Christina Ricchiuti is a freelance travel blogger and photographer based out of Washington, DC. She is a regular contributor to GoGirlGuides.com and her work has also appeared on sites such as TravelChannel.com, Gadling.com and Examiner.com.

A connoisseur of solo and adventure travel, she's traveled throughout Europe, the US, Patagonia and most recently spent a month backpacking throughout Australia and New Zealand. Her greatest solo travel achievement to date is finding a bus to take her from Punta Arenas, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina based purely on the strength of her hand signals.

Follow Christina's adventures on her website www.packedsuitcase.com and follow her on Twitter @packDsuitcase