EDITOR’S LETTER

Editor-in-Chief’s LETTER

TERESA RODRIGUEZ

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Haute Living San Francisco Teresa@HauteLivingSF.com www.HauteLivingSF.com WHEN COMPLETING MY UNDERGRAD DEGREE IN AUSTRALIA, I modeled and worked for a game show that sent me on location to fabulous places like the Great Barrier Reef and Tasmania. It was then that I caught the travel bug. I moved back to the US, and any chance I got to travel, I’d pack my bags and jet. Most times, friends couldn’t join me, so I went solo. When I’d return with amazing stories of my adventures, friends started asking how I could travel alone and why I chose the places I did. With so many requests, I saw an opportunity to build a business in the travel space. So, I started a website for solo women travelers, and my first book, Fly Solo: The 50 Best Places on Earth for a Girl to Travel Alone, was published by Penguin Books a few years later. Travel is my passion, and my goal is to encourage and empower women to appreciate the world for themselves—not see it on TV or read about in a book—but to truly experience the joy you can only feel when your feet land on the soft earth in another time zone. I followed that book with Body, Mind, and Solo, which landed me a TEDx talk about traveling the world alone. That talk has inspired over 1.3 million people. So rewarding!

Last year, we had to forgo Haute Living’s annual travel issue due to COVID-19. Now that the population is getting vaccinated and the likelihood of reaching “herd immunity” by June, we wanted to make this year’s travel issue a spectacular magazine filled with awe-inspiring destinations that excite and energize you. Our goal is that you will use this issue as a guide to destinations you want to visit soon. From the exotic Shinta Mani resort in Cambodia to our local LOGE Camps in Mount Shasta, we made sure to include something for every type of traveler. Also, our intrepid writers have shared with you their coveted travel items, which make traveling a bit easier.

It looks like we are turning the corner on this virus, and the next few months will be filled with long-awaited gatherings and much-needed vacations. We hope that you will take this issue with you as you get out and see the world once again.

San Francisco’s CONTRIBUTORS

CAROLYNE ZINKO

Carolyne Zinko has long kept her antennae on the high life. She is the former editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Silicon Valley magazine and, before that, was a San Francisco Chronicle reporter for 22 years, writing about everything from crime and court hearings to largerthan-life personalities and philanthropic leaders. She lives in Menlo Park with her husband, Dan Dieguez.

SHARON SETO

A graduate of Golden Gate University and serial entrepreneur, Sharon loves the excitement and creativity of the business world and its people. Her addiction to business ventures began with the acquisition of the El Cid Building, site of the famous SF Jazz Mural. She has served as a board member, fundraiser, and event chair for nonprofit organizations, including the SF Symphony Board of Governors, City College of San Francisco Foundation Board, Red Cross Board, National Colorectal Cancer Alliance Board, SF Ballet, and Dress for Success.

STEPH KEAY

Steph Keay is a Canadian freelance and technical writer currently based in Silicon Valley. After completing her Bachelor of Commerce in her hometown of Calgary, Alberta, she spent a summer in Croatia assisting The Yacht Week with events management on the islands of Hvar and Vis. Formerly in PR/marketing, she has also placed stories for a variety of clients—including tech leaders, international artists, and acclaimed actors and musicians—with ABC, FOX, NBC, San Francisco Chronicle, The Mercury News, American Way, and others. In her spare time, she enjoys adventuring, photography, and travel— all of which she documents on on her website, StephKeay.com.

LAURIE JO MILLER FARR

Laurie is a US/UK dual citizen and dedicated urbanite who loves walkable cities. As a San Francisco-based travel writer, she enjoys views from its crazy, signature hills following half-a-lifetime promoting her two hometowns—a couple of oh-so-flat places: New York City and London. Laurie’s byline is found in USA Today, CBS, Where Traveler, Haute Living, Epicure, Fast Company, Napa Valley Life Magazine, Food & Travel Magazine, Eater, Google Touring Bird, and other major media titles. She was awarded Yahoo Contributor of the Year and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers.

BECCA HENSLEY

A bon vivant journalist who believes travel is the ultimate celebration of life awash with lessons waiting to be learned, widely-published, Texas-based Becca Hensley is travel editor for New Orleans Bride and editor-at-large for Insider’s Guide to Spas. In a career spanning three decades, she has contributed to scores of magazines and newspapers, including Architectural Digest, Elite Traveler, Global Traveler, Conde Nast Traveler, and the Houston Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @beccahensley.

ERIN HUNT MOORE

A connector, storyteller, mission-driven communicator, and mom, Erin Hunt Moore lives with her family in beautiful Sonoma wine country. A seasoned public relations and marketing consultant for over two decades, Erin has worked her PR magic for brands and companies on both US coasts and in Germany, where she studied international relations and languages. A veteran of the food and beverage world, she now focuses her energies on supporting women entrepreneurs and thought leaders, companies, and brands leading with a strong social impact ethos and non-profit organizations pioneering change in the world.

CHARLENE PETERS

Quenching a thirst for the exotic and delicious, Charlene Peters is a long-time syndicated travel journalist who creatively writes about picturesque and palatable journeys. She loves to share luxurious travel and food experiences and each destination’s distinguishable dish. Her book, Travel Makes Me Hungry, connects the world through food with 115 travel essays and 88 recipes. When she isn’t writing about food, Charlene explores wellness and wine destinations and experiences.

FRAN ENDICOTT MILLER

Fran Endicott Miller is a luxury-focused freelance feature writer for a variety of lifestyle publications and websites, editor-at-large for JustLuxe.com, and California editor for luxury travel concierge service Essentialist. Prior, she held positions in the fields of politics, television, and professional sports. She is proud to have established the Golden State Warriors’ first community relations department and programs. When not traveling, she can be found walking her Northern California neighborhood with her beloved golden retrievers Reggie and Nate.

MAR PAGES

Mar Pages is a former strategy consultant and xGoogler turned online entrepreneur, community leader, and online travel publisher. She splits her time between Once in a Lifetime Journey, where she shares her love for luxury travel and the least visited places, and Solo Female Travelers, an online resource and community with over 85,000 members that is on a mission to empower 10,000 women to travel the world solo, safely and on their own terms. Originally from Barcelona, Mar is a long-term expat who has lived in eight countries, worked in more than 40, visited 120, and is on a journey to explore them all.

MISTY MILIOTO

Misty Milioto has been a writer and editor for the past 20 years. The majority of her work has been with Modern Luxury, including Aspen Magazine, San Francisco Magazine, and Riviera San Diego. She has also written for publications such as Sunset Magazine and Colorado Homes & Lifestyles. She loves exotic destinations and luxury resorts to food and wine—and everything in between. She currently lives in New Orleans.

ROSANNA STEVENS

Rosanna Stevens is a British writer and content creator living between the UK, Belize, and California. Exploring the world provides endless inspiration for her work: writing and creating travel and food content, seeking out unique experiences, and sampling international cuisine. Rosanna writes for publications globally and publishes e-books filled with recipes picked up on her journeys abroad. She has also authored a guide to food styling and photography and documents her adventures in the kitchen and beyond on her blog. She is an accomplished jazz singer and cat mom to Ginger Rogers, an obnoxiously large orange feline.