About the Writers

Chris Erskine

Chris Erskine has been a deputy Travel editor of the Los Angeles Times since 2007, responsible for helping to assign and edit stories. He also contributes stories, blog posts and photos to the section. His columns, “Man of the House” and “Fan of the House,” appear in the Los Angeles Times’ Home and Sports sections.

Mary Forgione

Los Angeles Times Daily Travel & Deal blogger Mary Forgione likes to hit the dirt when she’s on vacation. An avid hiker and runner, Mary likes speed-touring cities on foot, sightseeing by running marathons and half-marathons in places she’s never been and leaving behind her car in favor of just about any other form of transit.

Terry Gardner

When Terry Gardner was 7, her choir director began calling her “Terry the Why.” It was only years later that she realized it wasn’t a compliment. Travel writing gives Terry a license to quiz while exploring the world whether she’s elk watching, scuba diving or picking up litter. Her wheeling and dealing with Priceline and Hotwire as a budget traveler led to her first Los Angeles Times travel article. She gravitates toward travel stories that capture her animal-loving, eco-oriented, bungee-jumping heart.

Catharine Hamm

Catharine Hamm has been part of the Los Angeles Times Travel section since 1999, serving as travel editor since 2003. She was born in Syracuse, N.Y., but counts Virginia, Hawaii, the Philippines, Kansas and, of course, California as among the 34 places she has called home.

Jason La

Jason La has worked for the Los Angeles Times since 2007. He enjoys road trips and milkshakes.

Jen Leo

Jen Leo is a leading authority in the online travel world. Founded in 2002, her former blog, WrittenRoad.com, was noted in Frommer’s “Editor’s Choice: Our Favorite Travel Blogs” and was named one of Writer’s Digest’s “101 Best Websites for Writers.” She’s also blogged for the BootsnAll Travel Network, HotelChatter.com, Weblogs Inc. and Six Apart. Better known as the award-winning editor of the popular five-book humor series that started with “Sand In My Bra (Travelers’ Tales),” Jen encourages others to hit the road as often as they can. If she could be anywhere it’d be bodysurfing in Australia, eating shrimp tacos in Baja or checking out a new hotel in Las Vegas. She loves finding vacation getaways, and if Jen can’t hit the road herself, she’s quick to point others in the right direction. You can find Jen mentioned on popular travel blogs and websites like Gadling, Gridskipper, Rick Steves, Mobissimo, GoNOMAD, Transitions Abroad, World Hum and Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding.

Brady MacDonald

Brady MacDonald got his annual passport to Disneyland a decade ago when he was covering Anaheim as a beat reporter. As a graphics reporter, he visited California Adventure a dozen times in advance of the second park’s debut. And now, as a deputy Web editor for the Los Angeles Times, he’s been enlisted to blog about his interests in Disneyland and theme parks. Brady explains: “I’m neither an expert nor a critic, but rather a fun-obsessed fan with a point of view and a father of a Mouse-addicted daughter. Mostly I keep going back to Disneyland because of my fascination with Walt’s limitless imagination and daring to dream big. In the course of my reporting, I cover news, trends, issues and changes at Disneyland and the major Southern California amusement parks that would be of interest to the casual vacationer as well as the diehard fan.”

Rosemary McClure

Travel writer Rosemary McClure loves to leave—and then write about her visits to far-away places. McClure, a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times Travel Section, is a two-time winner of Travel Writer of the Year awards from the Society of American Travel Writers. Her work has been featured in more than 50 publications and websites.

Christopher Reynolds

Staff writer Christopher Reynolds has been writing for the Los Angeles Times about travel, culture and the outdoors since 1990. Since early 2007, he has been focusing mostly on North America and Hawaii, but the great joy of the job is not knowing for sure where the next trip will lead. He usually shoots the photos that go with his stories, and since 2008 he’s been making videos as well. Before joining The Times, Reynolds went to college in Fresno and worked seven years for the San Diego Union.

Susan Spano

Susan Spano began writing columns, cover stories and blog posts about travel for the Los Angeles Times in 1997, and now, as freelance writer, she continues to contribute regularly to the section. She spent five months in 2007 studying Mandarin in Beijing and has also lived in Paris and Rome.