Marinella is originally from California, and she has been to over 40 countries and a majority of states and provinces in North America. She went to university in Boston and has since lived in Argentina and the Czech Republic. She now lives in Quebec, Canada. After she graduated from university, her dad convinced her to join him on a bike ride from Virginia to Oregon. It was a hard sell, because Marinella disliked biking with a passion. With the help of the Adventure Cycling Association, they found the perfect route and were soon biking up to 60 miles (97 km) a day!