iceland site.
Katie’s childhood travel experience consisted of fighting with her sister in the back of the family station wagon as they followed Grandpa’s Airstream from Michigan to such exotic locales as Florida or Tennessee each summer. Suffice to say, thoughts of world travel didn’t enter her mind until much later in life. She took her first international trip in 2003. That low-budget weekend in Dublin opened her eyes to a new world of possibilities, and she began traveling as much as possible.
After a short stint living in Seattle and then five years in Chicago, Katie and her husband now live in San Francisco with their two cats. Though Katie’s a city girl who hates the cold and loves a bargain, her favorite destination is the sparsely-populated and expensive country of Iceland. Go figure.
Feel free to contact Katie: katie at bootsnall dot com
So, there you have it. These guys think BootsnAll is worth being a part of. What about you?
