Hi, I’m Jessica Harper, a professional escape artist—by which I mean I’ve fled over 100 countries and counting. I’ve slept in hammocks, trains, a few sketchy hostels, and once (not-so-accidentally) on a camel because I made poor life choices. I’ve eaten food that would give health inspectors nightmares, but hey, what doesn’t kill you gives you food poisoning, right?

When I’m not narrowly avoiding disaster in some far-flung corner of the world, I’m butchering local languages with confidence, losing yet another pair of sunglasses, and wondering why I thought traveling solo was a great idea (hint: it was probably the wine).

I live by one rule: If it fits in a carry-on, it’s either essential or you're not packing enough snacks for your inevitable breakdown in customs.