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. In early 2008, 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 considers herself a child of the world, 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 Commo, 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 International Editions, Frommer’s, Forbes Traveler, Travel Channel, 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 and is currently working on Best Places Northern California, to be published in 2009 by Sasquatch Books. 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! -- and shot footage for a couple Travel Channel specials in 2007.

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 Europe, languages, sports, diving, beaches, the Maldives, a good book and, of course, chocolate. She's never met a dessert she doesn't like.