Dara Colwell

As a military brat, I was shuttled from place to place with little say in the destination. This habit stuck well into my teenage years, when I found myself exchanging countries for cities, exercising an inherited wanderlust that thickened with the pages of my passport. But to me, travel is as much about unpredictable elements—mainly, human beings—as it is where to stay. That’s why I’ve decided to continue writing about travel (and all that quirky stuff that accompanies it, including inner travel) for Suite101.

In terms of experience, I cut my writing teeth at lifestyle magazines and newspapers in California, where I also went to UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism to earn my Masters degree. I also lived in New York City, where I wrote for publications such as the Village Voice, Details Magazine, BUST, Penthouse and Alternet.org. In 2005 I migrated to Amsterdam, writing for Time Out Amsterdam and Amsterdam Weekly,but my wanderlust again took hold and now I am back in California, where the weather is about as close to perfect as it comes--year round.