Kendra Thornton Kendra Thornton has been an authority on travel for over two decades. She makes monthly appearances on WGN-TV in Chicago and regularly appears on national and regional news programs including MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, and many more. An expert on family adventures and travel deals, she’s frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and more. Kendra grew up in the travel industry with parents who founded Royal Travel & Tours, the largest travel agency chain in north central Illinois. She began working for the family business in 2014 and took over the company as president and owner in January 2016. Prior to joining Royal Travel & Tours, Kendra ran Thornton Public Relations, a boutique travel PR firm she started in 2005, and was the director of corporate communications for Orbitz.com during the company's early growth years from 2002 to 2005. She currently lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.• 20+ years of experience working in the travel industry• Member of T+L’s A-List Travel Advisory Board• Owner of Royal Travel & Tours• Travel expert on WGN-TV, MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, and more• Received a bachelor's degree in English and French from Northwestern University 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