Meet the team

MEET THE TEAM

Hi, I'm Mike Pickup, founder and editor of The Holiday Magazine. I also write travel features for a number of national and regional newspapers and magazines as well as travel trade titles. You can read more about me here.

I am honoured to have so many good writers contribute features to this magazine. Here they are -

Mike Quane Mike has been writing about destination travel for over twenty-five years. His outlets have included The New York Daily News, Newsday, Endless Vacation Magazine, Parents Magazine, Grit, The Portland Press Herald, Telegraph Publications, eturbonews.com, Traveling Magazine of Hong Kong, the in-flight magazines of Singapore and Korean airlines, and many more. He wrote a weekly travel column for This Week Publications for fifteen years, and a monthly column for LongIsland.com for over a decade. He is also a senior contributor to TripAdvisor.com. His favorite subjects have included the Philippines, Ireland, Tahiti, Croatia, Australia, Malaysia, Bangkok, Maine and Virginia. He has been a frequent delegate to the ASEAN Tourism Forum and is a member of The New York Press Club.

Pamela McKuen. Pamela is a highly successful writer, author, journalist, columnist, editor, photographer, speaker and teacher. She writes for both newspapers and magazines on a range of topics including travel. Residing in Chicago and long-time contributor to the Chicago Tribune, she has won numerous state and national accolades for her work. Her book “Expressionista: How to Find Your True Self Through (and Despite) Fashion,” is published by Simon & Schuster. More at www.AllTheWritePlaces.com

Leah Marie Armstrong . Leah’s from Canada and lives in Portofino, Italy. She’s married to an Italian Captain, who presently works on cruise ships. She is an avid Blogger, Painter and runs a Bed & Breakfast on Portofino Mountain. She spent her earlier career in the cruising, travel and hospitality industry and has a passion for photography, olive picking and Slow Cooking.

Hendson Quan. Hendson is based in the United States. He strives to travel, research and write stories to entertain readers. He likes stories to be personal, original and literary and wants readers to sense the magic and wonder of a place, to know what it means to go there, to know how the visitor might be changed by the journey; to know about the people that live in a place, their regional customs, and where the locals hang out; to smell the aromas, taste the food, and explore the streets and walk down the hidden paths.

Gilly Pickup. Gilly is a freelance journalist, travel writer, author, cruise specialist and photographer who also publishes features in national and regional newspapers and magazines on travel related health, well being, women’s interest, food and lifestyle. Gilly has written twelve books including ‘The A-Z of Curious London’, ‘Haunted West End’,‘The Little Book of Spirituallty’ and ‘Great British Inventions: From the Brilliant to the Downright Bonkers’. More books are on their way. www.travellinglady.co.uk

Ken Firestone, DSJS, MSW. Ken is a an academic with a doctorate in sub-specialty within the field of Cultural Anthropology and a psychotherapist . He has had a lifetime travelling and living in countries with developing economies and resides in America. His primary professional interests are in teaching cross-cultural studies and facilitating cultural immersion experiences for travellers wanting to interact with remote indigenous communities in the Serengeti with whom he has developed personal relationships

Sandy Walker. Sandy is a Londoner, now residing in Tuscany. Sandy has lived and worked all over the world, naming Cape Town and San Francisco as two of her pet cities. She is a travel writer specializing in culture, cuisine, air travel and issues of reduced mobility travel.

Penny Frederiksen. Penny lives in rural Australia on a cattle property. She is a farmer and photographer and also a member of the new generation of traveller - "The Grey Nomad." Her independent, solo travel started about 10 years ago; her children had left home for university and her husband did not want to travel. She soon realized all her friends had no interest in photography and getting into the back-streets and villages of Asia - if she wanted to travel, it was up to her to do something about it - so she did.

Julie Small. Julie lives in Australia in Thirroul, a gorgeous coastal town 60km south of Sydney and works at the University of Sydney. She has been travelling since she was 14. She loves adventure travel, trekking and is obsessed with India! And while she is happy to rough it she also appreciates luxury. She started a blog in October 2014 and hopes to grow it as much as possible.

Solange Hando. Solange is a professional travel journalist and photographer, editor, public speaker and facilitator. She has contributed to National Geographic and Reader's Digest travel books and published features in 96 titles worldwide. She travels widely but her specialist subjects are Bhutan, where she attended the coronation, Nepal and France. She is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers, Travel Writers UK and the International Travel Writers Alliance. Her latest book is the Berlitz Guide to Bhutan. She is also the author of, 'Be a Travel Writer, Live your Dreams, Sell your Features' which has been endorsed by Hilary Bradt (founder of the Bradt travel guides) and best selling author Simon Whaley. She has been included in a new book Best British Travel Writing of the 21st Century. https://travelwriters.co.uk/personal-pages/solange-hando

Margie Miklas. Margie is an American writer with a passion for travel, and a particular love of Italy. She writes for the monthly newspaper, La Gazzetta Italiana as well as several other websites, including Yahoo Travel. She is the author of two books, the award-winning 'Memoirs of a Solo Traveler - My Love Affair with Italy' and also 'My Love Affair with Sicily'. http://margieinitaly.wordpress.com

Mackenzie Fly. Mackenzie is an American student who can’t seem to understand why she loves to travel so much. A penchant for exotic and foreign locations, she plans to move outside of the United States and become a blogger, writer, and photographer, visiting every corner of the globe. She wishes once she’s explored enough to move to a tropical place with a small bungalow and a blender, to make fruit smoothies with umbrellas.

Gilles & Heidi. Gilles and Heidi have been traveling intensively over the last 15 years mainly through Africa, South America and Asia. Their blog www.GrandEscapades.net features their experiences, insight information and great pictures about more than 40 countries on all continents except Antarctica.

Rob Bass. Rob is less a travel writer and more a destination historian. He has written two books and published a number of photo essays on regional towns and communities in Australia and continues to research the history of old buildings and ruins. He has travelled every back road in Queensland and New South Wales in the past ten years and has finally crossed the border into rural and regional Victoria. "I never travel on main roads, it’s the towns that have been by-passed by the super highways that are still unique and are totally lacking in pretence and fast food chains. In many cases they are dying as people leave for larger regional centres to find work". http://suggpix.com.au

Steve Newman. Steve gave up his teaching career to write about and photograph the world. He specialises in adventure cruising and travel for the over 50s. When he’s not chasing penguins or being chased by polar bears he’s birdwatching or exploring his beloved Northumberland. www.stevenewman.co.uk

Doug Smith. Doug is a full-time wheelchair user, having Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus since birth, and when born, was given only 3 - 6 months to live. Almost 5 decades later, he is still here, and going strong. He is a keen cruiser and finds this suits him perfectly.

Subhasish Chakraborty has been working as a Travel Writer for the past decade and is associated with some of India’s most renowned newspapers like The Times of India, The Telegraph and The Asian Age. He has also contributed articles on Travel & Tourism to some of India’s best known travel publications such as Voyage and Discover India and regularly contributes to the In-Flight magazines of some of the major International Airlines operating from India.

JP Chartier writes for Gutter Pup Adventures.com where you can expect to read well-written and entertaining articles about the people and places that often get overlooked at many popular vacation destinations around the world.

Jessica Lipowski. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Jessica moved to Amsterdam in February 2011. She is currently working on a non-fiction book that documents the stories of 62 entrepreneurs from around the world, originating from 41 different countries. Regardless of origin or background, there is one thing these people have in common: all own a restaurant in Amsterdam. This project, combined with her travels over the years and life as an expat, has enabled her to view food, travel and culture through a different lens.

Elizabeth Shannon Fehr. Elizabeth currently lives and works in The United States. She’s a beach lover with a flair for travel and an addiction to words. She was recently featured in The Activity Report and started the blog Travel Girl Adventures https://traveladventuregirl.wordpress.com

Stuart Forster. Stuart is a journalist, travel writer, blogger and professional photographer based in the north-east of England. He contributes to a number of leading magazines and newspapers. You can also see his work in The Irresponsible Traveller, a book published by Bradt and featuring chapters by the travel writers such as Michael Palin, Dervla Murphy and Ben Fogle. Stuart was named Journalist of the Year at the 2015 Holland Press Awards. Read his food and travel related work on his blog, www.go-eat-do.com

Ilse Zietsman is a freelance journalist, photographer and language specialist who lives in the winelands of South Africa. She is passionate about traveling and food and has travelled to 54 countries all over the world. Her favourite destinations are Morocco, Slovenia and Montenegro; she has a special affinity for Eastern Europe including the Baltics. She is not happy unless there is a plane ticket in her safe at home.

Ailish Casey. As a travel writer, photographer and filmmaker, Ailish is at her happiest when she is on the road and living out of a rucksack. She has travelled throughout 50 countries, preferring to stay off the beaten track. When she does stay in one place, she's likely to be found either teaching children with autism or dancing.

Irene Shaland. Irene is an internationally-published art and travel writer, educator and lecturer whose 25-plus articles have been published in multiple journals both in print and online in the U.S., Canada, Kenya, and the U.K. . She has a life-long passion for travel with a higher purpose. Together with her husband-photographer Alex, Irene has visited over 60 countries. She is the author of two books on the history of theater, drama, and intercultural interpretations, and is currently working on her two new books dedicated to cultural travel and history. http://globaltravelauthors.com

Pete Buckley is the UK based indie author of two travel stories recounting adventures in New Zealand and the Swiss Alps. Since then he has been contributing to several outdoors related blogs and working on the Yuri Medev Adventures; a series of thrillers featuring Russian Agent Yuri Medev and NYC based Jim Bergman of the FBI. Aside from writing, travel has always been a big inspiration with hiking, biking and the outdoors taking up much of his time when he's not looking after the kids. http://petebuckley.wordpress.com

Alannah McEwan recently moved to Melbourne Australia where she plans to work and travel during the next year. Before that she lived in Vienna Austria for two years and spent a summer living in Florence Italy learning Italian.

Jane and Duncan Dempster-Smith are nomadic semi-retirees, travellers, House Sitters and co-founders of To Travel Too. Their motto is 'Chase Time Not Money'. Although not yet pensioners their goal is to travel the world on what is currently the Australian Age Pension of approx. $33,716 or AUD92 per day. In 2015 they have had house sitting assignments in Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. 2016 is still in the planning stages, but Costa Rica, Cuba, USA, a repositioning cruise from the US to Europe and a travel blogger conference in Sweden is just for starters.

Robert Cubitt. Robert has always been keen on writing and has tried his hand at various projects over the years, but the need to earn a crust had always interfered with his desire to be more creative. After serving with the RAF, working as a logistics planner for Royal Mail and as a Civil Servant with the Ministry of Defence, Robert took up writing full time writing in 2012 and has now had 6 fiction and 3 non-fiction works published. He is currently working on a 9 book sci-fi series.

Kate Robertson. Kate is a Canadian freelance writer. She has a passion for active solo travel, and you’ll find her equally ready for adventure in a 5-star hotel or a tent, with pen in hand and ready to write about it. Her writing interests include travel, culture, food & drink, spas, health & wellness, responsible tourism, and epic /off the beaten path adventures. She is a regular contributor to an impressive number of well-known print and online titles and is a member of the Travel Media Association of Canada. Find Kate at katerobertson.ca Twitter @kateflyingsolo

Edward Placidi. Edward Placidi is a freelance travel/food writer and photographer who discovered his passion for exploring the world as a teenager and has gone on to travel ‒ mainly on solo, independent adventures ‒ in 124 countries (so far). He has penned articles for numerous newspapers, magazines and websites. When not traveling he is whipping up delicious dishes inspired by his Tuscan grandmother with as many ingredients as possible coming from his organic vegetable and herb garden.

Hannah Fielding is an award-winning romance author, who grew up in Alexandria, Egypt. After graduating she developed a passion for travel, living in Switzerland, France and England. She has written four novels, all featuring exotic locations and vivid descriptions and Gold and Silver Medals for romance at the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, Her latest book, Legacy, is out on 29th September 2016 price £7.99 http://hannahfielding.net

Ben Goodwin. Ben is a former broadcast journalist who now works in PR, but spends his spare time travelling and looking for quirky sights off the beaten track. He hopes to visit every country by the time he reaches 40. You can see his latest adventures over on his blog: https://railwaysandrandomness.wordpress.com

Rosanna Ley. Rosanna is famed for setting each of her novels in exotic locations which she visits and studies before writing and has been described as “top escapism” (Closer). Her latest novel, The Little Theatre by the Sea, was inspired by her travels around Sardinia and is published by Quercus on 9th March. Find out more about Rosanna and her bestselling novels at www.rosannaley.com

Thomas H. Cook. Tom is the critically acclaimed author of more than thirty crime and suspense novels. Six of his novels have been nominated for awards - he won an Edgar Award for his 1996 novel, The Chatham School Affair, The Barry Award for 2005’s devastating Red Leaves, and the Martin Beck Award for both titles. Red Leaves was also nominated for an Edgar, an Anthony Award, and narrowly missed out on a Crime Writer’s Association Dagger Award. A film version of one of his books, Evidence of Blood, was released in 1997. His travel memoir Tragic Shores is out 6th April (Quercus, £20.00)

Barbara Angelakis. Barbara has loved storytelling all her life so after retiring from a career marketing for travel clients, she began her true life’s work… traveling for herself and sharing her experiences. Barbara’s enthusiasm is for discovering the history of people and places as she travels the four corners of the world with a thurst for knowledge and a twinkle in her eye. Barbara lives in the United States with her husband whose passion for travel and writing matches her own and they co-own LuxuryWeb Magazine. For more of her stories and adventures, visit www.luxuryweb.com

Manos Angelakis Manos is a well-known travel, food & wine writer and photographer, based in the New York City area. He journeys around the world in search of interesting travel stories and culinary excellence. Manos is certified as a Tuscan Wine Master as well as being an acknowledged expert on Greek, Catalan, and Chilean wines. For more of his stories visit: www.luxuryweb.com

Wallis Raekelboom. Wallis was born and raised in Brussels, headquarters of the European Union, so was surrounded by people from different countries and cultures. She cultivated a deep interest in travel, photography, multiculturalism and human geography. During her last year of college she moved to Atlanta where she stayed for three years before moving to Chicago. She is currently researching the relationship between travel and mental health with the hope of raising awareness on the benefits of travel on combating depression.

Ian Packham, Ian is an adventurer, award-winning travel writer and motivational speaker. He was awarded runner-up in National Geographic Traveller (UK)’s annual travel writing competition in 2013, and among other things has contributed to Bradt’s Bus-Pass Britain Rides Again and Roam Alone anthologies. His biggest adventure to date was the first solo and unassisted circumnavigation of Africa by public transport, a journey of thirteen months and 25,000 miles. The book, Encircle Africa: Around Africa by Public Transport, is published in ebook and paperback. Visit www.encircleafrica.org for more.

Stephen Norman. Stephen spent 20 years at the forefront of investment banking IT, facing industry turbulence, from the rise and fall of the dotcoms, the destruction of 911 and the banking collapse of 2008. He has worked in financial centres across the world – from London and New York, to Hong Kong and Tokyo – and has fulfilled a range of high powered roles including Chief Technology Officer at Merrill Lynch and an unusually long 7 year stint as CIO of RBS Global Markets. In 2012, he left the world of finance to focus on his writing. His chilling debut novel, Trading Down is set between London and Yemen and is published by Endeavour Press http://amzn.to/2zw9EC2

Stuart Lewis. Stuart is a freelance travel writer, blogger, content creator and editor. He spent fifteen years in the publishing industry, discovering his deep passion for travel during his first job overseeing the travel section of a well-known British bookshop. His favourite destination is Western Canada, and he loves to get away and encounter as many new experiences and cultures as he can. He lives by his philosophy that “travel is the true meaning of life” and is always pondering his next trip.https://travelscoop.co.uk

Mira Temkin, With many years of travel writing under her bling-y belt, Mira Temkin understands the expectations of the leisure traveler and writes to those expectations. From destinations to cruises to tours and resorts, her articles cover the world; across the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe. She is currently a blogger for Orbitz and UrbanMatter.com /Chicago and New York, Food Wine Travel, Boomer and MakeItBetter.net. She can be reached at [email protected]

Kushanava Choudhury. Kushanava Choudhury's book The Epic City: The World on the Streets of Calcutta is out now (Bloomsbury, £14.99) and was shortlisted for The Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year 2018.

Adam Jacot de Boinod. Adam was a researcher for the first BBC television series QI, hosted by Stephen Fry. He wrote The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World, published by Penguin Books.

Rebecca Brown. Rebecca is a translator and avid traveler, a book worm and horror flick enthusiast. Her job has given her the opportunity to travel to dozens of countries around the world, and she showcases them at http://roughdraft.eu

Andrew Smyth. Andrew is the author of Caesar’s Passage, which was shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel award and an Introduction to the Canal du Midi, which was the inspiration for Rick Steins’ TV series. He has also written extensively for yachting magazines, as well as writing and editing his own magazine, Cruising World. A keen yachtsman, he has sailed extensively through the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean, often using his first-hand experience as locations in his books. His latest novel Grave Island is out on 28th June (Bloodhound Books, £8.99)

Marion Ainge. Marion is an experienced journalist, always excited to share the colours, culture and tastes of every travel adventure with readers. A former newspaper women's editor/columnist/food critic, she now has four young grandchildren and finds freelance opportunities fit her lifestyle and satisfy her passion for travel. She lives in the north west of England, writes for regional newspapers/travel websites, is an EFL teacher

Samira Holma. Samira is a writer and content marketer specialized in the travel industry. She's also a full-time traveler and has so far been to 50+ countries. Her drive is to inspire others to explore and experience more around the world. She does this by by sharing authentic tips from her own trips. https://samiraholma.com

Malcolm Tattersall. Mal has spent a lifetime working in various journalistic roles on local, regional and national newspapers in Britain and Ireland. Widely travelled, especially in Latin America and Africa (where he once found himself embroiled in a military coup and another time got kissed by a giraffe). Now semi-retired, Mal whiles away his time travelling, writing and drinking beer (although not necessarily in that order).

Sara Alexander. Sara is a British-Sardinian actress and author born and raised in North-West London. She has published two novels with HarperCollins, each inspired by her roots in Sardinia where she regularly returns. Sara is particularly known for her championing of the female experience through both her acting and her novels. Her next novel, The Last Concerto, is published on 22 August and is set between Sardinia, Rome and Sicily.

Steve Garthwaite. Steve is an experienced Headteacher at a high school in North Wales who, in his professional capacity, writes for a diverse range of audiences – teachers, parents, pupils, inspectors, advisers, politicians and local councillors. However, he has a keen ambition to become an established freelance travel journalist, and is well on his way

Pritika Arjun Kumar. Pritika is a writer at PennySaviour whose mission is to deliver eye-catching information to passionate readers. She loves to explore different places and share it with her readers. She specializes in content creation and storytelling and has strong analytical skills that help her to deliver in-depth and informative articles.

Katharine Trigarszky Katharine is a British writer and editor for whom Stockholm has been home for the past decade. She has written about living abroad, Swedish life and culture, and the city of Stockholm for different sites. She has also recently published a two-day walking guide to the city https://www.amazon.com/Stockholm-Travel-Guide-Unanchor-Islands-ebook/dp/B081SC1HHJ

Debbie Pugh-Jones. Debbie, an experienced journalist and PR professional, is a former business and features editor. She has freelanced for the national and regional media and is now a travel writer. Debbie has travelled all over the world, initially with her sons, but now solo, and particularly enjoys opportunities to see wildlife. Her most memorable experience - not falling off a horse during an earthquake in Costa Rica.

Shristi Patni. Shristi is a content writer and owner of F and B Recipes. She enjoys snacking on Paleo Bars or sharing information on topics such as the best lip filler when not working. Formerly the Chief Content Officer at Raletta, she is currently working on her second cookbook. https://fandbrecipes.com

Jess Peterman. Jess is a US-based travel planner and blogger eager to share her planned itineraries and travel experience to inspire others to try out new experiences. www.theoverresearchedtraveler.com

Thanks to all of you for your great contributions.

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