Elizabeth Hansen
I live in La Jolla, California, a beautiful authentic luxury travel destination, and I’m the travel editor of Ranch & Coast, “San Diego’s ultimate lifestyle magazine.” I’ve written lots of articles for magazines such as National Geographic Traveler, Islands, and Travel & Leisure. I’ve also authored a dozen books in the Frommer series – including guides to San Diego, New Zealand, and Australia. The research for this writing has taken me to some of the most beautiful places on earth and put me in touch with fascinating people.
Enjoy Authentic Luxury Travel Experiences
Nothing makes me happier than connecting with local people and their culture when I travel. The mission of this site is to make it easy for you and other travelers to make authentic connections when you travel. That might mean staying on a beautiful farm in New Zealand and learning firsthand about rural life. It could also be attending a summer music festival in Latvia, rafting in Bhutan, or taking cooking lessons in the homes of Tuscan mamas.
Elizabeth Hansen en route to Agra
About me
I’m very grateful for the success I’ve enjoyed as a travel writer – especially because I didn’t even have the sense to major in journalism. Instead, my first career was teaching and I used the long school holidays to explore the world.
Eventually, I took a year-long leave of absence and traveled continuously through the South Pacific and Asia. Once home, I ignored the “don’t-give-up-your-day-job” warnings and became a full-time freelance writer.
By then, I already knew that the real joy on the road comes from connecting with locals and experiencing their culture…
that the “luxury” in authentic luxury travel can be high thread-count linens, or discovering a great little coffee house where the welcome is as warm as the brew.
About ten years into my writing career, I met and married photographer and classic car enthusiast Richard Adams. In the process, I became a step-mom – and since then a mother-in-law and a grandmother. While we both still enjoy the occasional solo gigs, Richard and I usually travel together and sometimes also with our extended family.
More thoughts on authentic luxury travel
Authentic travel is life changing. It helps us connect with ourselves. The friendships we make on the road contribute to a safer global community.
How do you decide what to write about?
Elizabeth and Richard arriving at Turtle Island Resort
If you have any questions, feel free to ask by leaving a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.
Elizabeth with women in ethnic minority hill tribe near Sapa, Vietnam.
Elizabeth Hansen with Alaskan sled dogs
Cheers!
Elizabeth Hansen.
I enjoyed reading your biography and what inspired you to get involved in being a travel writer. We all dont have the initial resources that you had but It was a good story. I am an aspiring Travel writer and as I continue on life’s journey I find, there are allot of distractions and stumbling blocks that get in the way of simply achieving your goals. But I have always persevered and will continue to persevere until the day I expire. I will subscribe to your newsletter and will look forward to new ideas.