Joel Balsam

Joel Balsam is a Canadian freelance journalist, guidebook author, and avid traveler. With more than a decade of experience as a freelancer, he has reported from five continents on a wide array of topics including travel, culture, language, environment, politics, technology, and business. Along with Travel + Leisure, Joel has written for National Geographic Travel, Time, The Guardian, BBC Travel, Lonely Planet, Thrillist, and many more. He is also a published guidebook author.

* Contributed to three Lonely Planet guidebooks: France, Morocco, and Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan
* Produced a Vice Fightland documentary
* Former travel and news editor
* Polyglot who speaks French, Spanish, and Portuguese
* Traveled to more than 50 countries