Diana Dove Diana grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and she has been traveling internationally for most of her life. She made trips to Europe and Asia before attending Boston College, but developed her sense of adventure and passion for travel during her semester studying Spanish art, literature and culture at Madrid's Universidad Complutense. She soon embarked on a round-the-world odyssey that took her through the greatest cities in Europe, into the mountains of New Zealand, to the hill tribe villages of Thailand and to the islands of Indonesia. After earning her B.A. in Sociology and Hispanic Studies, Diana taught English in the remote Chinese province of Inner Mongolia, and in Tokyo, Japan. During this time, she explored China and Tokyo in depth, and traveled throughout even more of Southeast Asia. She found the temples of Angkor particularly memorable, and she loved the cuisine of northern China. But she would rather forget sampling fried scorpions in Dalian. Diana has recently enjoyed extensive tours of India and Turkey; Germany is next on her list. Favorite tours: Highlights of Spain Essence of the South Island (NZ) Exclusive India Essence of Turkey Treasures of Yunnan Essence of Japan Favorite hotels: Amanbagh, India Four Seasons Istanbul The Peninsula, Beijing Anantara Resort, Golden Triangle Oriental Bangkok Favorite sites: Huashan (Mt. Hua, from Xi'an) Sagrada Familia Cathedral, Barcelona Ephesus, Turkey Bhangarh, India Temples of Angkor Favorite restaurants: Lumiere, Hong Kong Roy's, Tokyo Il Mulino, Tokyo 360 Istanbul Home cooking of Madrid Best shopping: Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Callao/Plaza del Sol, Madrid Shaping Market, Dali Favorite cities: Tokyo, Barcelona, Singapore, Istanbul, Madrid, Shanghai

Jane Newton One of Jane’s favorite pastimes is browsing food markets in search of authentic local cuisine. Luckily she has family throughout Europe, meaning she can indulge her culinary curiosity on regular visits to Greece, England, Italy and southern France. A Choate and Vassar alum, Jane has also studied French history and film at the Sorbonne in Paris. Her wide range of work experience includes editing a contemporary arts journal as well as a series of travel guidebooks. Jane and her husband and two daughters split their time between Manhattan and East Hampton. Favorite tours: Journey Through Morocco Highlights of Puglia Vietnam & Cambodia In Depth Best of Andalusia England for Families Favorite hotels: Hotel Splendido & Splendido Mare, Portofino Hacienda Benazuza, Seville Hotel Tresanton, Cornwall Hotel Hassler, Rome Favorite museums: Gipsoteca di Canova (near Treviso), Italy Musee Marmottan, Paris Bauhaus Site, Dessau Sir John Soane's Museum (London) Favorite site: The Alhambra, Granada (Spain) Favorite restaurants: Cantinetta Antinori, Florence Piazetta Cathedrale, Ostuni, Puglia Amorino in Paris for Gelato!

David Carson David has a passion for food and exploring cultures different from his own. He is also an avid photographer and loves capturing scenes of dailylife, architecture, and local flora and fauna. He has a graduate degree in theater and is a founding member of the Metropolitan Playhouse in New York City. David has traveled widely, from France to Lithuania to South Africa. Favorite tours: Normandy & Paris London in Depth Romantic Italy Essence of Japan Best of Angkor & Thailand Highlights of Australia & New Zealand Favorite hotels: Chateau la Cheneviere, Normandy The Sukhothai, Bangkok Cape Grace Hotel, Cape Town Favorite restaurants: La Petite Ferme, Franschhoek (South Africa) Agnes Sorel, Loire Valley (France) Favorite museums: Musee d’Orsay, Paris Victoria & Albert, London Gold of Africa Museum, Cape Town Favorite experiences: Walking on the city walls in Lucca (Italy) Strolling the waterfront of Honfleur (France) Visiting the American Cemetery in Normandy A three-day photo safari in South Africa Favorite shopping: Wine in the Loire Valley and Tuscany Paintings or prints of local scenes Local crafts markets in every destination Woolens in Ireland

Sonja Stoerr Sonja grew up living overseas in Thailand, New Zealand, Dominican Republic and Kenya. Throughout her life, she has traveled extensively to over 30 countries. She earned a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Skidmore College and also studied in Kenya and Tanzania with the School for International Training. In addition to being one of our Southeast Asia experts, Sonja also loves exploring the tiny streets of European cities such as Barcelona. Some of her most memorable travel experiences include flying over New Zealand's Franz Josef Glacier, learning to cook okonomiyaki in Japan, witnessing morning prayers on the Ganges River in India, hiking along Incan paths in Peru, and riding longtail boats on the klongs of Thailand. Sonja just returned from extensive trips throughout India, Peru and Mexico. Sonja will soon be visiting Bhutan. Favorite tours: Best of Angkor & Thailand Exclusive India Traditions of Japan Kitchens and Culture of Thailand Classic South India Highlights of Burma Romantic Peru Favorite hotels: Amansara (Angkor, Cambodia) Udaivilas (Udaipur, India) Inle Princess Resort (Inle Lake, Burma) Four Seasons Tented Camp (Golden Triangle, Thailand) The Imperial New Delhi (India) Amanbagh (Alwar, India) The Strand (Yangon, Burma) Monasterio (Cusco, Peru) Favorite dining experiences: Los Caracoles (Barcelona) Jules Vernes on the Eiffel Tower (Paris) Japanese tea ceremony cuisine (Kyoto) Seafood paella (Mallorca) Any flavor of gelato (Italy) Spice Route (New Delhi) Astrid & Gaston (Lima) Soam (Mumbai) Favorite Artisans of Leisure experiences: Visiting private temples in Bagan (Burma) Landing on glaciers (New Zealand) Conversations with guides in Cambodia Meeting Burma's orchid expert Relaxing poolside at cocktail hour (Majorca) Viewing private art collections (Bangkok) Ending the day at my private plunge pool Shopping at antique and textile markets Visiting primary schools (Asia) Learning to cook curry in Kerala (India) Visiting the home of a renowned folk art collector (Lima, Peru) Favorite places: Paris, Barcelona, Sacred Valley, Inle Lake, Bangkok, Angkor, Venice, Udaipur, Varanasi

Lauren Holmes A wonderful home-stay in Kyoto was a life-changing experience for Lauren—since then, she has sought every opportunity to travel abroad. Lauren majored in political science at Harvard and also studied Italian, art history and studio art. She put her fluency in Italian to good use while studying in Siena and traveling throughout Italy over three consecutive summers as a writer for the “Let’s Go Italy” travel guidebook. Lauren subsequently wrote for the “Let’s Go New Zealand” guidebook, experiencing the North Island’s most beautiful and interesting sites, as well as its underappreciated mountains, beaches and rural life. Some of Lauren’s favorite travel memories are doing Zazen meditation at an ancient monastery on Mt. Koya, Japan; learning to surf in Raglan, New Zealand; attending an open-air opera in an ancient fortress in Dubrovnik, Croatia; and witnessing the ardor of the locals during the palio in Siena, Italy. Favorite tours: Highlights of Turkey Journey through Burma and Bhutan Wine Tour of Hungary Essence of the North Island (New Zealand) Kyoto in Depth Lake Como & Portofino Favorite museums: Morandi Museum in Bologna Glasgow Museum of Contemporary Art Te Papa Museum in Wellington Favorite sites: Matauri Bay, Northland, New Zealand The old bazaar, Mostar, Bosnia Le Fragole, Capri, Italy Favorite cities: Naples, Italy Maastricht, Holland Kyoto, Japan Best hotels: Caesar Augustus Hotel, Capri, Italy Park Hyatt Tokyo Hotel Cipriani, Venice

Steve Ganz Steve graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in Chemistry, and an informal degree in jazz saxophone. He later moved to New York City to study music at the New School, and eventually became its youngest faculty member, at the age of 24. Steve has traveled extensively, including Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Singapore, Bali, Turkey, Spain, France, Italy, England, Austria, Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Favorite tour: Southeast Asia in Style - "This tour gives me a taste of everything I love about the region: ancient ruins in Cambodia, great shopping and incredible cuisine in Vietnam, and absolute serenity in Chiang Mai." Favorite hotel: The Four Seasons Chiang Mai - "Watching the sun rise over the mountains in the distance and the oxcarts and rice paddies in the foreground from my private terrace is transcendent." Favorite museums: Berlin, Germany - The Jewish Museum Benesse House at Benesse Art Site (Naoshima, Japan) - "Something about being able to reconvene with the art at the end of the day in my bathrobe makes me appreciate it more. That and the stellar view of the inland sea from my room." Best meal: "Pho anywhere during breakfast time in Vietnam or sushi at a fish market such as Tsukiji (Tokyo) or Omicho (Kanazawa) in Japan. Or, conversely, the 15 course lunch tasting menu at Arpege in Paris." Favorite excursion: "A visit to Sapa, Vietnam, to attend the outdoor markets where the indigenous hill tribe people come to exchange goods, services, and potbellied pigs." Best shopping: "Hanoi, where I bought my two favorite paintings."

Matthew Fries A renowned jazz pianist, Matthew developed his passion for travel, food and culture on his frequent trips abroad as a musician. Matthew most enjoys visiting out-of-the-way places in Europe, focusing on their regional cuisines and cultures. Favorite tours: London & Paris France in Style Food & Wine of Austria China: Past & Present Favorite experiences: Hiking in the Alps (Switzerland and Italy) Touring the wine regions of Alsace, France and southwestern Germany Traditional music sessions near Galway, (Ireland) Browsing the Christmas Market in Berlin (Germany) Favorite cities: London, Copenhagen, Paris, Dublin, Cologne Favorite museums: Musee d’Orsay, Paris Tate Modern, London Favorite jazz clubs: JazzHouse, Copenhagen (Denmark) Unterfahrt, Munich (Germany) Ronnie Scotts, London (England) Bimhuis, Amsterdam (Netherlands) A-Train, Berlin (Germany) Bird's Eye, Basel (Switzerland)