Samantha Sotto was born in Manila, Philippines. She fell in love with Europe's crumbling manors and history when she moved to the Netherlands as a teenager and took up marketing at the Leiden campus of Webster University. She later returned to the Philippines and graduated with an AB Communications degree from the Ateneo de Manila University. She then went on to pursue an almost decade long career in brand management. Her fascination with Europe never faded, prompting pilgrimages during various states of her bank account's health. She has spent the night huddled next to her backpack on a Greek beach, honeymooned in Paris, pub-crawled through London, and attended business meetings in Düsseldorf in the pleasant company of a corporate credit card. She lives with her husband and two children, and Tennant, the world's most adorable golden retriever, in Manila.