AdventureELEVATE delegates have the opportunity to meet our official 2019 media delegates throughout the event, and specifically at AdventureExchange, MediaConnect, and the Influencer Marketing Pitchfest. All delegates will have the opportunity to pre-schedule dedicated one-on-one meetings with fellow delegates—including media—at Wednesday’s AdventureExchange through the event networking platform. Tuesday offers a MediaConnect session to meet with traditional media one-on-one to pitch story ideas, and an Influencer Marketing Pitchfest to learn about and explore marketing opportunities with the adventure-minded influencers and bloggers represented in this curated group of official media.
Online Editor, explore magazine
Traditional Media
Country: Canada
Media Outlets: Explore
Alison Karlene Hodgins is the online editor for explore magazine, North America’s premier outdoor adventure publication. Explore focuses on human-propelled adventure across the country and beyond. As a freelance writer, Alison has been published by The Globe and Mail, Fodor's, Canadian Traveller, HI Hostels, Cottage Life, World Nomads and Paddling Magazine. Alison holds a Writing and Publishing Diploma, a Bachelor of Journalism Degree with Honours and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction. She is passionate about international travel, outdoor adventure and learning to appreciate one’s own backyard.
Freelance Writer - Food & Travel
Traditional Media
Country: Canada
Media Outlets: National Post/Postmedia/FP: https://financialpost.com/category/financial-post-magazine/ -- 1M+ impressions
Alison Kent is a culinary & cultural travel writer, cookbook author, food video producer & chef. Former food editor: Canadian Living + Best Health mags. National Post; TravelLife; Canadian Traveller..
Freelance Writer
Traditional Media
Country: United States/Croatia
Media Outlets: The Washington Post, AFAR, BBC Travel, Preferred Travel
Born and raised in Croatia, New York- and Zagreb-based Anja Mutic has been traveling the world professionally since 2000. Her writing — which has won several awards — has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, National Geographic Traveler and BBC Travel. Anja has authored a number of Lonely Planet guidebooks, spoke about travel & hospitality at various events worldwide and appeared on screen as a travel expert in the award-winning Gringo Trails documentary. She works as contributing editor for Preferred Travel magazine, teaches travel writing for Catapult and leads Street Wisdom sessions around the world.
Freelance Writer/Editor
Traditional Media
Country: Canada
Media Outlets: https://montecristomagazine.com
Barb Sligl is a Vancouver-based writer, editor and photographer. She contributes to publications like Sierra, Montecristo, Virtuoso Life, Toronto Star, enRoute and various other inflights (including Hemispheres, Silverkris, Mabuhay, +852, WestJet), and is a contributing editor for the award-winning Western Living magazine. Barb has won numerous individual awards for her words and photos (including gold from both SATW and NATJA, and was a finalist in the Explore Canada Awards of Excellence), and as the editor of two multi-award-winning travel-and-lifestyle trade magazines (for contributors and as a nominee in the Western Magazine Awards). Barb finds joy in far-flung travels and serendipitous connections—especially with animals and trees. While this freelance journalist and flâneur stokes her wanderlust (Japan someday!) she gets her dose of wonderment in the natural beauty of her “backyard” in British Columbia (keep old-growth forests standing!).
Freelance Travel Writer
Traditional Media
Country: United States
Media Outlets: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/
Cristina was a launch editor at Women’s Health magazine before going freelance for 12 years and by-lining close to 500 articles for major media brands.
Freelance Writer
Traditional Media
Country: Canada
Media Outlets: BC Magazine, Pacific Yachting, BBC Travel, Mariott Espanol, Men's Journal
Diane Selkirk is a Vancouver, B.C. based travel writer who seeks to get beyond the bucket list and tell meaningful stories about the soul of a place. Some of her favourite assignments have been about topics where science, history, environmentalism or social justice intersects with travel. Her writing and photography for publications including BBC Travel, CNN Travel, The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail has been recognized with numerous awards.
Eco Escape Travel
Traditional Media
Country: Canada
Media Outlets: Lonely Planet, Fodor’s Travel, Matador Network, Readers Digest, GoPro, Conde Nast Traveler
Jonny Bierman is a sustainable travel and adventure journalist + photographer who connects community, culture and conservation through his written and visual storytelling. As an experienced values-based destination marketer as well, Jonny knows how tourism can be a regenerative force for good that can leave places better than how we found them. He has worked with and told stories of Indigenous experiences and Indigenous stewardship success all over the world while tying adventure and sustainability together in visual stories for GoPro, Fodor’s Travel, Lonely Planet, Readers Digest and Matador Network.
Freelance Writer
Traditional Media
Country: United States
Media Outlets: Vogue, Architectural Digest, American Way, Hemispheres Magazine, NY Daily News
As a travel, luxury lifestyle, and adventure writer, Karen Loftus has written thousands of articles for 90+media outlets including Vogue, Architectural Digest, American Way, Hemispheres Magazine, Forbes, Robb Report and NY Daily News, among others. This savvy traveler has been to all seven continents and 70 countries and counting. She speaks at conferences about women and travel, she co-hosts #WATC-Women’s Adventure Travel Chat on Twitter, runs travel writing workshops, and produces and cohosts ReVerbs, a storytelling event for the travel trade. Karen is very excited to finally be launching her company, Women’s Adventure Travels, and to be leading these female-driven trips. This is a full circle moment, one long in the making, a marriage of her many interests and experiences with itineraries based on many of her favorite places, people, and passions. The unique elements on the trips reflect Karen's varied background.
Freelance Writer
Traditional Media
Country: United States
Media Outlets: Denver Post, Outside Magazine, Backpacker Magazine, HGTV, Fodor’s
Kassondra Cloos is a freelance journalist who seeks to ignite a passion for people's immediate surroundings. Her essays and articles about slow travel, wilderness expeditions, and city-based outdoor adventures aim to inspire readers to live adventurously both at home and while traveling, and to find thrills in the otherwise mundane. You can find her work in Outside, Backpacker, Fodor's, and HGTV, among others. She writes a slow travel column for the Denver Post and a newsletter about full-time travel called Out of Office.
Wagar Media Group
Influencer/Blogger
Country: Canada
Media Outlets: https://wanderingwagars.com
Kevin Wagar is a freelance travel writer and photographer who has built a reputation as one of the top travel experts focusing on family adventure travel, cultural exploration, and Indigenous tourism.
Freelance Writer
Influencer/Blogger
Country: United States
Media Outlets: TripSavvy, OutdoorX4 magazine, Popular Mechanics, Digital Trends, Gear Junkie
Kraig Becker is a freelance outdoor and adventure travel writer based in Nashville, TN. He covers extreme sports, mountaineering, exploration, and interesting opportunities for travelers to take part in unique adventures around the world.
Writer Influencer/Travel Past 50
Influencer/Blogger
Country: United States
Media Outlets: MNTrips, Travel Writers Radio
Kristin Henning is a writer and perennial traveler, covering six continents and some 60 countries since 2010. She and her husband Tom share their photos and stories on the travel blog, TravelPast50.com, and are regular contributors to a half dozen travel blogs, periodicals, and radio shows. Specializing in travel for the 50+ crowd, Kris also focuses on active travel, nature and wildlife, history and culture, and, of course, food and drink. Prior to hitting the road, Henning was co-publisher of various periodicals in Minneapolis/St. Paul (MN), including City Pages, Minnesota Parent, The Rake magazine, and the guide book, Secrets of the City: Guide to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Her sales and marketing experience in publishing over three decades contributes to her success as a blogger, freelance writer, and marketer. Travel Past 50 includes destination reviews, gear reviews, travel tips and suggestions, and first-hand accounts of travel experiences, all illustrated with custom photography.
Storyteller / HITravelTales.com
Influencer/Blogger
Country: United States
Media Outlets: HI Travel Tales, The Union, The Sacramento Bee
A lifetime of globetrotting across numerous continents and dozens of countries fueled the love of people, places and cultural explorations for me. As a professional travel journalist, I find adventures are everywhere – down the street or across the globe, in the city or in a secluded forest. And, yes, they can also be at popular tourist destinations. I am always looking for new angles, new ways of exploring, and new places to visit.
Freelance Journalist
Traditional Media
Country: United States
Media Outlets: Gear Patrol, Hemispheres, Travel + Leisure, Outside, Men's Journal, Men's Health, BestLife
Peter Koch is an Upstate New York-based freelance journalist specializing in adventure, travel, fitness and outdoor gear. His writing has appeared in print and online at Men's Health, Outside, Men's Journal, Travel + Leisure, Gear Patrol, Men’s Fitness, Mic, Popular Science, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ, National Geographic Adventure, Hemispheres, Rhapsody, Oryx, BestLife, The Active Times, USA Today, GO Magazine and Artvoice, among others. Beyond his writing, he's a husband, father, and endurance athlete who loves exploring the world—from local trails to far-flung mountains—under his own power.
Travel Writer
Traditional Media
Country: Australia
Media Outlets: Sydney Morning Herald, Sunday Telegraph, NZ Herald, Qantas, Vacations & Travel, MiNDFOOD
Rob McFarland is a regular contributor to Australia and NZ's biggest newspapers and magazines, including the Sydney Morning Herald, Sunday Telegraph, NZ Herald, Qantas inflight and Vacations & Travel magazine. He's also been published overseas in Nat Geo Traveller, GQ, The Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Mail, The San Francisco Chronicle and The South China Morning Post. He's won six writing awards, including Australian Travel Writer of the Year, and regularly runs workshops on pitching and hosting for tourism boards and travel PRs.
Black Travel Journey
Influencer/Blogger
Country: United States
Media Outlets: Blacktraveljourney.com, Essence.com
Travel and entertainment influencer and journalist Sidnee Michelle serves as the brands and influencer collaborations manager for Black Travel Journey, a travel outlet with close to 100,000 followers who’s mission is to diversity the face of millennial travel.
Freelance Journalist
Traditional Media
Country: United States
Media Outlets: See above
Sunny Fitzgerald is a freelance writer and sustainable travel specialist. Her work appears in National Geographic, The New York Times, Lonely Planet, Travel+Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, BBC Travel, and more. Sunny grew up in a small town, but was determined to live big - adventuring to Asia, Latin America, South Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. She splits her time between Hawaii and Jordan, has destination expertise in 20+ countries, certification in sustainable tourism, and more than a decade of experience designing international travel for adventurous and conscientious travelers.
Freelance Travel Photographer | Writer
Traditional Media
Country: United States
Media Outlets: Newsweek, AFAR, AARP, Travel Weekly, Adventure.com
Susan is a multiple Lowell-Thomas award-winning photographer and travel writer, content creator, and founder of The Insatiable Traveler. In 2021, she was named the Bill Muster Award "Photographer of the Year." Susan covers experiential adventure travel, cultural immersion, people who embody the soul of a destination, sustainable travel, and unique nature and wildlife experiences. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, AFAR, Travel Weekly, Adventure.com, News & World Report, The Telegraph, and The Globe & Mail. In addition to editorial projects, she's created sponsored content for the Washington Post Brand Studio, AFAR, Petapixel, Finger Lakes Wine Region, Adobe, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Gura Gear, Aurora Expeditions, Tully Luxury Travel, Canadian Badlands, Wallaroo Hats, and International Expeditions, among others.
Freelance Travel Writer
Traditional Media
Country: United States
Media Outlets: Endless Vacation Magazine, Scuba Diving Magazine, AFAR.com, Family Vacation Critic, Fort Lauderdale Magazine, MSN Travel, Delta SKY Magazine
Terry Ward has worked as a freelance travel writer since 2001, when she quit her job as a copywriter at an ad agency to travel the world. Since then, she's called France, New Zealand and Australia home and currently resides in Florida with her two young children and husband. An avid scuba diver and adventurer, she's reported stories from such destinations as Svalbard, Morocco and the Everglades and is especially fond of the Arctic regions. Her stories have appeared in publications like Endless Vacation Magazine, BBC Travel, Conde Nast Traveler, Men's Journal, Robb Report and many others.
About Us
Established in 1990, the Adventure Travel Trade Association is the largest global network of adventure travel leaders. Our community is made up of ~30,000 individual guides, tour operators, lodges, travel advisors, tourism boards, destination marketing and management organizations, outdoor educators, gear companies and travel media who share a belief and commitment to sustainable tourism. The connections and creativity of this vibrant community come together both virtually and in person to create and deliver the solutions that propel our businesses and our communities toward a responsible and profitable future.
