About Elizabeth

Travel has been the focus of my life for as long as I can remember.

The youngest of a gaggle of kids, I had to get on a plane if I wanted to visit siblings that had moved to other states and started their own families. As a college student, I took a group tour to Europe and couldn’t figure out why the majority of my fellow travelers hung out in bars with other Americans when there were local people to meet and out-of-the-way neighborhoods to discover.

After college I taught elementary school, which paid the rent and gave me long breaks that I used to explore the world. I also took two leaves of absence and lived in Munich during one and used the other year to wander around the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. Finally, I took the plunge and quit teaching and started writing.

It was the single best decision I’ve made in my life. I love experiencing new destinations and sharing them with other travelers in words and pictures.

I travel alone or with my husband and sometimes nowadays with our extended family. Because I have an established byline, I am invited – almost daily – on press trips, but I never go because I refuse to be dragged around like a tourist. Travel is almost like a religion to me and no one is going to tell me that I can’t stop at a public market I just stumbled upon or I have to leave a café where I’ve just started talking with some lovely local people.

Elizabeth and authentic travel

I’ve written hundreds of articles for newspaper travel sections and for magazines such as National Geographic Traveler, Islands, and Travel & Leisure. I’ve also authored a dozen guidebooks in the Frommer series, including all their books to Australia, New Zealand, and San Diego. Should you be interested, a more complete bio can be found on my Web site.

These days, in addition to writing “Authentic Luxury Travel,” I have another website La Jolla Travel Information and I am the Travel Editor of Ranch & Coast, San Diego’s luxury lifestyle magazine.

My specialty is finding and reporting on authentic experiences. I remain a staunch advocate of traveling off-the-beaten-path, and I get great pleasure in sharing what I’ve learned as I’ve roamed the world with other travelers.

I’d love to keep in touch with you on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook and Google+

Cheers,

Elizabeth