Sandra Friend

Slogging through swamps, scrambling over scree, and riding down bumpy dirt roads is all in a day's work for Sandra Friend, whose credo is "get out there!" "You can't write about places you haven't seen, or describe activities you haven't done," says Friend, "and be truthful to your audience."

Best known for her nature writing and travel writing, Friend is an avid hiker and backpacker with more than 4,000 miles on foot in Florida, on the Appalachian Trail, and on trails scattered across the globe, from the steppes of Patagonia to the hills of Nepal. Connecting travelers with nature through her books, articles, essays, and websites, Friend is the chair of the Freelance Council of the Society of American Travel Writers and a member of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association. She lives in Central Florida.