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 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 About Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is a top travel media brand with a mission to inform and inspire passionate travelers. Our expert team includes a network of hundreds of writers and photographers across the globe, all providing a local eye on the best places to stay, eat, and explore. We reach an audience that takes 76 million round trips annually, offering valuable travel tips, ideas and inspiration, and products you need to get you to your destination — whether it’s a small town or big city, beach or lake, national park or theme park, road trip, cruise, or long-haul flight, and everything in between. Learn more about us and our editorial process