Michael Blanding grew up west of Boston and attended Williams College. Currently, he is a freelance writer for various magazines and journalism professor at Emerson College. Michael has won several awards for his writing, including twice being named a finalist for the prestigious Livingston Awards for Young Journalists. Michael and his coauthor and wife, Alexandra Hall, have written for publications including Condé Nast Traveler, Bon Appétit, Elle Decor, Continental, Delta Sky, Business Traveler, The Nation, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and AlterNet. Michael and Alex live in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain with their cat named Dog, their two-year-old son Zachary, and baby daughter Cleo, who have fast become the best-traveled babies in the world.