Not one to focus on just a single topic, San Francisco-based journalist Kristin Luna decided a freelance lifestyle suited her and allowed her to tap into her many interests. Two years ago, she left behind a life of working in magazines in Manhattan to settle down in San Francisco and write full time. And by settling down, she obviously meant establishing California residency, but jet-setting as much as financially feasible to fulfill her travel obsession and spark new, interesting story ideas. Although she leads a transient existence, Kristin grew up in Tennessee, before adopting vagabond status. She has also resided in Arizona, Scotland, New York, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Kristin was bitten by the travel bug as a child, bopping around the US with her equally intrepid mom and sister, trying to squeeze in a visit to all 50 states (she's currently at 44), but it wasn’t until she was trapped on the peak of a mountain high above Lake Como, surrounded by a pack of hungry mountain goats, that she realized she could make travel writing more than just a hobby. Since then, Kristin has written for Newsweek, Frommer’s, ForbesTraveler.com, Toronto Globe & Mail, Islands, TravelChannel.com World Hum, San Francisco Chronicle, Sherman's Travel, Real Simple Travel, Glamour, InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, and a whole host of other magazines, newspapers and websites. She has also contributed to various travel guides, including Frommer's California 2009, Frommer's San Francisco 2009, Best Places Northern California (Sasquatch Books), all out in the last quarter of 2009. Travel aside, Kristin specializes in entertainment reporting and women’s magazines and is a Bay Area correspondent for PEOPLE magazine. She has begun her foray into television, as well--if you need a talking head, contact her!--doing on-camera celebrity interviews for San Francisco's city magazine, 7x7, and having appeared in a couple Travel Channel specials.

Kristin graduated summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee and holds a bachelor of science in journalism and electronic media, with concentrations in visual arts, newspapers and magazine writing. She obtained a post-graduate degree in international journalism and world politics from universities in Denmark and the Netherlands, but that was primarily a way for her to land a Visa and continue her moving around just a bit longer. Her passions include photography, running marathons, Europe, languages, sports, diving, beaches, the Maldives, a good book and, of course, chocolate. She's never met a dessert she doesn't like. Speaking of sweets, head over to Kristin's award-winning blog, Camels & Chocolate: Tales from a Travel Addict, which snagged her a coveted Bloggie at the 2009 South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas.