Backpacking through Europe, train ride after train ride, staying in little hostels, just being on the road looking for something new, meeting new people and discovering unknown places - this may be some peoples’ dream, but another man is living it.
      Jeff Faletto grew up in a small town in Georgia near Atlanta. He was just a small-town kid looking for some exciting adventure. Jeff’s need for daring, over-the-edge journeys all started at the age of ten, after watching the show “Wild Kingdom.” Every Sunday, Jeff would watch his favorite TV show and see childhood hero fight their way through life: going through odd adventures, trying to catch the bad guy and being out in the wild where there aren’t any people. All this made Jeff realize what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
      After growing up in such a tiny town, Jeff decided that the family life wasn’t for him - he needed more than that. He needed to adventure through life – and have the freedom to do so. You can’t take children on adventures when you’re moving all the time. Jeff knew that wouldn’t be fair to them.
      Exploring around the globe, Jeff has been to nearly all of the states, has lived in the Caribbean for sixteen months, has been to the tip of South America, and many other countries. However, one of his favorite places to visit has been Europe. Every year, Jeff will save up his money and go backpacking all over Europe. He rides from train to train, stays in small hostels (very cheap student lodging), and hikes the mountains or whatever else he can find. Right now he lives in Alaska, but plans to move somewhere else because, “It is way too cold up here.” After only living in Alaska for one and a half months, Jeff realized that it wasn’t for him, although he greatly enjoys hiking the mountains and being able to wake up to such a spectacular view each morning.
      Jeff Faletto likes to live his life on the edge. For his whole life, people have told him that was crazy for even thinking about doing the things he has done. Jeff says his motto is “Go for it.” Don’t be scared to prove everyone wrong. I asked what advice he would give to someone who likes adventure and he said, “Don’t listen to other people. They will tell you that what you say is crazy and way to scary. Don’t listen. Believe in yourself and do what you want. You never know what you will find.”