Matthew Houde fell in love with the outdoors while growing up on a river in Maine. When his family moved to the island of Bermuda for a short time, he then fell in love with the beach. Matthew obtained a bachelor's degree in environmental science from Western New England College. He enjoys boating, fishing (usually not catching), and travel. He moved to Costa Rica with his wife in 2013, where he divides his time between writing, photography, and studying spanish.