Born to northern Italian parents, Australian travel writer Cristian Bonetto spends significant amounts of time in Italy each year.

While he loathes playing favourites, he will admit that Rome has a particular hold on him. Not only does he love its nail-biting backstory, extraordinary architecture and ivy-clad back streets, he’s also drawn to its less obvious, everyday charms, from vintage espresso bars to avant-garde concept stores, off-the-radar boutiques and suburban street art. Together, they keep his camera clicking and his notebooks full of scribbles and stories. Cristian began his writing life as a playwright, running a small theatre company and producing a handful of comedies.

In 2003, his play Il Cortile (The Courtyard) was awarded an Australia Council grant and was performed in numerous Italian cities, including Rome. After a short stint writing scripts for Australian soaps Home & Away and Neighbours in the early 2000s, Cristian turned his hand to travel writing.

Since 2006, he has written more than 30 travel guides for Lonely Planet, for destinations as varied as Naples, Venice, Copenhagen, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore and Brisbane. He is also a globe-trotting host of travel videos and a travel writer for UK newspaper The Telegraph.

Anthony Ham is a freelance writer and photographer who, over the last eighteen years, has built a reputation as a trusted guide and expert companion for a generation of adventurous readers and safari travellers.

A veteran nature and travel writer, Anthony's work has appeared in newspapers and magazines in Australia and worldwide, including The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Monthly, Virginia Quarterly Review (VQR - US), National Geographic Traveler (US), BBC Wildlife (UK), Lonely Planet Magazine (UK), Africa Geographic (UK), The Independent (UK), Travel Africa (UK), and others.

A travel writer for over 15 years, Trent Holden has co-authored over 50 guidebooks across Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe. This includes the past four editions of Lonely Planet’s Melbourne & Victoria, his hometown and a city he loves like no other. And after completing this cycling book, he’s now adamant there’s no better way to explore Melbourne and its many hidden joys than cruising around on two wheels. A self-described MAMNIL (middle-aged man NOT in lycra), Trent prefers to keep things casual and doesn’t mind a few sneaky beer and burger stops along the ride.

Paul Harding is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tinkers, and Enon.

He is director of the MFA in Creative Writing & Literature at Stony Brook University, and lives on Long Island, New York.

An award-winning travel writer, Kate Armstrong has had her travel articles published around the world in Australian and international newspapers and magazines. Over the last 17 years, she's notched up over 57 Lonely Planet guides and trade titles.

Unearthing quirky aspects of a city and country is her 'thing'. Kate loves chatting, eating, drinking and dancing her way into cultures. For the last eight years she’s been based in and out of Washington DC and has thrived on the city’s cuisine scene and cultural renaissance.

From his home in Auckland, Brett Atkinson has been exploring New Zealand and the world as a full-time travel, food and beer writer for almost two decades. He's researched and co-writtenLonely Planet guides to 15 different countries across five continents, and is a regular contributor to newspapers, magazines and online media in New Zealand and Australia. Internationally, Brett's been published by the BBC, National Geographic Traveller and AFAR. His earliest New Zealand road trip memories incorporate a 1970s caravan and the company of his mum, dad and brother Marc, but these days adventures with his wife Carol are more likely to include restaurants, vineyards, breweries and markets.