Sarah Marquis sums herself up with one sentence: “I was born with two legs, so I decided to use them.”

A native of Switzerland, she may have used her legs more than anybody else on Earth! Now in her 40s, she has been exploring the world on foot for more than 20 years. In fact, she just got back from one of her walks, which took her across three continents, from Siberia through Mongolia to China and all the way to Australia. It took her three years to complete the walk and earned her the title of National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year.

Sarah describes her lifelong passion for exploration, dating all the way back to when she was a small child and spent the night in a cave at age 7 or 8 while her mom and police searched for her. Find out why she takes on these challenges and how she prepares for months, even years, of living off the land and becoming one with nature.

She also explains what it was like as a white, female to travel alone through some of the world’s most dangerous places, including coming under attack more than once.

Despite her harsh meetings with men, she describes the invisible link and connection she shared with women of all cultures across the world, despite the fact that they rarely spoke the same language.

Click here to visit Sarah’s website and see pictures and read blog entires from her travels.