My Travels

Growing up in a family prone to road trips, I’ve always had a nomadic streak. It didn’t hurt to learn that my ancestry includes Lappi reindeer herders and explorer Henry Hudson, not to mention my great-grandfather the merchant mariner, who rounded both Capes and went AWOL in NYC to marry my great-grandmother. Despite loving road trips, I never dared foreign travel until my sisters drew me into it. They lived in Greece, and the time finally came that I just had to go there, so I did. On my first expedition, I spent half my time being afraid of everything and half my time loving it!

My sister Sal is the daring adventurer, and with her as companion I traveled to places I’d probably not go alone: the Greek Isles, India, and Nepal. These experiences shaped me in so many ways. I came back from Europe and Asia more eager than ever to write about travel, and plunged into full-time freelancing with a vengance. My pen eventually turned to guidebooks, but writing about the experience of travel remains one of my favorite things. As a member of the Society of American Travel Writers, I’ve had the opportunity to join my peers in explorations that my sister, now a mother, would enjoy.

On my related website, friendtravels.com, I post my previously published travel narratives, and am in the process of migrating them to sandrafriend.com. If you’re an editor and wish to use one, email me and we’ll discuss. I also have many, many travel photos available for download in my galleries.