Kristin Conard Kristin Conard enjoys the outdoor pleasures of living in California while also exercising her knack as a travel and food writer. She has over 15 years of experience in the freelance writing space, contributing to publications like Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Departures, BBC Travel, Popsugar, and Edible Silicon Valley. A Kansas native, she is the co-author of the award-winning book “The Kansas Trail Guide: The Best Hiking, Biking, and Riding in the Sunflower State” and has held numerous teaching positions in the English departments at Rutgers University, Cabrillo College, UC Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara University. When she’s not exploring the trails along the California coast, Kristin is working on a collection of personal essays about her adventures.• 15+ years as a freelance travel and food writer• Received a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Kansas State University and a master’s in creative and critical writing from the University of Sussex in Brighton, England 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