In October 2015 I left my job of 23 years at National Geographic Travel Publishing to strike out on my own, to share my dream of using travel to break down global barriers. In addition to producing hundreds (seriously!) of guidebooks and travel books, I wrote (and still am writing) travel stories for various publications, including the Los Angeles Times, London Telegraph, NatGeo Travel Intelligent Blog, Fodors, and more. I also served as expert on NatGeo Expeditions to France and Italy, and I'm teaching classes on Travel Writing and Creative Nonfiction at Graduate School USA.  You can learn more at barbaranoekennedy.com.