RFT Contributors
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Who Writes for Realfoodtraveler?
People like you. Our contributors include professional travel and food writers and photographers who travel the world to bring you stories about unique places and fabulous food. We also welcome people who don’t consider themselves professional writers/photographers, but who have a passion for travel and for regional foods.
If you’re interested in joining our growing community of RFT Contributors, check out our Writer’s Guidelines and send us an email.
Ann N. YungmeyerAnn lives in Tennessee and writes travel stories for regional print and online publications. She loves a culinary or cultural quest, from cooking cactus soup in Curacao and making Norway’s national cake to celebrating alpine cheeses at a Swiss cow parade. There’s always a good story with food and drink, she believes, as great memories are often made around the table.
Betsa MarshBetsa Marsh, a SATW Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award winner, is a writer/photographer who’s reported from more than 100 countries on seven continents. Her work has appeared in such publications as National Geographic Traveler, Islands, American Way, Endless Vacation, Midwest Living, Ohio Magazine and Indianapolis Monthly, plus USA TODAY, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Cincinnati Enquirer.
Marsh is the creator of “Cincinnati Essentials” travel app for iTunes and androids and author of The Eccentric Traveler: A World of Curious Adventures. She’s past president of the Society of American Travel Writers.
Bobbie HasselbringRFT founder and the website's former editor-in-chief, Bobbie Hasselbring has been a travel junkie her entire life. She's been an award-winning writer and editor for more than 25 years and author of the regional food-travel bestsellers, The Chocolate Lover’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest and The Chocolate Lover’s Guide Cookbook.
Carla WaldemarCarla Waldemar of Minneapolis, MN, is a longtime food and travel writer. She has served as a food editor for Better Homes and Gardens and senior editor for Cuisine magazines and is the Twin Cities editor of the annual Zagat Survey. She was chosen as Travel Writer of the Year in 2021 by the Midwest Travel Journalists Association and won first place in two categories: International Travel and Culinary Writing.
Carrie DowA member of the North American Travel Journalists' Association, Carrie Dow is a freelance travel writer based in Colorado. Her work has appear in Islands, Go Nomad and Interval World. She is the Local Editor of DrinkDenver, a part of The Drink Nation, a website devoted to finding the best happy hours in cities across the U.S. She is also the founder of What's Pawsitive, a website covering animal welfare issues and animal-based travel around the world.
Chelle Koster WaltonAward-winning writer Chelle Koster Walton lives on Sanibel Island, Fla., 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. She is the Naples, Fla., 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. Read more of her work at ChellesTripNDineFL.com.
Claudia CarboneThe late Claudia Carbone was an award-winning travel writer and member of the Society of American Travel Writers, North American Travel Journalists Assoc. and Denver Woman’s Press Club. Her work was published in The Denver Post, Colorado Expression Magazine, London Sunday Telegraph, GoWorldTravel.com and RealFoodTraveler.com. Her blog Sleepin’ Around covered any place you can sleep on vacation.
Debi LanderDebi Lander is a freelance journalist and photographer specializing in travel, food and lifestyle. She currently calls Sarasota, Florida home, but frequently follows an unrelenting desire to get away and explore. While on the road, she enjoys tasting local cuisine from hole-in-the-wall eateries to fine dining and wine establishments.
Debi is a member of the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association and Society of American Travel Writers. Her website, www.bylandersea.com, features published stories from her global adventures and a link to her travel journal: The Luggage Diaries.
Her food blog, Bylandersea-Food Tales, offers restaurant, product, and cookbook reviews as well as recipe triumphs and failures in her own kitchen.
Dennis CieriDennis Cieri is a born and bred New Yorker, and a filmmaker with a passion for culture, travel, food and the environment. His Beyond Moscow travel series, which featured undiscovered Russian cities, has been acquired by Amazon Prime and by SES, a European TV network. He runs GlobTrotts.com, which promotes intrepid travel and exciting adventures. He also produced food and drink series, including Food Track Foodie and BrewYork, and several ecology documentaries, including What Lives in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal? along with multimedia stories, such as Can Sustainable Travel in the Amazon Help Reduce Forest Fires? You can find his work on Matador, DailyMotion, and his YouTube Channel.
Donnie SextonAfter an extensive career working as Public Relations Manager and Staff Photographer for the Montana Office of Tourism, Donnie Sexton left the government world to pursue her passion for storytelling and freelance photography. She seeks out the unknown in her travels and explores off-the-beaten-path destinations to share with her audience. She uses her award-winning images to bring her stories to life. Follow her travels on Instagram @donniesexton1.
Edward PlacidiDiscovering his passion for exploring the world ‒ and sampling its foods ‒ as a teenager, freelance writer/photographer Edward Placidi has rambled to the far corners of the planet on solo, independent adventures and on assignments for publications. He has left footprints behind in 124 countries (so far). His has penned articles and shot photographs for numerous newspapers, magazines and websites, served on staff with several magazines, and co-founded Placidi & Gerlich Communications (P&G), a boutique PR and marketing agency specializing in travel and hospitality. When not traveling, he is whipping up delicious dishes inspired by his Tuscan grandmother who taught him to cook, with as many ingredients as possible coming from the large vegetable and herb garden at his home in Los Angeles.
Elizabeth Margolis-Pineo, East Coast EditorElizabeth “Libby” Margolis-Pineo knows her way around a tasting menu. She’s attended countless wine, sake, and beer tastings and she loves all things brunchy and boozy. She’smashed ripe Tuscan figs into her mouth straight from the tree, ordered Poutine well past midnight in Montreal, and will eat the skin of just about any roasted animal, especially pig. In addition to being a food and travel writer, Libby imports a line of cozy and stylish shawls from Italy – “Italian Warmth for Maine Winters." She is also founder and editor of EpicuriousTravelers.com which she created to showcase her published work and ongoing adventures. Libby is delighted to be East Coast Editor of RealFoodTraveler.com.
Irene Middleman ThomasIrene Middleman Thomas writes about travel, food, craft beers, food, lifestyle, food, business, food and just about anything else. She thinks enjoying food is essential to enjoying life.
Irvina Lew, Europe EditorIrvina Lew, RFT's Europe Editor, is the author of Forays in France: A Flavorful Memoir, The newly launched culinary travelogue is brimming with delicious anecdotes about food in Paris, The Riviera and Wine Regions and features travel tips and make-at-home recipes for French favorites. The award-winning travel writer has savored traveling to Europe since she studied at The Sorbonne, at age 19 and been published in dozens of national and regional publications. Her mission is to meet new people, sip wonderful wines, sup memorable meals, stay in haute hotels and spa in splendiferous wellness retreats and share those experiences with readers. Her writing credentials include membership in the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Society of American Travel Writers and The Society of Professional Journalists. The Long Island based widow is a former French, Spanish and ESL teacher, mom to three daughters, grandmère to Emma Lov and abuelita to Sage. Order Forays personally signed from: foraysinfrance.com or from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.
Jimmy McDonough, Eco-Friendly Food, Travel & Adventure EditorJimmy McDonough is co-owner of RealFoodTraveler.com and our Eco-Friendly Food, Travel & Adventure Editor. He has written about travel, dining, arts and culture for a variety of outlets. A lifelong nature lover, Jimmy is a Colorado native who craves being outdoors at every opportunity. Hiking, camping, and simply being still amid the wonder of a forest, desert, or an ocean, is his happy place. In his decades of travel, Jimmy has seen the accelerating damage of modern society on the natural world and realized his personal choices matter. He is determined to reduce his negative impact on the planet’s ecosystems and societies, and shares useful information and experiences to help RFT readers make eco-friendly travel choices.
Julie HatfieldJulie Hatfield was a staff writer for The Boston Globe for 22 years, winning a spot on Boston Magazine’s “Print Dream Team” for her reporting on lifestyle, fashion, society and travel. She left the Globe to pursue freelance travel writing and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalists Association, winning a Gold Prize Award and other honors for her travel writing. She writes for Hemispheres Magazine, TravelWorldInternationalMagazine, RealFoodTraveler.com, luxegetaways.com, GoNomad.com, WhereBoston, GlobalTraveler.com and others.
Kathy WittKathy Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer whose work appears in a number of publications and outlets. She is the author of seven books, including “Perfect Day Kentucky: Day Trips, Weekend Getaways and Other Escapes” and "Secret Cincinnati: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful & Obscure" and the historical novel "The Secret of the Belles." She is currently writing “100 Things To Do in Kentucky Before You Die” and a children’s travel book. Kathy is a member of Authors Guild and Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). She lives in Kentucky.
Leslie LongLeslie Long is a New York-based travel and lifestyle writer and photographer with a love of authentic places off the tourist track. She and her family often cross many state lines and travel far and wide in search of fabulous food and indigenous restaurants. She enjoys baking pies, growing as many herbs and vegetables as she can in containers ,and the constant pursuit of things that are wonderful and new. LeslieLong.com
Lina ZeldovichLina Zeldovich fished for piranhas in the Amazon, cooked a zebu stew in Madagascar, sipped a drink made from a venomous snake in Peru—and always lived to write the story. She writes about food, travel, culture, history, eco-tourism, science and sustainability. Her work appeared in AAA Traveler Worldwise, AARP, BBC, Smithsonian, NatGeo, BBC, Toronto Star, Atlas Obscura, AFAR, Saturday Evening Post, Sierra Club, and TravelAge West. She holds several journalism awards including NATJA’s gold, silver and bronze. A culture shock junkie and a tree hugger, she lives in New York because she can fly nonstop to almost anywhere. Find her on X @LinaZeldovich
Lisa TruesdaleLisa Truesdale is a freelance writer based in Colorado. She writes regularly about travel and tourism, food and drink, and healthy living topics for a variety of regional, national, and international publications.
Meryl PearlsteinTraveling has given Meryl Pearlstein a chance to "live" all over the world, something she's always longed to do. Meryl loves everything having to do with travel, dining and the arts. Her articles have appeared in Gayot, TravelAwaits, City Guide, Crain’s 5boros, New York Magazine, Global Traveler, GQ, Boston Herald, Fortune Small Business online, Northshore Magazine, Travel Squire, Hotel & Motel Management, IN New York Magazine, Where Traveler, and Fodor’s Guide to New York City. A member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), New York Travel Writers, IFWTWA and NAJTA, Meryl is the author of Fodor’s Family: New York City with Kids and a contributor to AAA Magazines, Splash Magazines, Go World Travel Magazine and Food Wine Travel Magazine. Meryl’s blog, Travel and Food Notes, www.travelandfoodnotes.com, is a companion to her column on www.AllNY.com. Follow her on social media @merylpearlstein and @foodandtravelwithmeryl.
Pamela Dittmer McKuenPamela Dittmer McKuen is a Chicago-based freelance features journalist who specializes in travel, home and fashion. Favorite experiences include swimming with whale sharks in Cancun, fishing for piranha in the Amazon River and viewing the annual sandhill crane migration in Nebraska. Plus, eating most anything. She hates playing Scrabble. Visit her travel blog at: www.AllTheWritePlaces.com.
RFT ContributorRFT Contributor- Realfoodtraveler.com has regular contributors, but sometimes people contact us with a one- or two-time contribution. We appreciate these contributors. If you’d like to be one, contact editor@realfoodtraveler.com.
Rich GrantRich Grant is co-author with Irene Rawlings of “100 Things to Do in Denver Before You Die,” and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Writers Association.
Ron Stern, Hospitality EditorRon Stern, known as The Global Gumshoe, is a 23-year international food and travel photojournalist. Ron is passionate about all aspects of the hospitality industry including food, beverage, lodging, travel, tourism, and recreation. Contact Ron at travelwriter01@comcast.net.
Ron’s articles have appeared in hundreds of publications both in print and online. These include The Epoch Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Sun-Sentinel, Baltimore Sun, San Diego Union-Tribune, Yahoo News, PBS, Mobil Travel Guides, and MSN. Magazines include Shape, Cruise, AAA Motorist, and Canadian Traveler, to name a few. He is a frequent public speaker both in the U.S. and Canada. He has presented his tourism and photography to thousands of travelers at venues such as The National Restaurant Association, colleges, libraries, tourism offices, REI, and Whole Foods.
Sandy BornsteinSandy has visited more than 40 countries and lived as an international teacher in Bangalore, India. Sandy’s award-winning book, May This Be the Best Year of Your Life, is a resource for people contemplating an expat lifestyle and living outside their comfort zone. Sandy writes about food, family, intergenerational, and active midlife adventures highlighting land and water experiences, historical sites, and Jewish culture and history. You can follow Sandy on Facebook and Instagram.
Sharon KurtzSharon Kurtz, an accomplished travel writer and award-winning photographer based in Austin, Texas, is dedicated to exploring the world and sharing her adventures through compelling storytelling. She intricately weaves together her love for travel and food, immersing readers in diverse cultures and flavors both at home and across the globe. Enjoy more of Sharon’s writing on her website, or follow her on Instagram.
Sherry SpitsnaugleSherry Spitsnaugle, guidebook author, travel writer, wife and dog mom, first expressed her urge to explore at age four when she packed up her little red wagon and took off for an adventure - around the block. Today, she continues to fulfill her travel bug tendencies and believes that whether it’s street food or fine dining, cuisine is one of the best parts of being on the road.
Suzanne Corbett, RFT Food History EditorSuzanne Corbett is RFT's Food History Editor. She's a national award-winning writer and media producer who currently contributes News Magazine Network, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StLSportsPage.com, AAA Traveler and Journey Magazines. Suzanne is the author The Gilded Table: Recipe and Table History from the Campbell House (2015 Donning Publishing) and Pushcarts & Stalls: The Soulard Market History Cookbook (1999 Palmerston & Reed Publishing). She's won two Telly Awards, a Davey Award, the Missouri Media Award and more.
Teresa BergenTeresa Bergen, a freelance journalist who lives in Portland, Oregon, has been a vegetarian for more than 30 years. Her travel articles have appeared in India Currents, Yogi Times, The Circumference, Examiner.com and the Catholic Travel Guide. She’s the author of Vegetarian Asia Travel Guide. In addition to being a vegetarian and a journalist, Teresa is a yoga and group exercise instructor and personal trainer.
Yvette Cardozo, RFT Ski & Dive EditorYvette Cardozo from the Seattle, Washington area, likes to visit interesting places and learn about interesting cultures and, if a tasty local dish is involved, so much the better. She’s eaten everything from gourmet food at the world’s finest restaurants to native food in Asia, the arctic, and all kinds of places in between.
Yvette recalls being in Antarctica and going out on the land with Inuit elders in arctic Canada , then bagging a caribou. They dragged it back to camp and ate it on the spot raw. She quips, “Hey, if you like steak tartare….”
Yvette, who is a veteran skier and diver, is RFT’s Ski & Dive Editor.
