Michele Bigley is a two-time Lowell Thomas award-winning travel journalist who has danced on six continents. Her writing and photography have appeared in the New York Times, Wired, Hidden Compass, Outside, AFAR, Los Angeles Times, Brides, CNN, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Yes!, Islands, Tiferet Journal, Via, Smart Set, Columbia Journal, Catamaran, Mutha magazine, inflight magazines and many more. When not traveling, she teaches writing classes at University of California, San Diego and UCLA Extension Writer’s Program.

Mary Ann Fearing is a senior publicist at J/PR, where she works hand-in-hand with editors and writers across the globe to bring place-based stories to life. Her affinity for storytelling has helped her land coverage in publications including The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and Food & Wine, among others. A born-and-bred North Carolinian, she graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a degree in communication studies and spent time abroad at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Ligaya Malones is a San Diego-based freelance writer covering the intersection of travel, food, culture and wellness. Her travel and food writing can be found around the web and in print, including New York Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, Bon Appétit, Mic, Salt & Wind and more. She is also a contributing writer for San Diego Magazine.

Sara Clemence is a freelance writer and former editor for The Wall Street Journal and Travel + Leisure. Her work has appeared in the Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vogue, Esquire, Conde Nast Traveler, Bloomberg Businessweek and many other publications. She graduated from Johns Hopkins and Columbia Journalism School, and lives with her husband and two children.