Welcome to Wander With Wonder
Wander With Wonder is an award-winning digital food, wine, and travel publication showcasing life’s wow moments. There’s wonder everywhere. We are storytellers who love helping you see life from a new perspective…whether you travel Around the World or Across the Street™.
Here at Wander, we define wow moments in many ways. Perhaps it’s the wonder you feel when discovering great places to eat. Or it’s finding that quiet corner to sit and reflect. Perhaps you feel that tingle of excitement in a hotel room that wraps you in luxury—or one that transports you to another time and place. Maybe your ideal wow moment is sitting in a local coffee shop while people-watching. We help you uncover those moments when you join us on Wander.
Come along with the Wander With Wonder team of storytellers as we help you discover wow moments where you might least expect them…whether you travel Around the World or Across the Street™.
Our Team
Founder and publisher Susan Lanier-Graham and her team of travel experts bring you the best of food, wine, and travel from around the world. Each contributor offers a unique look at their experiences as they travel. Wander With Wonder exists because of this amazing team of writers. Interested in writing for us? Read our guidelines here and reach out if you’re interested in joining the Wander team.
Editorial Staff
Susan Lanier-Graham
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Founder and publisher Susan Lanier-Graham has spent more than three decades exploring the world in search of unforgettable moments—whether across continents or close to home. Her journeys have taken her from the jungles of Thailand to the temples of Egypt, from sipping Champagne along the canals of France to watching wildlife in Zambia, always with a storyteller’s eye for the details that bring a destination to life. Today, she continues that pursuit of “wow moments” from her home base in Spearfish, South Dakota, nestled in the scenic Black Hills.
An award-winning travel writer, Susan is the author of more than 75 books and hundreds of magazine articles covering travel, lifestyle, architecture, and culture. Her work blends immersive storytelling with practical insight, helping readers experience destinations more deeply and travel more meaningfully. She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA)—where she serves on the board of directors—the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA), and is a Certified California Wine Appellation Specialist (CWAS).
Susan’s work still regularly appears in print and online. You can see her complete writing portfolio online here.
Beyond her work as a journalist, Susan is passionate about sharing her love of writing with others. She works with writers at all stages of their careers—from those just starting out to established professionals looking to elevate their craft. Through SusanLanierGraham.com, she teaches the craft, business, and strategy of food, wine, and travel writing, helping writers refine their voice, grow their platforms, and build sustainable careers.
Susan’s path has been shaped by a life of movement. She was born in Virginia, grew up in Colorado, lived in Germany during her husband Bill’s service in the U.S. Air Force, and has made homes in Maine, California, Arizona, and beyond. After several years traveling the country full-time in their RV, she and Bill have planted roots in South Dakota, where they continue to explore the region and beyond.
When she’s not writing or teaching, Susan enjoys time with her husband, their son and daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren—who share her love of discovery and adventure.
Bill and Susan have one son who didn’t enjoy being an only child because he has graced their lives with five grandkids. They all love the Wander lifestyle. You can follow Susan on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bluesky, and LinkedIn. Read all of Susan’s Wander articles here.
Bill Graham
Affiliate Manager | Outdoor & Adventure Editor
While pre-packaged experiences like tours, parks, and museums with well-marked sights and interpretive signs are great, Bill Graham craves experiences where you can escape the crowds and be with nature and history untouched. Whether it is an adrenaline rush like driving a dune buggy across the wilds of Baja or the humble experience of discovering the variety of mushrooms in the forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains, he seeks opportunities to be as close to the experience as possible.
Bill was inspired by his father, who was an avid outdoorsman and worked as a Ranger for the National Forest Service. Bill has hiked and backpacked in dry deserts below sea level and mountains above 12,000 feet. He has explored deep into caves where he saw fish with no eyes and spent long nights studying the night sky to see the rings of Saturn and the spiral of distant galaxies. Bill went diving to explore tropical reefs and hiked mountains to cross glaciers.
In addition to the natural world, Bill is a student of history and seeks out experiences that connect us with the past. He has walked among the ruins of a Bronze Age village in France, stood before petroglyphs carved by ancient Americans, and read graffiti left by citizens of the Roman Empire. He has trod in the footsteps of crusaders, outlaws, and explorers. In the technological world, Bill has traveled onboard vintage railroads, driven race cars and 18-wheelers, gazed at the antennas of the Very Large Array, and even flown an F-15 fighter.
Bill’s passion now is to share these experiences with others responsibly, allowing future generations to have the same experiences. Follow Bill on Facebook and LinkedIn. Read all of Bill’s articles on Wander here.
Regular Contributors
Pam & Gary Baker
Contributors
Pam and Gary Baker are freelance food, wine, and travel writers based in Northern California. They have been published in regional, national, and international publications, including WineTraveler, Porthole Cruise, Upscale Living, Northwest Travel and Life, and Washington Tasting Room. Pam is the former editor of Sacramento Lifestyle Magazine and writes a wine column for Food Wine Travel Magazine.
Follow Pam and Gary on X and Instagram. You can also follow Pam on Facebook and catch up with Gary on Facebook as well. Read all of Pam and Gary’s Wander articles here.
Tracy Ellen Beard
Contributor, Luxury Travel
Tracy Ellen Beard is a freelance writer and photographer based in Longview, Washington. She is an avid traveler, wine connoisseur, foodie, hiker, cyclist, and kayaker. Tracy is the “Out and About” columnist for the Columbia River Reader and writes monthly for Upscale Living Magazine. She also contributes regularly to LuxeGetaways, Northwest Travel & Life, Country, Country Extra, and several other magazines. Her stories focus on luxury and adventure travel, fine dining, wine, libations, road trips, and recipes.
Tracy shares a unique perspective on the world from her personal journeys and excursions as the founder and past president of an international children’s nonprofit. Her twenty years of experience writing in various genres and her culinary training in San Francisco, California, have added to her knowledge and expertise. You can follow Tracy on her website or X, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Read all of Tracy’s Wander articles here.
Teresa Bergen
Contributor
Teresa Bergen is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance writer and web content developer specializing in sustainability, outdoors, vegan, and sober travel. Her articles appear in Inhabitat, Bluedot Living, MSN Travel, USA Today Outdoors Wire, and other print and online publications. She’s the author of Easy Portland Outdoors and Sober Travel Handbook and co-author of Historic Cemeteries of Portland, Oregon.
Teresa belongs to the Society of American Travel Writers and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Follow Teresa on Facebook and Instagram. Read all of Teresa’s Wander articles here.
Teresa Bitler
Contributor
Teresa Bitler is an award-winning travel writer whose work has appeared in National Geographic Traveler, American Way, Wine Enthusiast, and AAA publications. She’s also the author of two guidebooks (Great Escapes Arizona and Backroads and Byways of Indian Country) and a contributor to Fodors Arizona & The Grand Canyon. While she’d never miss a must-see attraction, such as the Statue of Liberty in New York City, her favorite travel experiences are the unexpected ones: KoolAid with a Hopi medicine man, lobster prepared by a local on a Belizean beach, or a ride in a World War II-era bomber.
You can follow Teresa on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. Read all of Teresa’s articles on Wander here.
Melanie Cope
Contributor
Melanie Cope is a writer who has explored the world from Prague, Bratislava, and Cambodia to London, Hungary, and the coast of Mexico, gathering stories, kisses, flowers, and friends along the way. Her work has appeared in International Artist and Edible Portland. She is currently seeking representation for her debut novel.
Michael Cullen
Contributor, Specializing in Asia
Thailand-based Aussie Michael Cullen’s first career saw him working in hospitality, from vice royal households to boutique and big brand hotels across Australia. He welcomed new assignments and challenges with open arms and took that same enthusiasm and expertise for hospitality into his freelance travel writing.
Asia always beckoned, be that backpacking from Hong Kong into Southern China’s Guangzhou, a north-to-south honeymoon tour of Vietnam (well before mass tourism), Lombok touring, Cambodian explorations, or boating around the little-visited Andaman Islands of India. Looking for further adventures, Michael moved to Thailand full-time in 2015.
The culture, food, people and history, local architecture, and design inspire Michael to keep traveling and sharing his experiences. He seeks places that can bring those elements together in hotels or guesthouses with a strong design aesthetic. Sustainable, eco-friendly, community-based tourism and wellness are also areas of interest.
Michael is a member of TravMedia and IFWTWA (International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association).
See more of Michael’s work online, or follow him on Instagram. Read all of Michael’s articles on Wander here.
MaryRose Denton
Contributor
MaryRose Denton is a traveler and blogger from the Pacific Northwest. She applies the philosophy of “meraki” to her writing as much as she did to her thirty-year career as a massage therapist. Meraki is a Greek word best translated as a labor of love. In other words, being so passionate about something, you pour your soul into it. For MaryRose, that is travel. She focuses primarily on culture, history, sustainability, and vegan/vegetarian travel.
Follow MaryRose on Instagram. Read all of MaryRose’s articles on Wander here.
Michael & Elizabeth Fagin
Contributors, Specializing in Wines
Elizabeth Fagin and Michael Fagin have been freelance travel writers since 2005 and have toured much of the US West Coast, enjoying the wine country and covering the fine wines and dining. They also spend considerable time outdoors—hiking, biking, and kayaking. The Fagins also cover British Columbia wine country and explore the rain forests, coastal regions, and mountains.
When not on travel assignments, Michael is the founder and lead operational meteorologist for West Coast Weather, LLC. He is also the president and operational meteorologist of Mt. Everest Weather Forecasting.
Elizabeth is the editor for Fagin’s Weather World Newsletter and Fagin’s Weather World Hike Washington. She has been Director of Education at three synagogues in the Seattle area since 2001. Duties include writing curriculum, articles for newsletters, and providing continuing education for teachers.
Read all of Michael and Elizabeth’s articles on Wander here.
Carl Giavanti
Contributor, Specializing in Wines
Carl Giavanti is a recovering winery publicist with a passion for people and storytelling. After 15 years of winery PR consulting, wine business writing, and interviewing wine writers, Carl is laser-focused on wine travel writing and interviewing winemakers for his Wine Characters project.
Carl is a wine industry veteran and wine travel journalist from Portland, Oregon. He has written about wine industry topics for over 15 years, including Wine Business Monthly, Vineyard & Winery Management, The Grapevine Magazine, Wine Industry Network, Great Northwest Wine, Oregon Wine Press, and The Vintner Project.
Carl began wine travel writing in 2022. He has expanded his outlets to other wine, travel, and lifestyle publications, including Food Wine Travel Magazine, Winetraveler.com, Vine Routes, and Wander with Wonder. He launched Wine Characters, a unique winemaker interview series in August 2024, where he interviews the makers behind the bottle.
Read all of Carl’s articles on Wander here and visit his Linktree author pages here.
Lisa Waterman Gray
Contributor, Specializes in Green Hotels
A Kansas City-area resident, Lisa Waterman Gray has savored Quebec’s finest cuisine, ridden in a pickup before a Kansas buffalo herd, and toured natural Arizona landmarks with Native American guides. In June 2011, 18 months of driving, research, and writing ended with the national publication of Lisa’s book, An Explorer’s Guide: Kansas. In October 2014, she was a U.S. delegate for Terre Madre and Salone del Gusto in Turin, Italy—a conference for Slow Food International.
Lisa has written for Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle (a Canadian magazine), USAToday.com, Midwest Living, four AAA magazines, and other clients. Visit Lisa online on her website or follow her on social media on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Pinterest. Read all of Lisa’s articles on Wander here.
David & Susan Greenberg
Contributors
David and Susan Greenberg are award-winning travel and food writers whose work is rooted in a shared passion for discovering extraordinary meals and meaningful travel experiences around the world. Their journey into culinary storytelling began in Hong Kong, where they spent five years reviewing everything from humble street-side eateries to Michelin-starred restaurants for FoodieHK, the city’s premier online dining magazine.
David is also the author of numerous poetry picture books and a young-adult novel, published by major U.S. publishers and translated into multiple languages. His global travels for book readings deepened his connection to local food cultures, shaping his path into food and travel writing.
Susan brings a rich background in education and marketing, having taught in schools and universities and previously owned a marketing firm. Together, their complementary perspectives create stories that balance vivid sensory detail with thoughtful insight.
Since returning to the United States in 2022, they have expanded their focus to include destination, hotel, and culinary travel features, with work published in Northwest Travel & Life, Southwest Travel & Life, Food, Wine & Travel, and Eater. They were named Best New Travel Writers of the Year by Northwest Travel & Life. Now based in the Pacific Northwest, they continue to travel widely in search of their next unforgettable bite. You can read more of David and Susan’s writing online here.
Tonya Hennessey
Contributor
Tonya Hennessey is a San Francisco Bay Area-based travel and food writer with a passion for exploring the world’s flavors and cultures. She’s co-founder and executive producer of Create24.
Originally from Minneapolis, she’s spent decades fundraising for environmental and human rights causes. She weaves her love of discovery into compelling stories. Her writing dives into food, sustainable travel, culture, art, and music, always with an eye for what makes each place unique. Whether savoring street food in Asia or championing global good, Tonya brings curiosity and heart to every adventure.
Learn more about Tonya’s work at LinkedIn: @tonyahennessey, Facebook: @TonyasAdventures, Pinterest: @tonyahennessey, Instagram: @combukinha, Bluesky: @splashofhenny.bsky.social, and Threads: @combukinha. Read all of Tonya’s articles on Wander here.
Kurt Jacobson
Colorado Travel Connection and Contributor
Kurt Jacobson is a former chef and current freelance travel writer. His writing covers restaurants, destinations, hotel features, farms, and wine. When not hanging out at home, Kurt loves exploring his home state of Colorado and beyond.
Kurt’s articles are published at Trip101.com, GoNOMAD.com, Mother Earth News Magazine, Edible Delmarva Magazine, FTWMagazine.com, LuxeBeatMag.com, and more than 40 other publications worldwide.
Check out Kurt’s online portfolio here. Read all of Kurt’s articles on Wander here.
Judy Karnia
Contributor
Judy Karnia currently enjoys living in the desert of Scottsdale, AZ. She grew up in Chicago and practiced veterinary medicine for 28 years. She has traveled throughout the United States and a few foreign countries and enjoys exploring cities and natural areas. She is a freelance travel writer and certified nature therapy guide. You can follow Judy on her website and Instagram.
Sharon Kurtz
Contributor
Sharon Kurtz is a freelance writer and photographer. Her passion is travel, telling stories, and tussling with her four-legged friends. As a baby boomer who loves adventure, she welcomes opportunities to share stories of people, places, food, and flavors around the corner or around the world. Dallas, Texas, is home with her husband and three spoiled dogs when not searching out new adventures.
You can follow Sharon on Instagram and Facebook. Read all of Sharon’s articles on Wander here.
Joelle Machia and Ryan Slough
Contributors
Joelle Machia and Ryan Slough are the co-founders of Wanderers Compass Travel Blog, where they share immersive stories focused on culture, history, responsible tourism, and transformative travel experiences around the world. Together, they are travel writers, content creators, podcasters, photographers, and advocates for sustainable and respectful travel.
You can follow Joelle and Ryan on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube. Read all of Joelle and Ryan’s articles on Wander here.
Jan Meyer
Contributor
Jan Meyer is a freelance writer based in Warsaw, Poland. He attended college in the USA, later lived in the UK, and moved to Poland in 2024. His work appears in publications such as Atlas Obscura and Go World Travel Magazine and focuses on travel, history, culture, and language. His passion for learning foreign languages informs his writing, enabling him to make deeper, more personal connections in the places he writes about. He also runs Another Day in Poland, a blog dedicated to showcasing everyday life and culture in the country.
You can follow Jan on BlueSky. Read all of Jan’s articles on Wander here.
Catherine Parker
Contributor
Catherine Parker‘s passion for travel has driven her to visit all 50 U.S. states. As a former flight attendant with one of the largest airlines, she’s landed in nearly every North American airport at least once.
Since clipping her professional wings after 9/11, Catherine has combined her love of the open road with visiting national parks, historic sites, and cultural icons. By logging over 75,000 miles behind the wheel, Catherine has explored 41 of the 61 national parks. Loaded in an over-packed SUV, she’s driven through the lower 48 and six Canadian provinces with her three kids. Catherine also contributes to print magazines, including Texas Farm and Home, and her local newspaper, The Taylor Press.
You can follow Catherine online at CarfulofKids. You can also follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Read all of Catherine’s articles on Wander here.
Marni Patterson
Contributor
Marni Patterson has years of experience writing web content and creating written materials that persuade businesses to buy products such as software, cloud computing, and cybersecurity services. She has expanded into travel writing, photography, and videography and has published articles in Matador, GoNOMAD, Travel Awaits, Foodie Flashpacker, Reel Travels, and more. Marni’s professional affiliations include TravMedia, the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), and Travel Writers University.
Follow Marni on her website and Facebook, Instagram, and X. Read all of Marni’s articles on Wander here.
Jill Robbins
Contributor, Specializes in Family Travel
Jill Robbins is a freelance writer, wanderer, and photographer based in Texas. She is a mom of three and nana of one. She lives outside San Antonio with her husband and two sons, but she’s usually elsewhere. She has a biological daughter and two sons adopted from China.
Jill’s words have been published in The Washington Post, TravelingMom, Scary Mommy, and other places. She’s also the producer of Listen to Your Mother San Antonio. This stage show features live readings about motherhood as told by their original authors in celebration of Mother’s Day.
You can follow Jill on her website, Ripped Jeans and Bifocals. You can also follow along on Facebook and Instagram. Read all of Jill’s articles on Wander here.
Dena Roche
Contributor
Dena Roché is an experienced travel journalist focusing on wine, wellness, and luxury travel. She’s published with BBC, American Way, United Hemispheres, Marriott, Trivago, and more.
Follow Dena on her website. You can also follow along on Instagram. Read all of Dena’s articles on Wander here.
Penny Sadler
Contributor
Penny Sadler is on a quest to document the world’s wine regions and explore beauty along the way. Her background as a professional makeup artist has honed her eye for fine detail, which complements her work as a travel and wine writer and photographer. She is Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certified and is currently pursuing the level three certification. In addition, she hosts wine tastings for both private and retail customers. Find Penny behind the scenes with a film crew, or wandering through vineyards with her camera. If she’s not traveling, she’s planning her next trip. Follow her on her blog, Adventures of a Carry-on.
You can follow Penny on her website and on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Read all of Penny’s articles on Wander here.
John Sizemore
Contributor
John Sizemore is an award-winning freelance travel writer and photographer based out of Austin, Texas, by way of North Carolina. He was the NATJA Gold Award winner in 2025 for Destination Travel and has written for renowned outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, Matador, Paste, and ROVA. He believes there is magic in every corner of our planet and is passionate about sharing that magic and helping others see it through his writing and images. He primarily covers parks, road trips, off-the-beaten-path destinations, cities, wellness, and the occasional strange one-off experience. In his downtime, he enjoys reading, cooking, exploring cinema, teaching yoga, Texas two-stepping, and playing music.
You can check out John’s writing on Muckrack and follow him on Instagram. Read all of John’s articles on Wander here.
Mimi Slawoff
Contributor
Mimi Slawoff is a native Angeleno and seasoned journalist who has traveled the world since she was a child. A first-generation Bulgarian American, Mimi spent a few summers in Bulgaria and traveling around Europe. That got her hooked on travel. She enjoys taking photos and writing about other cultures, cruising, skiing, snorkeling, hiking, and other outdoor adventures.
A former Los Angeles Daily News reporter, Mimi is a regular contributor to L.A. Parent magazine, where her former travel column earned an award from the Parenting Publications of America. In addition, Mimi has bylines in AAA, Travel + Leisure.com, Eating Well magazine, Hilton’s Club Traveler magazine, TravelingMom.com, The Expedition, and more. She also wrote for the Big Bear Visitors Guide, and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. Mimi is the author of Oldest Los Angeles, released by Reedy Press in 2022.
You can follow Mimi on X and Instagram. Read all of Mimi’s articles on Wander here.
Cori Solomon
Contributor
Cori Solomon is an award-winning freelance writer/photographer, based in Los Angeles, California, who focuses on travel, art, food, wine, and pets. She often highlights the story behind the restaurant, chef, winery, winemaker, or artist.
Her background in real estate and art both play a role in her writing, whether it is the architectural splendor of a building, a historical-artistic rendering, or the artistry of a winemaker or chef. Since Cori often travels with her dogs, Salukis, she has a keen eye for pet-friendly stories.
Wine is central to Cori, who founded the 50-member LA Wine Writers. Cori has earned her WSET Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits, received the NASA American Wine Specialist Certification and a NASA Spanish Wine Specialist Certification.
Cori is a member of the IFWTWA, NATJA, SATW, TWC, TravMedia, CWA and DWAA. You can see Cori’s website at www.writtenpalette.com. You can also follow her on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Read all of Cori’s articles on Wander here.
Julie Dee Suman
Contributor
Julie Dee Suman is a Maryland-based freelance travel writer and photographer. She has traveled extensively through 45 countries across five continents. In addition to featuring the Mid-Atlantic Region, Julie enjoys destination travel with a focus on nature and wildlife excursions. She is a member of the Travel Writers Café, International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), and TravMedia. Julie is also a pharmaceutical scientist and co-editor of Respiratory Drug Delivery. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and trade magazines. You can follow Julie on Instagram and X. Read all of Julie’s articles on Wander here.
Phil Thomas
Contributor
Phil Thomas is a travel writer, photographer, and content creator from Cambridge, UK. Travel is both his profession and his passion. He tells stories about the people and places he has visited across 110+ countries.
Phil’s writing and photography have been published in BBC Travel, The Independent, Travel & Leisure, and FWT Magazine. His bylines are diverse, covering destinations from Tuscany to Tucson to Turkmenistan. He specializes in cultural, outdoors, and LGBTQ+ travel and always aims to showcase destinations through local voices that capture the joy and essence of a place so readers feel compelled to visit for themselves.
Phil’s blog, Someone Else’s Country, is aimed at busy professionals who are low on time but high on wanderlust. They want independent cultural, culinary, and outdoor adventures, not just “bucket list” checklists. Popular series include Second Time In… for returning visitors and Go Where Others Don’t, which spotlights lesser-known—but no less intriguing—attractions for returning and first-time visitors. You can also follow Phil’s wanderings on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky. Read all of Phil’s articles on Wander here.
2021 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award Winner
Wander With Wonder is a winner in the 2021 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, placing fourth in the Travel Journalism Websites category. The annual competition is sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.
According to the judges, Wander With Wonder “is a rich website with deep content from freelancers covering the gamut of experiences. With easy navigation and broad coverage of everything from eat and drink to product reviews, this site is a feast for travelers. Readers can re-experience places once visited long ago or find new discoveries.”
Website & Social Media Stats
Wander With Wonder reaches thousands of households around the globe. Readers enjoy good food, great wine, and wow moments when and where they travel. We have a total monthly audience of more than 265,000. Please check out a selection of some of our partnerships below. Let us know if you want to write for us or advertise on Wander.
Total Monthly Reach
Average Online Engagement Rate
Monthly Website Views
Instagram Followers
Monthly Pinterest Views
Facebook Followers
LinkedIn Followers
DA
- Ages 25 - 34 21.5%
- Ages 35 - 44 19.8%
- Ages 45 - 54 17.3%
- Ages 55 - 64 17.1%
- Ages 18-24 13.7%
- Ages 65+ 9.9%
Avg Minutes on Page
%
Female Readers
Major US Markets
Seattle
Chicago
NYC
Los Angeles
Toronto
Phoenix
Major International Markets
USA
UK
Canada
Germany
Australia
France
Selected Partnerships
Wander With Wonder works with a variety of partners, including destinations, brands, hotels, airlines, restaurants, wineries, distilleries, and more. You can view detailed partnerships here.
