With her bright blonde hair pulled back, a wide smile and a camera in one hand, University alumna Natalie Webb is a force to be reckoned with.

Selected for STA Travel’s 2010 World Traveler Internship, Webb and Chicago-resident Casey Hudetz will spend three months visiting an array of countries including such exotic locales as Peru, Brazil, Australia, Thailand, Japan, Turkey, Egypt and multiple nations in Western Europe.

University alumna Natalie Webb is getting ready for a whirlwind trip abroad. Photo by Abbey Boehmer.

Applying on a whim after finding the internship through her brother’s Facebook, Webb’s decision to apply led to what she described as a “dream come true.”

“When I found out, just wow, I was like, ‘I believe in miracles,’” Webb said. “My mom screamed on the phone and started tearing up because she knows it was such a dream of mine, and to have a dream like that come true was such a surreal feeling.”

All expenses for the trip are paid, and both Hudetz and Webb will spend their trip blogging, taking photos and making videos of their experiences.

STA will post these  items online at worldtravelerintern.com.

Webb grew up watching shows on The Travel Channel, and she said she’s wanted to be a travel host since age 5.

“In an ideal world, I’d love to be part of the production or behind the scenes,” Webb said of working in travel media. “I think this could be a really good thing to get that foot in the door or will be a really great experience that I can take to work at any sort of travel PR agency.”

After graduating in 2008 with a degree in public relations, Webb spent one summer working in the marketing field and two years working for the Wesley Foundation’s Freshman Ministry at the University.

“I will be watching every single blog post and video post, without a doubt,” Wesley’s Freshman Ministry Director Stephen Byerly said. “Natalie Webb has changed peoples’ lives and will continue to do so.” 

Driven by an urge to connect with people and explore the world’s diversity, Webb fostered a love of travel before even thinking about the internship. 

She has already traveled to 14 countries in her lifetime.

“I think travel is an incredible opportunity to expand your horizons and be immersed into culture,” Webb said. “I did study abroad with UGA at Oxford and UGA España. You are just exposed to so many different cultures of people, but you also discover that life is so similar.”

Even in the middle of a busy workday — with neon poster scraps, craft supplies and stacks of food covering the buildings at the Wesley Foundation — Webb maintains her passion for people and students.

“Natalie impacted the entire ministry just with her light and joy,” Byerly said. “When she walks in the room, people are just happier, full of joy and have smiles on their faces. Natalie has all this light within her, and she’s going to take that wherever she goes.”

Webb said she is motivated to continue to tour the world because of the intimate  connections she can make with different people across nations and cultures.

“Go and see different places in the world just to be able to understand that you are a part of something so much bigger,” Webb advised. “The world doesn’t revolve around the Athens bubble that sometimes I feel we can get caught up in.”

Both interns will start their trips May 31, and Webb said she is excited but apprehensive about such a major change.

“I’ve been in Athens for six years, and I have two weeks before this massive life change,” Webb said. “It’s a little overwhelming, but the benefits outweigh the costs. I couldn’t really think of a better job, and I am so pumped.”