MEET THE CONTRIBUTORS

Allison Yates is a traveler and writer with a passion for human rights. She’s lived in Argentina, Spain, and Australia and is currently seeking the next destination. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.Mary Zakheim is a travel writer who loves long plane rides, big glasses of wine, great white sharks, and taking lengthy naps on logs throughout a hike. She lives in Brooklyn and enjoys eating her way through the neighborhood. Follow her on Instagram and check out her website.Journalist Beth D’Addono is a freelance food and travel writer who contributes regularly to USA Today, AAA Traveler, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, and many more. She is also the author of the books 100 Things to do in New Orleans Before You Die and The Hunt Guide New Orleans, an insider’s guide to some of the best independently-owned restaurants and shops in New Orleans. Follow her on Instagram.

Veteran travel journalist Susan R. Pollack is a grammar and punctuation nerd who delights in detecting and correcting errors. When she’s not out globetrotting, she’ll be poring over stories at Second Chance Travels where she has signed on as copy editor (and occasional story contributor). Susan took a buyout in 2012 from The Detroit News after 36 years and continues to write the travel blog, detroitnews.com/travelblog. Her award-winning freelance stories and photos have appeared in recent years in the Dallas News, Toronto Star, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Edmonton Journal, and Small Newspaper Group (five papers in Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota) and magazines including Delta Sky, Experience Michigan, Prevue Meetings, Hour Detroit, Michigan Meetings + Events, Long Weekends, AAA-Carolinas Go!, Group Tour, and Venture Michigan. She also has contributed to several books, including Rand McNally 2008 Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide, and travel websites such as travelingmom.com and home&away.com. Most recently, Susan is a recognized Michigan expert for USA Today. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram. 

Johanna Read is a Canadian freelance writer and photographer specializing in travel, food, and responsible tourism. Writing for Canadian and international publications, she likes to encourage travel that is culturally, economically, and environmentally sustainable. Johanna is a former Government of Canada executive who used to take all-inclusive beach vacations. She now visits four, five, and even six continents annually, often solo. She’d love your follows on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Links to her travel stories are on her website.Ana Astri-O’Reilly is a fully bilingual travel blogger and writer originally from Argentina. She now lives in Dallas, USA, with her husband. Besides writing on her travel blogs, Ana Travels and Apuntes Ideas Imagenes, Ana has published travel and food articles in a variety of outlets. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.Stacey Ebert is a freelance writer, event planner, blogger, volunteer coordinator, and educator who has traveled to more than 50 countries. She met her Australian-born husband while on a trip in New Zealand, had an international courtship, and later took a 10-month honeymoon to follow the sun around the world. Writing about adventure, journey, and perspective-changing life shifts, she encourages travelers to take the leap, use the world as their classroom, and get outside their comfort zones. She is a former high school teacher, has a Master’s degree in Education, consults on events of all kinds, and has a love of travel, hiking, yoga, dark chocolate, and all things beach-related. She has lived in Long Beach (New York), Melbourne (Australia), and is presently based in San Diego (California). Check out her blog, and follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.Chelle Koster Walton lives on Sanibel Island, Florida, and  has  authored thousands of travel and food articles and more than a dozen guidebooks, including Fodor’s guides; Sarasota, Sanibel Island & Naples; The Bahamas Explorer’s Guide; and DK Eyewitness Florida Family Guide. Chelle is the Naples, Florida, and a Caribbean expert for USA Today’s 10Best.com and Florida correspondent for FamilyVacationCritic.com. She was contributing editor for Caribbean Travel & Life for 12 years and still specializes in Caribbean travel as well as Florida and island travel and food. Check out her websites chellekosterwalton.com and ChellesTripNDineFL.com, and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.Deanne Revel is a travel writer and social media producer based in Seattle, Washington. She loves adventure (even if it scares her). She’ll try anything once, whether that’s rappelling down a waterfall or eating fermented shark. Deanne is a packing pro and is passionate about LGBT travel and anything theme parks. When not on assignment, you can find her birdwatching, stargazing, or kayaking with her partner. Follow her travels on Instagram.Sandra Gordon has more than 20 years of experience writing about health, nutrition and lifestyle topics. After spending much of her working life at her desktop computer and living in her head, she’s on a mission to get out there and write about it. Check out her website and her blog on baby products. Follow Sandra on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Kathleen Walls is the author of travel books Georgia’s Ghostly Getaways, Finding Florida’s Phantoms, Hosts With Ghosts, and Wild About Florida series. Her articles appear in Georgia Magazine, Family Motor Coaching, Weekender Extended, Southern USA Visitor, Tours4Mobile, and others. She is a photographer also with many of her original photographs appearing in her travel magazine as well as other publications.  She has several travel guides online as well. Her fiction, which often leans heavily on her travels, includes Kudzu, Under A Bloody Flag, Under A Black Flag, and Last Step, which was made into a feature movie of the same name by Forbes Productions. Visit her ezine, American Roads and Global Highways at americanroads. Follow Kathleen on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.Fiona Tapp is a freelance writer, blogger, and educator. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Post, Brides, HuffPost, SheKnows, Parent.co, and many others. She has traveled to more than 20 countries and regularly writes on world travel and parenting. She is a former teacher of 13 years and Master’s degree holder in Education. Fiona is a Brit abroad, and when she’s not writing, she enjoys thunderstorms and making Playdough cars with her toddler. Follow her on Twitter  and Facebook and check out her website.Emma Penelope is a licensed acupuncturist and freelance writer from Minneapolis. Born to a poet Father and painter Mother, Emma has found artistic outlets to be an integral part life, which has led her to find creative expression through writing. Emma has written for publications such as, PauseAcupuncture, JustBeParenting Magazine, the Matador Review, and Nightingale Health. She has spent a significant portion of her life traveling and living in different countries around the world in the hopes of sharing cross-cultural stories to global readers. Follow her on Facebook, and check out her website.
Beth Kanter is the author of Washington, DC Chef’sTable, a collection of stories, photographs, and recipes from Washington’s most popular restaurants and the forthcoming Great Food Finds Washington DC due out in 2017. Beth also is the author of Food Lovers’ Guide to Washington DC and two editions of Day Trips from Washington DC — all from Globe Pequot Press. Beth’s essays and articles have appeared in a range of national newspapers, magazines, and online publications including the Chicago Tribune, The Kitchn, Paste, Kiwi, Parents, American Baby, and Shape. Beth earned an MSJ from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and, when not writing, leads writing workshops. Follow her on Instagram.