Contributors

ROBIN CHERRY lives in the Hudson Valley and writes about travel, food, and popular culture. She’s written two books: Catalog: The Illustrated History of Mail Order Shopping and Garlic: An Edible Biography (with over 100 recipes). She’s visited over 100 countries and has a passion for Central and Eastern Europe. Pages. 22-23. Based in Colorado, NANCY HELLMRICH is a recovering advertising creative director and active travel enthusiast. Her work includes brand alignment projects as well as travel stories. Her recent adventures include grappa tasting on the coast of Croatia, cycling in New Zealand, snuggling up in Sweden’s Ice Hotel, and glamping in the Sahara. Pages 26-27.

LISA M. GETSON A retired healthcare executive based in Southern California, Lisa is now a board member with The First Tee of Orange County and her local women’s golf association. A frequent world traveler and golfing enthusiast, she took time out of her busy schedule to reminisce about her anniversary trip to Cabo San Lucas, Page 35.

JAMES ROSS Based in Muskoka, Ontario, James is the author of Cottage Daze, which celebrates the joys of weekend cottages. He is the recipient of the 2015 Ottawa Tourism Travel Writing Award. His work has appeared in Cruise & Travel Lifestyles, Getting On Travel, Waypoints Global, Vacay Magazine, Westjet Magazine, and Travel Writers Tales. Pages 19-21. MARY BEMIS, founder of InsidersGuidetoSpas.com, is a respected spa journalist who forged a vocabulary for spa and wellness reportage that is widely used by those who cover the issues today. She is a true spa advocate who believes in the healing power of spas and the benefits of living a spa lifestyle. A longtime New Yorker, she resides in Southern Oregon, on the banks of the Rogue River. Pages 47-49.

POOJA SHAH Based in New York City, Shah is an intellectual property attorney and freelance content writer who focuses on wellness, social justice, culture, food, and entertainment. Her articles have appeared in HuffPost Personal, Vogue, Pop Sugar, VICE, Thrillist, Parents. com, and more. Read what happened on her solo trip to France on page 50.

ERIKA HARKINS A Coloradobased manager for IBM Global Business Services, Erika moved to the U.S. from Slovakia when she was 8 years old. Traveling for work reawakened her wanderlust, which she hopes to share with the world via personal stories like the one about her trek in Patagonia on pages 41-44.

SHARMISTHA CHAUDHURI

Sharmistha splits her time between Austin, New Delhi, and Calcutta. She has traveled extensively in India, Asia, Europe, and North America writing about food, culture, and art. Her work has appeared in VICE, SEEMA, Goya Journal, Outlook Traveller, Tripoto, Advantage Tennis, Hindustan Times, and The Telegraph. Page 38. CHARLEE TOM A Texan based in Florida, Charlee’s cruise industry career has taken her places – from living in Alaska, to sailing the Caribbean, to hiking Machu Picchu. On route, she has built a network of friends all over the world. We get a peek at what it’s like to VIDEO VIDÉO celebrate New Year’s with her extended family on page 25.

MICHAEL SHAPIRO Michael Shapiro recently interviewed Jane Goodall for National Geographic. His features have appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle. He’s author of The Creative Spark, a collection of interviews with creative people, winner of a 2021 Independent Publisher (IPPY) award. In Mexico, a tequila maker told him that if you drink fine agave spirits, not cheap stuff, you can avoid hangovers. That proved to be true. Mostly. Pages. 29-31