Last updated on October 19, 2026 by Shannon
Welcome to A Little Adrift. I’m Shannon O’Donnell, and this site has been my home since I left the U.S. in 2008 to travel the world. It started as a way to share that trip and has grown into a resource for anyone feeling adrift—looking for a change, or for the courage to make long-term travel real.
I grew up in a sleepy town in Florida, studied Advertising/Public Relations at the University of Central Florida, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Two years in, I packed up my life on a spur-of-the-moment decision to travel the world for a year while volunteering along the way—and funding it with remote work let me shovel out from under the medical debt of an ill-timed broken arm. It worked well enough, and was fun enough, that one year turned into ten.
That focus on local-level service led to my first book, The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook (2012), reviewed well by Booklist, Midwest Book Review, and National Geographic Traveler‘s Marilyn Terrell. In 2013, National Geographic named me a Traveler of the Year, and my writing and photography have since been featured on NPR, BBC Travel, Canada’s Globe and Mail, USA Today, Lonely Planet, and Cosmopolitan Italy—full press details here.
I’ve lived in Spain as an expat since 2018, and these days I travel with my son, reporting back on what actually works—and what doesn’t—when you bring a kid along. I also speak regularly: with students about travel and international volunteering, and at travel-industry conferences about SEO and web marketing.
What’s on this site
A Little Adrift focuses on:
- Slow, local-level grassroots travel
- Connecting to cultures through respect and service
- Practical advice for planning long-term travel
- Traveling as a vegetarian
- Tools and resources for living and working abroad
I also run Grassroots Volunteering, connecting travelers to vetted local causes—an outgrowth of the same service-minded approach.
Quick start
- My year-long round-the-world route
- Full travel planning resources
- Destination guides by country
- Recommended travel books
- Working remotely on the road
- Full travel photography archive
- What I’m working on right now
Connect
Contact me directly, or find me on Instagram, Facebook, or by email/newsletter.
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That’s all I have for you on this page, folks—why not start with the “Best Of” A Little Adrift page? It’s got my favorite travel stories.