Hitha Palepu is the kind of person who’s able to pinpoint when to roll and when to fold clothes for optimal suitcase space, while weaving in anecdotes from 14-hour flights, Star Wars references, and namechecking the latest Eagles trade. She’s also the kind person to sign a book deal the day after giving birth to her first kid. 

Learn more about Team SG’s travel contributor below, then run through the Style Girlfriend highlight reel from Megan, Gabi, Brit, Taylor, and Ashley.

Below, 25 things you don’t know about Hitha Palepu:

1. I wrote a book! And it’s finally on sale. And you should definitely buy it.

2. I was an extra in this Bollywood movie. You can’t see me at all, but my arm was a part of this fist pumping scene (at 3:08). Despite the name of the film, most of it was filmed in Philadelphia.

3. Speaking of Philly, I’m a diehard Eagles fan. The Nick Foles/Sam Bradford trade put me in labor. I still miss LeSean McCoy…

4. I’ve visited 6 out the 7 continents. Just Antarctica to go!

5. Megan and I were Internet friends for 3 years before we actually met. Our friendship was firmly solidified after a 5 hour brunch. With lots of mimosas. LOTS.

6. My husband and I are angel investors in addition to our day jobs. We’ve invested in MM.LaFleur and Werk to date, and love talking about the industries or problems we’d like to invest in next. Nerds.

7. My favorite cocktail is an extra dirty martini with Ketel One vodka. Favorite wine is a really crisp champagne or sparkling wine.

8. After New York and Philadelphia, my favorite city in the United States is New Orleans. I love a city that has incredible food, a vibrant energy, and a story to tell.

9. I had originally planned to be a pediatric oncologist or a patent lawyer growing up.

10. Instead, I run a tech company and am a writer. My dad still doesn’t understand what I actually do.

11. My all-time favorite movie is The Godfather. Every year, we watch the entire trilogy (fast-forwarding through the awful Sofia Coppola scenes).

12. When I was seven, a kid called me “Hit The Pile Of Poo” when I said my name (Hitha Palepu). The nickname stuck all through middle school. It may have factored in my willingness to move to England for 8th grade (and also gave me a really thick skin).

13. I went to three schools my freshman year of high school – in England, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. It was…interesting.

14. I danced Bharathanatyam (Indian classical dance) for most of my childhood, and performed my graduation recital when I was 13. It was a solo, 3 hour performance with a live orchestra. My mother made me dance the whole performance again a year later in India for my family who couldn’t make the first one.

15. I’m obsessed with Taco Bell. My husband proposed to me with a Taco Bell sauce packet, and we dressed up as a taco and sauce packets for our first family Halloween.

16. As much as I love food and cooking, I can’t cook Indian food to save my life. I keep asking my parents to teach me, and they keep blowing me off.

17. My go-to karaoke songs are “Baby Got Back” and “Livin’ On A Prayer”

18. I fell for my husband when we both said “Like in Gattaca!” during one of our first long conversations. Like I said – nerds.

19. I think Pride & Prejudice (the book) and La La Land were overrated.

20. I graduated with degrees in chemistry and history from the University of Washington (U DUB!). I currently use neither of them in my current work.

21. I do continue to read a lot of history, especially that of the British and Russian royal families. For fun.

22. I’d love to write novels that retell The Iliad and The Odyssey from the women’s points of view. One day…

23. I can’t go to sleep without closing every browser window and every app on my iPhone, and cleaning the screen and case.

24. My first love was my first car – a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I named Bertha. I cried when I sold her 3 years ago. I’m still sad about it.

25. If Toto’s “Africa” comes on anywhere – at home or in a public place – I can’t stop myself from singing along. Which is slightly embarrassing, since I don’t know any of the words except for the chorus.

TELL US: 

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION? WHAT ABOUT YOUR KARAOKE SONG?