From the traditional family getaway to hidden treasures, UpTake’s Beach Blog is here to tell you all about beaches. If you are the adventurous type we’ll point you to the very source of adrenaline pumping beach fun! Or perhaps you are looking for some great beach bars? Whatever type of beach life you pursue, UpTake’s Beach Blog is here to guide you there.

Here are the members of our team:

Sebastien Adventuring in Nigeria

Sebastien Tobler, Lead Editor for UpTake’s Beach Blog, is a freelance producer with clients such as the Travel Channel, an award winning blogger for Colliding Continents and a manager at an interactive marketing firm focusing on the hospitality industry. Sebastien has been blogging for two years and has been traveling for the past 26 years. He currently resides in Washington, DC but has lived in Switzerland, the Philippines, Poland, Indonesia, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Coming from a diverse cultural background coupled with an agenda to never stop moving around, Sebastien is finding every way to inspire people to break out of their comfort zone and explore the world.

Sebastien’s favorite vacation: In the late 1990’s I found myself absolutely in need of a beach fix. The hustle and bustle of Bangkok, Thailand needed to be washed away – temporarily. Within a few hours I was on a seven hour ride on a minivan heading towards a pier where I would catch a  boat to Koh Chang, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. An hour on a long-tail boat and some wandering around brought me to a bungalow on a beach. The blue waters were warm and the best part was the unforgettable sunset and the lack of tourists. Almost a decade has passed and Koh Chang is now developed, like the islands in southern Thailand. Despite this, I smile at the thought of having been there while it was still raw – and magically I am there watching that sunset all over again.

Barbara Ann Weibel

Barbara Ann Weibel worked in corporate marketing and public relations for more than 20 years before leaving to pursue her true loves of travel, writing, and photography. In 2007 she strapped on a backpack and traveled solo around the world for six months, visiting 17 countries in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Pacific Rim, Africa, and Europe, blogging about her experiences along the way. These days, Barbara divides her time between her popular travel and life blog, Hole In The Donut, and writing freelance articles for a variety of traditional magazines and online entities. She travels six months each year and is currently writing a memoir about her extensive travels.

Barbara’s Favorite Vacations: I prefer to travel without reservations or a concrete schedule, which allows me to take advantages of opportunities I would otherwise miss if I had to stick to an itinerary. Hostels are my favorite places to stay, because backpackers are an invaluable source of information about undiscovered destinations where I can have a “real” travel experience. I love Spain, New Zealand, Bali, and Italy, although Thailand remains my all-time favorite destination, and I found living with the Maasai in Tanzania to be an eye-opening experience that put me fully in touch with my gratitude.