JULIANNE BALMAIN (San Francisco) is the author of "The Kama Sutra Deck" and "Office Kama Sutra". She is also the author, writing as Nadia Gordon, of three mystery novels set in the Napa Valley, California, wine country that are steeped in the culinary life.

CORDELIA CALE (New Orleans) was born in Monroe, Louisiana and is a Louisiana State University graduate, English Literature. She is a full time architectural photographer and part-time writer, and she produced the "Louisiana Date Books", now out of print, featuring the architecture of Louisiana. Her work has been published in Tulane School of Architecture archives, Acoustic Guitar magazine, Vintage Guitar, National Park Service, Honolulu Star Bulletin, Honolulu Advertiser, Big Island Visitor, Flatpick Guitar Magazine, Times-Picayune, and Acoustic Musician.

NEIL CARLSON (Amsterdam, Toronto), originally from Toronto, moved to Amsterdam where he's the travel and design editor of Highrise, and a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in numerous print publications. He has traveled to more than 40 countries.

KATE CHYNOWETH (San Francisco) is the author of several travel guides, including "Best Places to Kiss: Northern California" (Sasquatch Books). She is the author of "The Risks of Sunbathing Topless" (Seal Press), an anthology of women's travel essays, and her writing on travel, food and lifestyle appears in Real Simple, Seattle, and Sunset.

COLLEEN CLARK (D.C.) made stops in Pennsylvania, England and Kenya before settling into the U Street neighborhood of D.C. She covers travel for USATODAY online, and is a music reporter for DCist. Her writing has appeared in USA Today, DCist and Two Mundos.

ALISON CULLIFORD (Paris) is an editor and writer for the Time Out Paris guidebook and quarterly guide. She has written for The Daily Telegraph, The Times, and Vogue, and is the author of "Paris Revisited."

DAISY DODGE (New Orleans) was born in New Orleans. Seven generations of her family have made their homes in the city. She left to wander the globe, and returned to New Orleans in the summer of 2004, one year prior to Hurricane Katrina. She has taught writing at UC Irvine and Delgado Community College in New Orleans. Her fiction has appeared in StoryQuarterly, her poems are forthcoming in Red Mountain Review, and she is currently at work on a nonfiction narrative about New Orleans (tentatively titled Wade in the Water). She is also a freelance writer for Envy, Fit, and Fit Yoga.

EMILY DUNN (Sydney/Melbourne) is a journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald and has previously written for the Australian and community newspapers across the city. A devotee of all things edible, Emily acquired a taste for fine dining while moonlighting as a pizza waitress in her college years, where she learned to juggle four dinner plates and a Parmesan grinder. Now, Emily likes nothing more than frocking up and sampling the Sydney restaurant scene from the other side of the table, but she still canÔø‡Ôø‡Ôø‡t resist a good crust.

ELISE HARTMAN FORD's (D.C.) writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Washingtonian, Bradman's North America Guide, Ladies' Home Journal and other publications. She is the author of several guidebooks, including, since 1998, the annually published Frommer's Guide to Washington, D.C. and "Unique Meeting, Wedding and Party Places in Greater Washington."

JOYCE-ANN GATSOULIS (Athens) is a journalist focusing on travel and business who has written extensively about central Europe and the Balkans. She currently lives in Athens, Greece.

FRANCESCA GAVIN (London) is a features writer and editor based in London. She regularly contributes to international magazines and newspapers, from Dazed & Confused, BBC online and The Times in London to Citizen K in Paris and Soma in San Francisco. She is also the Associate Editor at Marmalade magazine.

CLAIRE GERVAT (London) was born and raised in London and — aside from her college years — has never lived anywhere else. She writes about London and farther-flung places for a wide range of national magazines and newspapers, including Condé Nast Traveler, The Daily Mail and the London Evening Standard. She is also the author of "Elizabeth: the Scandalous Life of the Duchess of Kingston" (a woman who knew all about having fun in London).

PATRICK GREEN (Los Angeles, Las Vegas) is a Hollywood-based writer who documents the LA nightlife scene for Citysearch, Sheckys, la.com, and The Funseeker's Las Vegas.

MICHAEL HARDEN (Sydney/Melbourne) is a freelance writer who worked in restaurants for 15 years to support his writing habit. Writing is now supporting his restaurant habit, and he reviews restaurants and writes food and travel-related articles for a number of Melbourne-based newspapers, contributes to national magazines, and has authored and co-authored four food- and wine-related books. He assumes there is still a novel in there somewhere.

WAHEEDA HARRIS (Toronto) is a Toronto-based freelance writer who always has a suitcase ready and passport in hand. After spending her twenties learning the intricacies of book publishing, she now focuses on writing about travel, architecture, design and fashion. She has contributed to the National Post, CanWest News Services, Canadian House & Home, Access Magazine, Tremblant Resort Magazine, Style, LouLou, Wish, Life & Fashion, VIA Rail Destinations, and 2 Magazine.

CLARA IACCARINO (Sydney/Melbourne) is a features journalist at the Sun-Herald, where she regularly contributes to the travel, arts, lifestyle, and current affairs sections. Her work has also appeared in FILMINK, the Brag, the Sunday Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, and Revolver. A journalist by day and a theater, music, and festival producer by night, Clara is passionate about Sydney's vibrant arts scene and is the executive producer of MAKEbeLIVE Productions. Leaving no stone unturned, no thirst unquenched, she is a Sydney nightlife connoisseur.

MICHELE JOYCE (Mexico City) is originally from Berkeley, California, where she earned her B.A. in Mexican History and Culture. She has lived in Mexico City for several years, where she works as a teacher and writer. She has written for a number of travel guides including Fodor's, Berlitz, and Insight Guides, and contributed to magazines such as Vista, Estylo, Vuelo (Mexicana Airlines' in-flight magazine) and Conde Nast Traveler.

MARC LLEWELLYN (Sydney/Melbourne) is an award-winning professional travel writer and guide-book author based in Sydney. He writes for most newspaper travel sections and travel magazines in Australia. Marc is also the author of "Riders to the Midnight Sun," about an epic 2,500-mile journey by bicycle from the Black Sea in the Ukraine to Arctic Russia. His second travelogue is based on a year spent working as a prawn fisherman on a tiny island off Sicily. He is currently the President of the Australian Society of Travel Writers.

FREYA LOMBARDO (Sydney/Melbourne) is a features writer who contributes to a number of leading architecture, design, and style magazines. She has produced two series for ABC TV on animation, music videos, and digital media. Before moving to Sydney, she was deeply ensconced in Melbourne's cultural circuit and its vibrant bar and restaurant scene.

BRIAN NIEMIETZ (New York) has been a nightlife writer for six years, which includes a one-year stint as the senior editor for New York's Shecky's Bar, Club and Lounge Guide. Niemietz routinely writes nightlife and entertainment coverage for The New York Post, and has penned "Best of..." features for Playboy magazine (2005) and New York Magazine (2006).

DIANA PORTER (Athens) is a travel and arts writer who has hitchhiked and sailed heraway around southern Europe and the Aegean, pursuing her interest in archaeology by day and her interest in clubbing by night.

TODD PRICE (New Orleans) has lived in a half-dozen cities around the globe, but he now calls New Orleans home. Neither a hurricane nor high water could drive him away. He reviews restaurants for New Orleans Magazine and was previously the food critic at the Gambit, New Orleans' alternative newsweekly. Food, music and travel are his passions, and he writes about these subjects for local and national publications.

PEDRO ROMERO (Mexico City) has written extensively about Mexico and South America, the United States, and Western Europe for the Berkeley Guides, Fodor's, Frommer's, and the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Frommer's Grand Canyon National Park and co-author of Frommer's Argentina & Chile, and was also the Washington, DC bureau chief for ontheroad.com.

GRETCHEN SCHMIDT (Miami), a longtime Miami resident, is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in Time Out, Fodor's and other travel trade, consumer and culinary publications.

ANNELISE SORENSON (New York) has travel-written (and wine-tasted) her way across four continents, covering the United States, Spain, Scandinavia, and India for guidebooks, magazines, and websites. She splits her time between New York CityÔø‡Ôø‡Ôø‡a metropolis that continually rewards her wanderlustÔø‡Ôø‡Ôø‡and Europe.

SEJAL SUKHADWALA (London) is a London-based food writer and restaurant critic. She writes for Time Out, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Independent, Caterer & Hotelkeeper, and bbc.co.uk/food.

ANYA WASSENBERG (Toronto) has been a published writer of non-fiction pieces and short stories since 1988. Her articles have appeared in publications throughout North America, including the National Post and Nuvo Magazine. Her short stories have been published in literary magazines and anthologies across the continent as well as in the U.K.

WENDY WOLLENBERG (Chicago) is the managing editor of AOL CityGuides in Chicago. She has written for such publications as The Chicago Sun-Times, WHERE Chicago magazine, Naperville Magazine and Style.com.

ERIN WYLIE (New York) is a fashion forecaster at The Committee for Colour & Trends and editor of fashionFACTSfolio. She has written for Nylon and The Fader.

PAUL ZEMANEK (Los Angeles) is a Santa Monica-based freelance writer who has contributed to Reuters, Travelocity, Maxim, and Southwest Spirit. He has written about museum restaurants, vintage hotspots in San Francisco and Chicago, downtown development, and many other travel trends, and is currently working on his first novel, a murder-mystery satire, and the requisite screenplay.