About Me

Where I am and where I am coming from.

Introduction

Hi there, my name is Sandra Hundacker!

I live in the Seattle area and call the Pacific Northwest home now, but most of my life was spent in Germany. That’s where my mom passed on the travel bug, and where my father taught me about the world of alternative health concepts and balanced lifestyles. I’ve been hooked ever since!

Traveling is amazing for so many reasons. First of all, it is exciting to travel and it gives you a sense of accomplishment. But furthermore, it connects you to other cultures, creates meaningful relationships, it is education, opens your eyes, helps you learn who you are, gives you perspective, and is food for thought.

Now add wellness to the mix and you become more mindful, relaxed, healthy, and inspired. I like to think of this combination as “slow travel” and hope you will follow along on these concepts, thoughts, and journeys, where travel and wellness is a wonderful trip to balance your life while on the road or at home.

Discover My Story

I have a distinctive profession: I specialize in designing and managing travel guides, dedicating a significant portion of my time to researching travel destinations. Due to a personal interest, I extend this passion to spa resorts and wellness options. Overall, I possess a robust background across the travel, hotel, and wellness industries.

My professional journey is a mosaic of different puzzle pieces that come together to form a comprehensive picture, each piece leading me to this profession and distinguishing me. My foundation includes a commercial education, studies in business administration, and mastery in Travel- and Tourism Management and Hospitality. Additional education in Graphic Design and Multimedia have complemented my portfolio and expertise.

With two decades of hands-on experience as a service staff and manager in the hotel and restaurant industry, along with roles as a web designer and content manager in the IT industry, I’ve honed my attention to detail. For the past 10 years, I’ve been an integral part of Rick Steves Europe, overseeing approximately 80 travel guides in all creative aspects. When feasible, I conduct research and edits during my European travels, enriching my understanding of travel experiences and consumer expectations.

Having a passion for travel and working in the travel sector for decades has led me to explore more than 50 countries globally, providing me with a broad comparative basis to understand cultural nuances and local standards.

The blog’s name, hundertmorgen, is a nod to my last name, Hundacker, and was a creative idea from my late father. It cleverly combines “Hund” (as in the number hundert and German for hundred) and “Acker” (as in Morgen regionally used for Acker and German for acre), revealing an interesting historical facet of my name and ancestors who owned a hundred acres of land.

My father, a masseur and medical bath attendant (known as Saunameister in Germany), influenced my early exposure to wellness through regular weekly sauna visits with my mom since the ’70s. With experience in sauna and other wellness concepts for nearly half a century, combined with my extensive tenure in the travel, hotel, and restaurant industry, I bring a seasoned perspective and meticulous approach.

Germany with my parents in the 70ies

I have been living in the USA since 2010, initially in New York and for the past 12 years in Seattle. My work regularly appears in Rick Steves’ material, and I contribute my photography to his travel guides and his column, the Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, The Times Colonist, SFGATE, and other publications. Being a long-time member of the Rick Steves’ Europe team surrounded by adventurous colleagues is a source of immense fortune, and the opportunity to engage in conversations about travel and assist those embarking on their adventures is not just a job—it’s a rewarding passion.

IST Studieninstitut Duesseldorf - Tourism Management & Hospitality