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About This Blog
Meet Our Contributors AAA people from all over the country contribute their travel knowledge and point of view to this blog. Here's a little bit more about them and 'where they're coming from.'
  • Kendra Strey

    Kendra Strey is the features editor of Texas Journey and Alabama Journey, the travel magazines for the AAA members in those states. She loves feasting on Southern cooking during her travels to her territories, especially since she lives in ultra health-conscious Southern California. Kendra’s favorite travel destinations involve the water, whether river cruising in Europe; kiteboarding off South Padre Island, Texas; or just hanging with the family on a floating campsite in Lake Oroville, California.

     

  • Inspector 81 Inspector 81 has been a tourism editor with AAA for 12 years and currently works in the Mid-Atlantic area. He grew up in Ohio and has lived in the Carolinas and Colorado. Inspector 81 moved to Virginia in 1999 when he accepted the job with AAA . He knows Shenandoah Valley like the back of his hand and has many tales from the road to share. Each day on the job is an adventure— Inspector 81 has evaluated properties that have ranged from One to Five Diamonds in 34 out of 50 states. He's in the only child of a dad with a military background and a mom who was a school administrator.
  • Inspector 66 I was born in Connecticut and was raised in Virginia. I graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor's degree in Pre Veterinarian Medicine. Deciding to take a short break before Vet School, I went to Europe for an extended period of time. I traveled through 13 European countries, from the UK to the former Yugoslavia and all the countries in between.  Having spent all the money I had for vet school, I had to get a job. I turned to the hospitality industry, as I had worked in hotels during college. I took a job with Marriott and worked in a few different hotels, spending six years with the company. Then I discovered the best job in the world, being a AAA Inspector. I’ve been with AAA since 1983. I’ve inspected hotels, restaurants, campgrounds and attractions from Maine to Hawaii, Canada, Mexico and throughout the Caribbean. I’ve been married for 19 years to my beautiful wife. We have two kids, a girl, 8, and a boy, 11. Every day brings a new adventure.
  • Inspector 64 In her 19 years with AAA, Inspector 64 has worked in 40 states, 3 Canadian provinces and 12 Caribbean islands. After studying art in college and finding it wasn’t a great way to make a living, she applied her lifelong love of travel and dining to her career at AAA where she’s now considered an “old timer” on staff. She’s a native Mid-Atlantic resident and beach lover, currently covering the region from Ocean City, Md., to the Crystal Coast of North Carolina and much of Virginia. She’s passing along her interests to her 4-year-old son who stayed at his first Five Diamond hotel at 9 months and now, as an expert on hotels, is known to offer an extra point or two to properties with a waffle maker at the buffet. Music and the arts are big passions for Inspector 64, and the boys in her life have always been big sports fans so family trips often combine the three, along with great food of course.
  • Inspector 503 Inspector 503 has been with AAA since 2008, in college she majored in Hospitality and Restaurants and knew she wanted to be an inspector at some point.  Fairly quickly after graduation, while working for a casino hotel, she had some help from fate and luck when she found out about the AAA Inspector position.  Her most intense experience came just two weeks into her training, when she got to visit Montana… in February… during a record setting snowfall.  Since then she has visited numerous other states all with considerably nicer weather.  Although, returning to Montana, in the summer, is something she would like to do.  When she isn’t out inspecting, she enjoys movies, reading, and baking when the mood strikes.  Her territory now consists of areas in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas and Kentucky.
  • Inspector 17 Inspector 17 After college Inspector 17 enlisted in the Coast Guard on a whim and stayed for the next 27 years. He retired in 2001 just before Sept. 11, which occurred while he was typing resumes for the many promising jobs he had lined up before leaving the service. Those opportunities immediately dried up, so Inspector 17 went hunting via traditional methods. On Sept. 30, 2001, an ad for a Tourism Editor appeared in his local paper and after submitting his application he was invited to interview. Amazingly, Inspector 17 was hired, much to the chagrin of his neighbor’s adult son who had also applied. He started at AAA on Veterans Day 2001 and remains in the position of Tourism Editor to this date, almost a decade later. Still amazed!
  • Inspector 60 Inspector 60 Inspector 60 began her career with AAA as a Swing Field Inspector. She traveled around the U.S. and Canada for nearly two years- living out of three suitcases.What an adventure that was- the highway and many a city and state was her home. Inspector 60 traveled to just about every town that you can imagine, large and small, each with its distinct character and flavor. She has seen such wonderful sights- national and state parks, country roads with wild flowers, farmlands, forests- nature surrounding me. She’s also met so many wonderful people and has stayed at and dined in such wonderful hotels and restaurants in her travels. For the past 18 years, Inspector 60 has been assigned to the west coast of Florida. Every day is an adventure and she has been blessed to have a wonderful life-long career- 25 years and counting.
  • Inspector 71 Inspector 71 A native of Ohio, Inspector 71 is a graduate of Ohio University. He lives in southwestern Ohio with his wife, two children and a brown rabbit who has an insatiable appetite for clover. Inspector 71 loves the countryside and small towns of the Midwest.
  • Inspector 84 Inspector 84 Inspector 84 was born, raised, and still lives in the smallest of our great states, Rhode Island.  Growing up by the ocean meant learning how to dig for clams and shuck oysters by the time she was 7 years old, not realizing this would someday prepare her for a life of adventurous eating.  While in college, Inspector 84 began her career with AAA as an intern at the local Auto Travel call center.  She loved helping members plan their dream vacations and is happy to still be guiding them today.  She has always had a passion for traveling, experiencing nature, and learning about different cultures.  It has brought her on a quest to see all things beautiful in the 14 countries and 17 states she has visited.  Her favorite places tend to be sunny locales with turquoise waters and swaying palms including Mexico, Hawaii and the Florida Keys.  When not on the road, Inspector 84 enjoys spending time with family, photography, gardening, driving her husband mad with yet another house project and spending time at the neighborhood animal shelter.
  • Inspector 88 Inspector 88 Inspector 88 grew up along the coast of southern Maine and has an appreciation of ‘off the boat’ fresh seafood and swimming in the surf. Traveling the states and other areas of the globe have always been a part of life – particularily enjoying the cuisines of each destination.
  • Inspector 90 Inspector 90 Inspector 90 has been an inspector with AAA for 11 years. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa., then lived for various years in Atlanta, Orlando, Asheville and Raleigh and has finally settled in Montana.Inspector 90 met her husband while on assignment in Alaska, so that state always holds a special place in her heart. Currently taking advantage of all the outdoor activities the Big Sky country has to offer, she enjoys boating, hiking, 4-wheeling, fishing and camping. Inspector 90 enjoys partaking of elk, venison and pheasant but leaves the hunting up to her husband. Luckily, her inspection duties keep her busy in a location she enjoys.
  • Inspector 93 Inspector 93

    Inspector 93 was hired as an inspector in 1993 and got to see a great deal of the country in that capacity. His first assignment was in Idaho, and he then traveled to Wisconsin (Inspector 93 loves the cheese houses up there) as well as Boston and Cape Cod. Since that initial foray around our great country, Inspector 93 has been to almost every state in the U.S. (the Grand Tetons are about as pretty a site as he’s ever seen).And, if he didn’t work there he’s been through there.But, there’s no place like home with his wife and best friend of 34 years. She is a teacher and has been able to travel with him on many occasions in the summer. She’s gotten pretty good at the job from staying and eating with him. Inspector 93 also has two children, one grandchild and another one on the way. Inspector 93 attended Auburn University and is a rabid Auburn Tiger fan. He attended his first football game there in 1961 and hasn’t been the same since then as anyone who knows him will tell you! He graduated in Speech and Theater from Troy University. Inspector 93 also attended Southwestern and Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminaries and was a minister for 12 years.

  • Inspector 94 Inspector 94 Inspector 94 is a 20-year employee with AAA and for 14 years has evaluated hotels and restaurants in at least 23 U.S. states and in Mexico. He grew up in the picturesque mountains of central Pennsylvania.After traveling to Nyack, New York, where he received his B.A. in Social Science and a Master’s Seminary degree, he became an ordained minister and presided over a church in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. After marrying his wife of 23 years, they moved to Florida for new opportunities and began working at a Four Diamond resort. After a few years he moved on to work at AAA National Headquarters where he came in contact with many inspectors and became interested in the job. When the opportunity arose, he was hired and now works primarily in Illinois and Wisconsin. A great interest continues to be evaluating some of the finest restaurants in the world in Chicago.
  • Terence Baker Terence Baker Terence Baker joined AAA Publishing in Feb. 2007 as the travel editor of AAA New York's Car & Travel magazine. Travel is something he pretty much lives for, ever since receiving his first atlas at the age of six and remembering the smile of an old Greek woman on the island of Crete, who handed him, unprompted, a fresh pomegranate at the age of 12. He has been to 72 countries and reads, reads and reads, mainly literature and travel journals. Books have taken over, so much so that in his Brooklyn apartment, he had to get rid of the television to make room. A native of London, his first travel was to mainland Europe, but since moving to the United States, he has consistently stared south at Central and Latin America. The Colombian hilltop village of Villa de Leyva remains his favorite destination, but he also feels the need to often revisit Spain, Portugal and Central Park. He has run 20 marathons (best time: 2:44:56) and enjoys birdwatching, which often sees him get hopelessly but majestically lost. The only time he seems not to enjoy life is when he sees the unchecked use of exclamation marks.
  • Ivan Becker Ivan Becker Ivan Becker joined AAA New Jersey as an Auto Travel Counselor in 2004 after a career in advertising. He has always enjoyed planning the family driving vacations and his best subject in Trivial Pursuit is geography, so he was a natural for auto travel. He also stops to read the trail maps on the ski slopes, to the annoyance of his companions who want to get in out of the cold. He loves the beach and the Beach Boys as well as Springsteen. He enjoys inexpensive wines, Asian cuisine and independent films. One of his favorite travel spots is Charleston, SC and especially the beach at Kiawah Island. He likes to recommend Lake Powell to clients who are visiting the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion. If his knees are in the mood, he can occasionally be found on the golf course.
  • Kim Birch Kim Birch A true Florida native, Kim Birch was born in Orlando and shares some of the area’s history.  Neil Armstrong landed on the moon on Kim’s second birthday and Disney opened its gates when Kim was just four years old.  Growing up just a few miles from Mickey’s house, Kim made more than 70 trips to Disney World by the age of 20.  While she still enjoys the magic of Disney, Kim is a frequent cruiser and has visited many ports of call in the Caribbean.  Employed by AAA in 1990, Kim is now a product manager with AAA Publishing and works closely on popular AAA retail travel guides such as the Atlas and the PetBook.  Kim enjoys spending time with her family and friends and loves to entertain.  On most weekends you can find her playing hostess at some sort of get-together at her Central Florida home.
  • Heidemarie Chernushin Heidemarie Chernushin Heidemarie Chernushin began her AAA career in 1988 as an Auto Travel Counselor, followed by an 11-year stint working in Public Affairs at Ohio Motorists Association (now AAA East Central). After briefly escaping from AAA world to work for the Cleveland Clinic Health Systems, she received an offer she couldn’t refuse and the prodigal daughter returned to her AAA home. Her addiction to travel began as a child during summer-long excursions to visit her grandparents in Vienna. It grew while working as a tour bus driver/guide in Yellowstone National Park after college graduation. Itchy feet syndrome now becomes intolerable if she’s home for more than two months compelling her to hit the road . . . somewhere . . . anywhere.
  • Candy Christman Candy Christman Candy Christman worked at AAA for 30 years before her recent retirement.  Some of Candy’s favorite vacations were taken in various corners of the globe, including Puerto Madryn, Argentina, Zermatt, Switzerland, snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, and white water rafting near Hope, Alaska.  She is passionate about animal welfare and most childhood photos have a dog or a cat in the picture.
  • Kevin Crockett Kevin Crockett Kevin is with the Auto Travel department of AAA Allied in Kansas. He fell in love with travel thanks to family road trips when he played with Star Wars toys in the back of the station wagon. He still likes Star Wars and enjoys travel even more, maybe because his sister isn’t along anymore. He calls the Midwest home and enjoys the big cities and quirky places along the highway. He and his boyfriend take two big trips a year to a major destination.  Kevin also has a collection of over 2100 shot glasses from his travels, which is cool to see, but a huge pain to dust.
  • Sally Doran Sally Doran Sally Doran grew up in a small Ohio town and has always had a passion to see the country and the world. She says she felt like a lottery winner when she landed a job in 1991 as a marketing director with AAA Miami Valley in Dayton. She  also served as regional editor for the local issue of Home & Away magazine. ("They pay you to travel and write about it? OK, I'll do it!").  For the past seven years, her AAA experience has continued as she works with more than twenty clubs across the country. As a travel writer and editor, she has enjoyed many trips throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe.  A self-described Anglophile, she lists London as her favorite city in the world; but as a life-long Midwesterner, she can tell you most about America's heartland.  Other travel passions are non-stop golf getaways, mom-and-son bonding trips with her teenage son and at least one travel adventure with "the girls" each year (facial anyone?).
  • Eli Ellison Eli Ellison AAA travel writer Eli Ellison's center of operations often is a hotel room, as the California resident gets paid to seek out North America's hottest attractions, restaurants and nightlife. When not at his computer typing up vivid descriptions of destinations like Las Vegas and San Diego, Eli can be found asleep on the beach, rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers or experiencing pastrami-on-rye nirvana at L.A.’s legendary Langer’s Deli. His favorite travel destinations include Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and remote corners of the American Southwest, where he’s never surprised to see a camera-toting European tourist pop out from behind a rock.
  • Darlene Entringer Darlene Entringer Darlene Entringer has been a marketing director in AAA’s national office in Heathrow, FL for nearly 18 years. She and her husband, Larry, are making up for “lost time” (raising children, building careers, paying for college, paying off their mortgage, etc.) as they seek numerous opportunities to travel the globe. Darlene has enjoyed fifteen cruises and one riverboat excursion, traveling to ports of call in Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and northern Europe. She believes cruising is the most comfortable, the least stressful, and obviously cost-effective way to visit a wide variety of countries and cities. A recent riverboat adventure went through scenic little burgs, ancient castles and acres of vineyards from Prague to Trier, France with stops in Bavaria and Germany. She compares these little towns to the treasured and colorful holiday village she displays each Christmas season. Her favorite city is Paris in the fall. It’s a fascinating metropolis filled with history, wonderful food, engaging sites and friendly people. An immediate travel goal is to see more of the U.S.A., particularly the many national parks. She enjoy traveling with friends and family as well.
  • Sandra Furlong Sandra Furlong Wanderlust began early for Sandra Furlong, who is retired from the Travel department of AAA’s national office in Florida. One of her first memories is of standing behind a latched screen door at age three, looking outside and wanting to be “out there.” Since then, she’s gone “out there” every chance she gets, traveling in five continents with abandon, often to the chagrin of traveling companions. Although the memories of places she’s been are all special, she says the best trip is always the next one planned.
  • Beth Granger Beth Granger Elizabeth “Beth” Granger joined AAA in 2007 as an auto travel counselor, taking to the travel industry like a duck to water. In 2010, she transferred to the World Wide Travel department where, as a travel counselor, she enjoys planning trips around the world. A Michigan native, Beth now resides in Missouri with her husband and three dogs. As a child, she knew she wanted to see the world after reading her uncle’s collection of National Geographic magazines and, since then, has taken every opportunity to travel. Her favorite destinations (so far) are Kauai and Yellowstone. When Beth isn’t traveling she enjoys crocheting, sewing, baking, knitting, and reading everything she can get her hands on.
  • Darcy Grimes Darcy Grimes Darcy Grimes is manager of Travel Marketing for AAA Carolinas. Her mission is to persuade AAA members and prospective members to dream about their next vacation while hopefully attracting them to AAA for fulfillment of that dream. Her dream trips include a photo safari in Africa, island hopping through Greece, driving the Pacific Coast highway in a convertible and taking the entire family to Disney World and then hopping over to Universal Orlando for some extreme thrill rides.  She says the best part about traveling is learning about the people who make up this world we live in and finding our common ground. She is also an avid reader, an overprotective mother and a devoted Buckeye fan.
  • Elizabeth Harryman Elizabeth Harryman Elizabeth Harryman is the Travel Editor of WESTWAYS, the magazine of the Automobile Club of Southern California, and Editor in Chief of NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND JOURNEY magazine. With her husband, fellow journalist Paul Lasley, she produces daily travel features heard around the world on American Forces Radio. Elizabeth and Paul are the former travel contributors for NBC’s TODAY show and the KTLA Morning News, and have hosted travel talk radio shows in Los Angeles—on KABC Radio and on NPR station KPCC. Their radio shows and their book, Honeymoons: A Romantic Travel Guide, are Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award winners. Their nationally syndicated column on travel and dining ran for 10 years in the Los Angeles Times and other major dailies, and their stories have appeared in the Consumer Reports Travel Letter and The Christian Science Monitor. Elizabeth would like to live in the English countryside. She believes that travel is the last best hope for peace in the world
  • Betty Henagin Betty Henagin Betty Henagin works for AAA as an auto travel counselor in Medford, Oregon. She is originally from the San Francisco Bay area, and has lived in the Rogue Valley for the past four years. In addition to the California Redwoods, her favorite travels include Yosemite National Park, Alaska, autumn in New England, the Southwest, Western Europe, and of course, Disneyland and Walt Disney World! Besides writing, she enjoys singing, live theatre, classic movies, cooking, gardening and canning the bounty from her backyard garden.
  • Dan Holland Dan Holland Dan Holland has been with AAA Auto Travel Services in the Cleveland, Ohio area since 1997. He began writing freelance travel articles for The Ohio Motorist, a local monthly AAA magazine, in 2002. A self-proclaimed fair-weather sports fan (keeping in mind that Cleveland is a town void of any major sports championships since the mid 1960s), his real passion is for the great outdoors. Dan has an innate aversion to crowds, and is content lounging in a mountain cabin or lying on an uncrowded beach. A few of his favorite destinations includes Grand Canyon, Sedona, Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, Outer Banks, and any locale without slot machines or rush hour traffic. His favorite spot is inside the car with his wife and two kids—at least when the kids are giggling rather than fighting.
  • Jeff Howe Jeff Howe Even before he could drive, Jeff Howe was identifying aircraft in flight, constructing sentences with airport codes, and decoding fare calculations on airline tickets. Surely, the lucrative life of a travel agent was in his future. After a considerable 10-plus-year detour as a newspaper and magazine writer and editor, then a stint in nonprofit public relations, Jeff finally landed in the hallowed halls of travel. Now, he gets his travel geek fix by creating plans for AAA members and nonmembers, often to places he would love to visit but can’t get the time off. He is married to Andrea, a freelance book editor, who loves to join Jeff on his travel adventures – as long as it’s not on a little boat or requires eating spicy food.
  • Heather Hunter Heather Hunter Heather joined the AAA public relations team in June 2007, bringing more than 13 years of experience, including extensive work in both the travel and publishing industries.As a public relations professional, she has participated in campaigns to promote hotels, resorts, tour operators, travel guide publications and travel organizations and conducted sweepstakes and special events. For over five years she worked for Wiley Publishing managing PR activities for Frommer’s travel guides, Frommers.com, the Unofficial Guides and the For Dummies travel series, which she helped to launch. Additionally, she has worked with several PR agencies in New York City where her clients have included well-known members of the travel industry. In her most recent position, Heather served as the Director of Publicity for North Shore Animal League America, a national, no-kill, pet rescue and adoption organization. In this role, she developed a PR campaign in partnership with Weight Watchers to encourage members to "Adopt a Walking Buddy," resulting in over 3,400 pet adoptions nationwide. Heather tweets for AAA at Twitter.com/AAA_Travel and is based in Heathrow, FL.
  • Inspector Inspector 49

    Originally from the Northeast, Inspector 49 relocated to the south just in time to be greeted by Hurricane Katrina.  Having survived Katrina’s wrath she is often dodging tornadoes & torrential downpours while covering her territory which includes Mississippi, Alabama, Florida panhandle & a slice of Tennessee.  Prior to her AAA gig, Inspector 49 was involved in the world of dance holding positions as a teacher, choreographer, General Manager for a regional ballet company and on the U.S. production team of an international touring ballet troupe.  In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her two granddaughters, visiting family & friends, reading, arts & crafts & indulging in an addiction to sudoko.

  • Inspector Inspector 10 Inspector 10 grew up in the beautiful Fingerlakes region of New York where his love of travel was born from many family trips in the back of the station wagon. In over 20 years in the restaurant and hotel industry, he gained extensive experience while managing to retain his sanity and love of food and wine.  Inspector 10 still loves to travel and among his recent trips is a 14 day journey around the world from west to east.  When not doing inspections for AAA, he enjoys golf with friends, the beach and yes, road trips.  Currently Inspector 10 works in New Jersey and New York City.
  • 1 Inspector Inspector 1 Inspector 1 was born in England but arrived on Canadian soil when he was just a toddler. Being raised by nomadic parents who tended to set off on various escapades at the drop of a hat set the stage for a traveler’s life. After joining CAA/AAA as an inspector in 1987, packing and hitting the road each week came quite naturally. Inspector 1’s territory includes a large section of Maine and all the Maritimes including Newfoundland  and Labrador.  The remote nature and pristine beauty of these areas is unsurpassed in his estimation. Inspector 1 enjoys a round of golf with his wife, boating via paddle or power with his children, hiking and - of course - ongoing travel.
  • 12 Inspector Inspector 12 Inspector 12 has been working for AAA for ten years and believes just shopping and eating are reason enough for any travel. She still overpacks, but is prepared for just about anything the road throws at her including power outages, foot fungus or an unexpected ripped seam.  Her travel tip: don’t touch the hotel remote. Her favorite travel sight: the Brooklyn Bridge. Inspector 12's love of the accordion means she would fit in just fine at any polka, cumbia, or zydeco joint.
  • 25 Inspector Inspector 25 Inspector 25 is based in the desert southwest with a large territory that includes New Mexico and Mexico. She loves long drives with blue skies and big vistas along with her favorite companions, satellite radio and a loaded iPod. Her background in the hospitality and tourism industry led her to the best job in the world as an anonymous AAA inspector, much to the envy of her friends. 25 has always enjoyed travel and has spent time in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America and many parts of the U.S. She spends her free time in the company of family, friends and her two cats.
  • 26 Inspector Inspector 26 Born and raised in the Northwest, Inspector 26 has worked for AAA for 14 years and has always loved travel, new experiences and meeting people …  is there a better job?  Along with his wife, he enjoys traveling all over the US and goes internationally on a yearly basis.  A favorite vacation would be something that includes a train ride or riverboat cruise.
  • 35 Inspector Inspector 35 After spending more than 30 years in the high tech industry traveling all over the world, Inspector 35 joined AAA in 2001 as a natural extension of prior experiences.  His huge Texas territory (as wide as the distance from New Orleans to Chicago), keeps him busy checking out places and visiting with great people every day on behalf of AAA members.  During time away from rating hotels and restaurants, Inspector 35 is an avid reader and enjoys the Caribbean and extended cruises.
  • 37 Inspector Inspector 37 Inspector 37 is in his 21st year as an anonymous AAA lodging and restaurant inspector and has evaluated over 10,000 properties for AAA Approval and the Diamond Ratings that appear in TourBook guides and on AAA.com.  His territory is south central and coastal Texas as well as parts of Mexico.  He has experienced several earthquakes including a 7.2 on the 42nd floor on a hotel (it was like walking on a water bed) and encountered scorpions, tarantulas, and even Zapatista rebels in the Lancandon jungle of Chiapas. Favorites include Mayan cuisine (he even speaks a little of the language) his twin grandchildren, fishing, ranching and history.
  • 4 Inspector Inspector 4 Inspector 4 has worked for AAA since 1993. He has continually moved South - born and raised in Rhode Island, then educated in West Virginia (not an oxymoron) and now is settled in Central Florida. He refuses to move further south, as that may land him in Cuba. Inspector 4 has been to 48 of the 50 United States- missing out on only scenic Alaska and less-scenic Mississippi.
  • 40 Inspector Inspector 40 Inspector 40 has seen more of the world than many, but yearns to see more. He is firmly rooted in the sometimes chilly Canadian northeast, where he once worked in radio, television and film production and also as a newspaper editor. He has seen lava pour into the ocean in Hawaii, visited the Pyramids of Egypt, went to the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona (Spain), backpackeded through Central Europe, celebrated Bastille Day in Paris, kissed the Blarney Stone, visited the bazaars of Istanbul, panned for gold in Dawson City, visited Graceland in Memphis and Bob Marley's home in Jamaica, eaten freshly grilled octopus in Greece, roamed the beaches of many Caribbean islands, and has travelled to 21 American states and eight Canadian provinces. His true passion is fine food and great affordable wines.
  • 401 Inspector Inspector 401 Inspector 401 has been a CAA/AAA inspector for over 23 years, working prior to that for several major tour operators and as a travel agent. She is now based in Ontario, but has hot-air-ballooned over the plains of Kenya, walked up a portion of the Great Wall of China, held giant bats in Bali and sailed the Galapagos Islands. Modes of transportation have included motorcycles in the United States and Canada, donkeys in Greece, elephants in Asia and camels in Egypt.  She believes every day should be an adventure but when asked her favorite place, she never hesitates to say her cottage home wins hands down, every time.
  • 465 Inspector Inspector 465 Inspector 465 has enjoyed Midwest living for most of her life, apart from a brief stint in the California sunshine as a preschooler. Lucky enough to be instilled with a love for travel at a young age, she has had such adventures as scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia, backpacking in the Costa Rican rainforest, museum hopping across Italy, and people watching in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens. Combining this travel bug with prior experience in the food and beverage industry, Inspector 465 found her niche as an anonymous AAA lodging and restaurant inspector. As a solitary road warrior, she has developed a love for audiobooks, an addiction to lattes, and a habit of talking to herself. Currently, Inspector 465 works throughout Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.
  • 580 Inspector Inspector 580 Inspector 580 has been an inspector for AAA for 17 years. Born and raised in California, she has traveled it thoroughly and now calls Northern California home. She loves being in the mountains in the morning then by the afternoon on the beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Inspector 580's first job out of college at small hotel/culinary school was supposed to be temporary until she found a ‘real’ job but she soon realized that the hospitality industry is where she was meant to be.
  • 65 Inspector Inspector 65 Inspector 65 was born and raised in Minneapolis, but now calls the Sacramento area home.  A graduate of the University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management, she has traveled to 76 countries, mostly through working various travel jobs.  Her territory includes parts of Northern California, Hawaii and parts of Mexico.  She has experienced three earthquakes and two tsunami warnings, has hiked to the base camp of Mt Everest and has done ocean kayaking off the coast of Belize.
  • 70 Inspector Inspector 70 Inspector 70 lived an eclectic, nomadic life before settling in the Western U.S. and taking on the life of an anonymous AAA lodging and restaurant inspector. She gained knowledge of the hospitality industry by working in a casino on an American Indian reservation and also catered to the needs of guests and horses while working for a horseback riding tour company in Las Alpujarras, Spain. Inspector 70 was lucky enough to spend six months working odd jobs in Edinburgh, Scotland. She continues to travel to far-off places for fun. Some of her favorite experiences include drinking tea with geishas in Kyoto during the Plum Blossom Festival, snorkeling in the barrier reef around Grand Cayman, and climbing to the top of the pyramid in Chichen Itza. In addition, Inspector 70 knits a mean sweater.
  • 75 Inspector Inspector 75 Inspector 75 has loved traveling ever since childhood road trips ranging from the ocean in Florida to the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. As an adult, she spent several months backpacking through Europe, and continues to travel internationally whenever possible. Before joining AAA/CAA in 2005, 75 had the opportunity to travel through the Canadian Arctic including small towns in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon. While based primarily in Ontario and Michigan, 75 has an insatiable desire to explore as many nooks and crannies of this big small planet as possible in one short lifetime and is thrilled to have a job that helps her accomplish this goal -- one town at a time.
  • 80 Inspector Inspector 80 Inspector 80 was born, raised and educated in America’s heartland.  He has spent numerous years working in the hotel industry and has held various management positions with major brands.  He loves to travel and has been to Cancun, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Hawaii, the Florida Keys, Western Washington and many other parts of the United States.  While he has only been with AAA a handful of years, he describes his current position as his ‘dream job.  Inspector 80 still resides in the Midwest and is currently working in Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
  • 99 Inspector Inspector 99 Inspector 99 didn't think a job like this existed, but is now celebrating 20 years as an inspector for CAA & AAA. His current territory is half of British Columbia and he recently added Alaska. He covered the gorgeous islands of Hawaii for 11 years but in this job assignments can change, prompting friends to ask, "What did you do to lose Hawaii?’ He says it's simply a chance to experience another part of this great world of ours, the untamed wilds of the 49th state.
  • TCH Inspector Inspector TCH Inspector TCH is a regional manager of lodging and restaurant inspections with 23 years of AAA experience. He is responsible for inspections across Canada as well as in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Mexico.  Prior to that, he spent 10 years in the food and beverage industry in Western Canada.
  • Carol Johnson Carol Johnson Carol Johnson has been an account manager for AAA for 20 years canvassing the upper midwest and western U.S. as a constant tourist. She has visited less-traveled locales as well as popular destinations and experienced many AAA rated hotels, restaurants and attractions.  In her large territory of Minnesota, the Dakotas and Wyoming, Carol has enjoyed visiting national parks like Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone and the Badlands of North and South Dakota as well as the top of Crazy Horse Memorial. It’s the off-the-beaten-path places that are most intriguing. Carol grew up in southern Michigan and start traveling extensively for work after graduating from Ferris State University. Her love of travel has taken her to all 50 states, six Canadian provinces and two dozen countries on five continents.
  • Nancy Jones Nancy Jones Nancy Jones is a content and product development manager with AAA Publishing and occasional freelance writer on the topic of bluegrass music. She is an NPR junkie and is passionate about saving energy.  This leads to inner conflict between the desire to hit the open road and the guilt over burning fossil fuels.  Since eliminating drive trips isn’t an option she wants to pursue, owning a hybrid vehicle is in her future.
  • Ed Kiggins Ed Kiggins Ed Kiggins owes his love of travel at least in part to his Army Brat childhood, as he moved around so often that the notion of staying in one place never even occurred to him. Now, as Creative Director for AAA World magazine for AAA Mid-Atlantic, he draws on his life experience to craft a magazine to which his readers can relate. He believes you can’t write a travel magazine from behind a desk and so is constantly hitting the road: researching, writing, photographing and sharing stories of what he’s seen. Kiggins and his girlfriend live in Avondale, Pennsylvania with their two young sons, who are slowly learning that often the journey itself is as important as the destination.
  • Christen Korpal Christen Korpal Christen Korpal joined AAA Wisconsin in 1997 and has been a certified Aussie Specialist travel agent through the Australian Tourist Commission since 1998 ~ although her love of all things “Australia” started when she was just 13. After four years in the Air Force – 3 ½ of which were spent based in Mildenhall, England - and a few more in retail store management, she decided she needed to find a job that would help her to realize her dream of getting to Australia instead of just constantly reading about it! Once a travel agent, she traveled to Australia within her first two years on the job and has visited every state Down Under along with the Northern Territory, with the exception of Tasmania (next on her list!) and Western Australia. She hates to pick favorites, but as Adelaide and its neighboring city, Hahndorf, remind her so much of the German influence back home in Wisconsin, the South Australian town is tough to beat! Other favorites include husband Paul, son, Nick, dark chocolate and her home state of Wisconsin.
  • Sharon Kudlowitz Sharon Kudlowitz AAA travel writer Sharon Kudlowitz earns frequent flyer miles alternating between outings to visit grandchildren in Chicago and Washington, D.C., and on-the-job trips to such far-flung destinations as Banff National Park of Canada in Alberta; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; San Francisco; and Québec City. This grammar queen gathers knowledge about North America’s must-do attractions, restaurants, shopping and nightlife through painstaking research and firsthand experience, and since 1993 she’s written about numerous destinations, including Fort Lauderdale, Toronto, the Outer Banks and Virginia’s Historic Triangle. Other favorite excursions include frequent cruises and visits to her hometown of Memphis for the world’s best barbecue.
  • Paul Lasley Paul Lasley Paul Lasley is the “TravelSmart” columnist for WESTWAYS, the magazine of the Automobile Club of Southern California, and executive producer and host of OnTravel.com, a 24/7 travel podcasting website. With his wife, fellow journalist Elizabeth Harryman, he produces daily travel features heard around the world on American Forces Radio. Paul and Elizabeth are the former travel contributors for NBC’s TODAY show and the KTLA Morning News, and have hosted travel talk radio shows in Los Angeles—on KABC Radio and on NPR station KPCC. Their radio shows and their book, Honeymoons: A Romantic Travel Guide, are Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award winners. Their nationally syndicated column on travel and dining ran for 10 years in the Los Angeles Times and other major dailies, and their stories have appeared in the Consumer Reports Travel Letter and The Christian Science Monitor. Paul’s favorite city is Hong Kong. He believes that true joy is found in traveling with only one carryon bag.
  • Suzanne Lemon Suzanne Lemon AAA travel writer Suzanne Lemon gets paid to travel and write, two things she loves nearly as much as a good Pinot Noir. Cultivating her knowledge of North America's hottest attractions, restaurants, shopping and nightlife through firsthand experience, her adventures have led her to California Wine Country, Cape Cod, Charleston, New York City and Rocky Mountain National Park. Her glowing descriptions of such far-flung destinations as Denver, Jackson Hole in Wyoming, California's Monterey Peninsula, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have been published in millions of AAA TourBook® guides distributed annually as well as online in articles for AAA Travel Guides.
  • Alison Lockwood Alison Lockwood Since 2000, AAA travel writer Alison Lockwood has researched and experienced such destinations as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and New Orleans, but her favorite vacation is still a road trip; she and her husband once spent 6 weeks covering 10,000 miles in 30 states. No camping, though—Alison’s idea of roughing it is a hotel without air conditioning. Besides fresh sheets, she also loves opera, photography, Creole food and Jon Stewart. Topping her list of unforgettable sights: the Yellowstone geysers, the Skagit Valley tulip fields, the windmills at Mykonos and the Irish coast at Slea Head.
  • Susan Long Susan Long Susan has fond memories of traveling with her dogs — like the time she sat in the back seat with her two new puppies heading back to New York from Miami after Christmas vacation (the dogs were an unexpected gift, and gave her many more unexpected “gifts” along the journey).  Or the time she took her dogs camping and it was so cold that they both climbed into her sleeping bag to keep warm (also, being ‘city’ dogs, they were terrified by wild animal noises). Susan’s current dog Hope is a yellow-lab mix always ready to travel to pet-friendly places at a moment’s notice. Although Susan’s dogs have never achieved heroic status in the public eye — no daring rescues from a burning building — they’re always glad to see her at the end of the day. Susan is manager of National Promotions and Communications for AAA and is working, not nearly enough, on her first novel.
  • Haley Mac Donell Haley Mac Donell Haley Mac Donell is a ten-year-old fourth grader living in the Orlando, Florida area.  Haley has a passion for writing and loves to travel, ever since visiting Paris, France at the age of two.  Haley is a junior level Girl Scout, plays on a local soccer team, runs cross country, is an honor student and started a community service organization called “Girls Save the World.”  She wants to be an author when she grows up.
  • Jane Magrady Jane Magrady Jane Magrady began her 17-year AAA career in Chicago, transferring to the national office IT department in Florida in 1995.  When up north, vacations invariably meant going to the Caribbean during February.  Now, living in the tropics herself, Jane includes more variety in her travel destinations.  Most recently returning from Ireland, Jane has also enjoyed small ship cruising to Alaska and has accompanied her husband on deep sea fishing trips to Los Suenos, Costa Rica and Isla Mujeres, Mexico.  As a technical liaison to CAA, she has now visited almost every Province, and enjoys exploring them with her Canadian associates.  Jane knows the bead shops in every town she visits! 
  • Community Manager Community Manager The Community Manager typically blogs about holiday travel forecasts, travel documentation, Diamond Ratings, other general AAA travel information, etc
  • Tony Mayer Tony Mayer Tony Mayer spends his workdays in AAA Washington's Travel Research department. Every day is unique and has been since he joined the company in January 2008.  Tony handles geography training for  field agents, member complaints, help desk for Auto Travel, and TourBook guide updates. Above all, he enjoys travel - a seven-week European odyssey in 2003, plus Japan, Cancun, Australia, and 22 U.S. states so far. Tony shares a home in Renton, WA with wife Misty and their dog Buckley.
  • Julie Mignery Julie Mignery

    Julie is a freelance writer based in Southern California. Her greatest adventures include rafting 100 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, swimming with reef sharks in Bora Bora and glacier trekking in Alaska.

  • Patricia Miller Patricia Miller AAA travel writer Patricia Miller originally hails from Long Island, N.Y., but now calls Central Florida home. She enjoys swing dancing, midcentury modern décor, fashion, her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and her cats. Though painstaking research is key, Patricia's firsthand experiences help cultivate her expertise about North America's hottest attractions, restaurants, shopping and nightlife. Her growing list of been-there, done-that destinations includes Daytona Beach; The Florida Keys; Kansas City, Mo.; and New Orleans. The lighthearted author's colorful narratives are published in millions of AAA TourBook® guides distributed annually as well as online in articles for AAA Travel Guides.
  • Michael Navarre Michael Navarre Michael Navarre is a business analyst in AAA’s national office and a person who loves to wander. Whether exploring in and around his hometown of Orlando, taking a weekend trip or traveling internationally, Michael is always on the go. An avid collector of passport stamps, Michael is most notable for his reckless willingness to try almost anything, including eating unspecified meats sold by roadside vendors to flying off alone to unspecified countries without so much as a hotel reservation. When given the opportunity, Michael can be found most non-traveling weekends riding his motorcycle to the beach for some surfing, or taking his two girls to a local lake for swimming and waterskiing.
  • Vicki Nelson Vicki Nelson Vicki is a 10-year employee at the AAA national office where she manages digital marketing.  She is excited to be using digital media to share information and experiences from her second home of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.  She and her husband have been part time residents of St. Croix since 1987.  During that time they have built a house, rebuilt a house (thanks to Hurricane Hugo), owned a condo and are now happy to be renters with a lot less work involved.  They are active in the island arts community, supporting the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in Frederiksted.  Sharing her love of St. Croix digitally is nothing new to Vicki, she first began helping people plan their trip to the island in 1990 via online bulletin boards.  Over the years she has responded to hundreds of inquiries and met in-person several of those she has helped during their island visits.  She looks forward to responding to your inquiries.
  • Lisa Parkin Lisa Parkin Despite living in Florida for most of her life, Lisa Parkin – the AAA TravelViews community manager - is always discovering new things to love about the sunshine state. Some of her favorite things about Florida are the heat lightning storms, the breathtaking sunsets and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which definitely includes frozen Butterbeer. Aside from traveling all over Central Florida, Lisa also has a passion for international travel. She and her husband have visited and fallen in love with France and Italy and hope to mark off England, Ireland, Greece and Australia as travel destinations soon. Apart from her amazing husband, the other member of the Parkin family is an orange tabby cat named Meow Meow, who is both extremely troublesome and ridiculously cute.
  • Tony Perrone Tony Perrone Tony Perrone has been an Account Manager for the AAA National Office for 19 years and his territory has included the Caribbean and Mexico.
    In his AAA travels over the years, he has visited unique and less-traveled locales as well as popular destinations and experienced many types of AAA rated hotels, restaurants and attractions. He has met with government and travel officials and gained a good understanding of the hospitality industry and the people who are
    dedicated to serving guests. Culture and history have been of special interest for him, as the product of a Navy family growing up in Bermuda in the '60s and later at the College of Santa Fe, New Mexico where he lived on the Ute reservation for a time.
  • Gayle Pierce Gayle Pierce Gayle Pierce is a Travel Consultant for AAA in Evanston IL.  She developed a passion for travel as a young adult and has been fortunate to have traveled to most corners of the world. Along with her husband of forty years, Mike, she has been to Thailand, Viet Nam, Australia, New Zealand, China, Scandinavia, throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and Israel.  Aside from the sheer pleasure of traveling, she is very happy to share her experiences and expertise with clients and co-workers.  When not traveling, Gayle can pursue her other passion - country music.  It is the stars and their stories, along with the lyrics, that keep that interest alive.  A recent trip to Nashville was pure heaven. Future travel plans include the Galapagos and Eastern Europe, one at a time.
  • Inspector QE2 Inspector QE2

    Inspector QE2 caught the travel bug as a youngster when taken on a trip to British Honduras, now known as Belize, and has hit the road for extended trips ever since; backpacking through Europe, a four year stint in the UK, six months camping across Australia and many other spots. Trips were funded by many years in the wine business and hotel industry. Finding her dream job with CAA/AAA has enabled her to continue her travels and she now spends more time on the road than at home, covering one of the largest geographical regions on the continent which includes a huge chunk of Western Canada, Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

  • Rebecca Rhoades Rebecca Rhoades An avid globetrotter, Rebecca L. Rhoades was happy to leave behind a life in medical publishing to indulge her passion for travel as associate editor of AAA Mid-Atlantic’s magazine, AAA World. A gypsy by nature, Rebecca was born in Alaska and lived in eight different cities across the country by the time she was 10 years old. But it wasn’t until a trip to Greenwich, England, to celebrate the Millennium that she was bit hard by the travel bug. It was her first international trip, and since then, she’s traveled to more than a dozen countries on four continents, and just as many states, from Hawaii to Massachusetts. And whether she’s exploring ancient temples in Egypt, bathing rescued elephants in northern Thailand, or wandering the streets of her top U.S. destination, New York City, she never leaves home without her Nikon, her favorite travel companion (besides her husband, Jon, of course).
  • Andrew Rosen Andrew Rosen Andrew Rosen is the Manager of Internet Services at AAA New York. He has spent the past 10+ years producing content for FOX News, MTV Networks and other large media organizations. He is an avid blogger and podcaster who studied old school journalism but embraces new media technology. He thinks the power of a hug is terribly underrated.
  • Renuka Sastri Renuka Sastri Renuka Sastri of AAA Publishing is infamous for underpacking, preferring to carry too little than too much. Success means managing to fit everything for a 10-day family holiday in the Canadian Rockies followed by a multi-event Indian wedding into a single carry-on, and getting her family to do the same. She prefers not to dwell on having to hike in the Ngornogoro Crater, Tanzania, in a pair of flip-flops.  Some of her favorite places include Door County in Wisconsin, Phoenix and Colca Canyon, Peru.
  • Greg Seiter Greg Seiter By day, mild-mannered Greg Seiter, AAA Hoosier Motor Club’s 9-years-and-counting public affairs manager, candidly talks about gas (the type NOT generated by his 41-year-old body) and other relevant AAA topics with local media representatives throughout Indiana. However, when his day-shift responsibilities have been fulfilled, the father of two passionately commits himself to family, friends, food and the power of the pen. Okay, so the 18-year freelance writing veteran doesn’t actually use a pen very often any more to produce work that details everything from travel to sports to business. Nevertheless, Seiter is a self-proclaimed writing enthusiast with an undeniable love for Disney, the state of Indiana and Cajun food. Quite honestly, that probably explains the "gas" comment from above.
  • Debra Sisco Debra Sisco Debra Sisco works at the National Office with AAA Travel lodging partners and promotes properties through the Hot Deals program for AAA.com.  A true Floridian, Deb was born and raised in Miami, Florida.  She has had the opportunity to travel to several countries abroad including Japan, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, England, and Ireland.  Being in Florida has also made it easy to tour several Caribbean Islands.  She has visited all but three states in the US.  Her favorite trips thus far have been RV’ing out west visiting the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, and Grand Tetons.  California and the Pacific Coast Highway would have to be next on the list.  The grandeur of all the mountains and canyons are awe inspiring to this flat land girl!  She is married with two children who keep her very busy when traveling engaging in hiking, biking, rafting, ziplining, snorkeling, swimming, and just about everything that looks fun and adventurous.  Debra is also on the newly formed AAA cycling team.  Their latest charity ride was for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the team rode 150 miles in two days. 
  • Lorraine Smith Lorraine Smith Lorraine Smith is a travel industry “lifer” having been in the business for decades and with CAA British Columbia for over 16 years. Always willing to hop on a plane to almost anywhere, the travel bug is part of her DNA having crossed the Atlantic twice by ship before the age of five. Time spent living in England and Australia have only served to ramp up her hunger for hitting the road. It’s the knack of finding the flavour of a place and experiencing it that bring colour to your travel memories and putting this ‘je ne sais quoi’ into words as a travel writer has always been a secret passion. Aside from traveling, golf and yoga are high on the list of favourite activities.
  • Frank Swanson Frank Swanson AAA travel writer Frank Swanson packs a knapsack and hiking shoes for backcountry expeditions to national parks ranging from Acadia to Zion and including Bryce Canyon, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Redwood and the Everglades, as well as Banff and Jasper in the Canadian Rockies. In such urban locales as Chicago, Memphis and Miami, he seeks out historic, innovative and just plain unusual architecture. Since 1995, painstaking research and firsthand experience have kept this active author up-to-date about North America's best attractions, restaurants, shopping and nightlife. Other destinations he’s written about extensively: Austin, Texas; Asheville, North Carolina; Niagara Falls; and Wisconsin Dells.
  • Brett Vanderbrink Brett Vanderbrink Brett Vanderbrink has been a map maker at AAA since 1997.  When he’s not shooting bogeys on the golf course, he can be found submitting his next lineup for fantasy football, fixing up his house, using coupons to eat above his means around Central Florida and spending quality time with family and friends.   His favorite destinations are Chicago, the middle of West Virginia and Mulberry, Florida
  • Greg Weekes Greg Weekes AAA travel writer Greg Weekes has more than 20 years of experience chronicling destinations across North America, from tropical getaways like Cancún to the myriad attractions of the nation’s capital, from Atlanta, St. Louis and Branson to Santa Fe and Taos, British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Washington’s Olympic National Park and—at the top of his travel list—Left Coast gems Vancouver, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. This accomplished word slinger always manages to work in references to his twin passions: food (taquería burritos are a fave) and music (Beatles, Stones, Hendrix and the Jefferson Airplane, to name just a few)
  • Ruthie Wessendorf Ruthie Wessendorf Ruthie Wessendorf joined AAA Washington in 2007 as a travel agent from AAA Mid-Atlantic . She is part of the Auto Travel Team in Bellevue and really loves helping people 'hit the road.'  Travel is a passion for Ruthie, although she has yet to discover continents other than her own. A favorite place is the Caribbean where she likes to sleep on the beach under the stars. Art, food and coffee are always the center of her travels and discoveries. When not trying to figure out how to say a greeting in Ketchua she enjoys speaking and practicing Spanish and Portuguese. She's a 'City Rat/Tree Hugger' hybrid - loving the energy and culture of the city but the pure and intimate experience of nature.Her volunteer work is a passion for her and her ultimate goal would be to participate in international volunteer work along with her husband. 
  • Maria White Maria White Maria White regularly jets from her Orlando home base to various high-profile destinations, including Boston (her birth city), Nashville and Montréal. The sight of approaching dim sum carts make this consummate eater weak in the knees, as do tuna-carving sushi chefs and dough-spinning pizza makers. Aside from food, she also loves footwear (attempts to catalog the massive collection have been unsuccessful), Jack Benny and The Muppets. A AAA travel writer since 2006, Maria enjoys cultivating her knowledge of places like Honolulu, the Black Hills of South Dakota, the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area in Florida and Grand Canyon National Park.
  • Conner and Jessie Wight Conner and Jessie Wight Conner and Jessie Wight, age 12 and 10 respectively, love to travel. They think the inside scoop on traveling with kids (from a kid’s perspective) is something every parent and grandparent should have when planning a vacation.  Their Mom, Patty Wight, with AAA's National Office, encouraged the kids to share their travel adventures and insights with AAA TravelViews readers (she also agreed to be their official copy editor). Conner wants to be an NBA point guard when he grows up and -  if he doesn’t grow as much as he hopes - other career options include being a sports broadcaster or marine biologist. Naturally, his favorite travel adventures involve sports-related activities. Jessie is interested in a variety of career options including being an artist, teacher, or veterinarian. Her favorite travel adventures involve the opportunity to be creative, use her imagination and learn new things.
  • Nancy Woodard Nancy Woodard Nancy Woodard is a Travel Information Communications manager at AAA in central Florida and editor of an electronic publication for AAA/CAA auto travel professionals. Her passion for road travel began as a kid when she loved to go for a ride … anywhere … with the windows down and a few hopping tunes or a baseball broadcast on the radio. It was pure joy when the ride would be to the Jersey shore for a few laps on the go-kart track, and a cheesesteak and frozen custard on the boardwalk. The thrill continues in the sunshine state where she frequents Disney World as an annual passholder with unlimited access to her favorite rides, restaurants, entertainment and recreation. Her travel goal, aside from becoming an expert of “all things Disney,” is to visit all Major League Baseball stadiums in 28 U.S. and Canada cities. With 12 parks in the memory book, her favorites to date are Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium; and while ballpark cuisine is more sophisticated these days, this fan is still most content with a hotdog and a bag of peanuts.
  • Bill Wood Bill Wood

    Bill Wood is executive editor at AAA Publishing with some 27 years of reporting and travel information experience coast to coast in North America. He is one of two people living in Florida who are originally from Montana. His passions are coaching and mentoring. With increasing frequency, his heart soars like an eagle.

  • Lori Zahn Lori Zahn A Virginia native, Lori lives in Florida and works for AAA National.  She has visited all 48 contiguous states as well as Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe. Her favorite travels are road trips with her grandchildren as she shows them the U.S. and instills an appreciation of their native country.  Next on the agenda are Alaska and Hawaii, rounding out her goal of seeing all 50 states. Favorite spots include the Grand Canyon, London, Washington D.C., the Badlands of South Dakota and Memphis.

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    Inspector 17After college Inspector 17 enlisted in the Coast Guard on a whim and stayed for the next 27 years. He retired in 2001 just before Sept. 11, which occurred while he was typing resumes for the many promising jobs he had lined up before leaving the service. Those opportunities immediately dried up, so Inspector 17 went hunting via traditional methods. On Sept. 30, 2001, an ad for a Tourism Editor appeared in his local paper and after submitting his application he was invited to interview. Amazingly, Inspector 17 was hired, much to the chagrin of his neighbor’s adult son who had also applied. He started at AAA on Veterans Day 2001 and remains in the position of Tourism Editor to this date, almost a decade later. Still amazed!