Raya Zimmerman

Minneapolis, MN

Working as a reporter, I find that interviewing people, asking questions, researching a topic and writing about it is....simply me.

I like talking to people and piecing stories together, so using my job title is my excuse to ask a lot of questions.

Prior to returning to my homeland of the Twin Cities at the end of 2012, I was hard to find on a map.

My backpacking adventures through Europe ignited the fire to continue traveling, so after contemplating whether I should get a "real" job a few months out of college, I opted for the easier, yet incredibly more difficult option. I heard that in Australia, you can make good money as a backpacker working odd, random jobs and you can also travel the country while working...

Arriving penniless, clueless and lost, I tackled the east coast of Australia by making it up as I went along.

I became a master of many things--hippie, bartender, waitiress, pig farmer, surfer, hitchhiker, friend--and in the end, I just turned into a more colorful version of myself.

Aside from travel, my hobbies include running, learning how to cook (it's been in the making for some time--I just mastered salads), yoga, reading everything, staring at clouds, and sipping red wine. I find humor in the strangest places, and sometimes I make people feel really awkward by the things I say.

One of my ambitions is to conquer the world with a pen in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, accompanied by a horde of other crazy travelers like myself with the aim to just enjoy the journey.

  • Work
    • Weekend, breaking news reporter at Pioneer Press
  • Education
    • University of Minnesota: BA in International Political Economy