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.

Tim Richards is a freelance travel writer whose work has appeared in publications around the world, including Lonely Planet's guidebooks. He fell into travel writing after living and teaching in Egypt and Poland, and is especially drawn to the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. He's a light-packing obsessive, and loves chasing down a story with a historical angle. He lives in Melbourne's lively central business district with his novelist wife, Narrelle M. Harris.