Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics will mark Julia Marino’s debut as an Olympian. A gold medalist at the 2017 X Games, the 20-year-old snowboarder specializes in Slopestyle and Big Air. A resident of Westport, Connecticut, Marino says that the best souvenir she hopes to bring home from Korea is a medal for Team USA.
Born in Louisiana and raised in Florida, Paxton Ingram won over viewers with his magnetic personality and gorgeous vocals during his stint on “The Voice.” He says everyone expected him to pick Pharrell to be his on-air coach. Instead, he selected country superstar Blake Shelton. Ingram, 21, recently released the single “Bad Luck.” He will be performing a showcase at this year’s SXSW.
Actor Kenny Leu was three months old when his family emigrated from Taiwan to the United States. Best known for playing Sgt. Eddie Chen in National Geographic’s series “The Long Road Home,” Leu also appeared on “NCIS” and “Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope.” A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in mechanical engineering, Leu resides in Los Angeles.
Host of CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” Erin Burnett has reported from Cuba, Afghanistan and Israel. Traveling is a big part of her life and the journalist says she is close to reaching her goal of exploring 100 countries. “I’ve visited 90, and I know I’ll always want to see more,” says Burnett, who is based out of New York.
New York Times best-selling author Min Jin Lee spent four years in Japan doing research on her sweeping novel, “Pachinko” (Grand Central Publishing, $27), which was a National Book Award finalist. The time spent overseas provided valuable insight for the New Yorker, who “was based in Tokyo, but I traveled often to Kyoto and Osaka. I had to research Osaka extensively, because so much of ‘Pachinko’ was set there.”
Voted by fans as DJ Mag’s No. 1 DJ in the world, Martin Garrix was also handpicked last summer to be the face of Armani Exchange. Some of his collaborations include “Scared to Be Lonely” with Dua Lipa and “So Far Away” with David Guetta. Asked what he enjoys most about working with other artists, Garrix, 21, said, “I love to see how everyone works with music in a different way. I think for every artist, it’s interesting to see how someone else is working. Lana Del Rey is still on my wish list for collaborations and I would love to go into the studio with Shawn Mendes.”
Stuntman, musician, boxer and active supporter of The Red Cross/Impact Anti-Bullying Campaign, Aleks Paunovic’s acting resume includes “War For the Planet of the Apes,” “Personal Effects” and Syfy’s “Van Helsing,” where he portrays an aggressive vampire named Julius. The son of a Croatian mother and Serbian father, the 6-foot-5-inch Canadian actor may next be seen in the Keanu Reeves feature, “Siberia,” and Liam Neeson’s “Hard Powder.”
Asked which of his characters he thought would make a fun travel buddy, Patrick Gilmore said, “Tom Drexler from ‘The Killing.’ He’d pay for everything — nothing but the best — and then he’d most likely get arrested and leave me to enjoy the trip by myself.”
Chef Jose Andres was no novice to helping people who suffered catastrophes. After Hurricanes Sandy and Harvey, he worked with local chefs to help feed the survivors. But those events didn’t prepare him for the devastation he saw when he landed in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit. Working with his nonprofit World Central Kitchen and local chefs, the Michelin-starred Andres set up shop in the parking lot of a stadium to feed anyone who needed a hot meal.
Before moving to London at the age of 22, Sam Heughan studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The Scottish actor has returned to his roots to portray Jamie Fraser on the hit Starz series, “Outlander,” which is filmed in Scotland. Based out of Glasgow, the 37-year-old philanthropist also is the founder of My Peak Challenge, a charitable foundation that advocates for a healthy lifestyle.
Fans of the CBS crime procedural “NCIS” know Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer. An avid fan of road trips, Dietzen says, “When we were growing up, my dad and mom wanted us to explore the United States. Our family went to Yellowstone and all these different national parks. We went out to California every now and again and we returned to the Midwest to visit with our cousins. Those trips were so much fun for us.”
Kimberly Hébert Gregory’s latest role is as Yvette on ABC’s “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World.” During her time off from filming, she enjoys heading off on trips with family and friends. “It’s getting harder to find untapped destinations nowadays,” says the Los Angeles-based actress. “One of my favorite places is Lake Retba (Senegal). It’s a beautiful pink lake and is in a part of the world with which I am completely obsessed. The beauty there is incomparable.”
Paris Hilton has been famous all her life, thanks to her lineage (her great-grandfather is Conrad Hilton). These days, the 36-year-old socialite spends most of the year traveling for her business, Paris Hilton Entertainment, which includes her line of clothing, accessories and cosmetics. The latest addition to her line of fragrances is Rosé Rush. “I’m on a plane at least 200 days a year,” says Hilton, who splits her time between homes in Los Angeles and New York. “There really is no place like home. I consider Los Angeles my main home and it’s such a special and amazing place.”
Before becoming a “Good Morning America” co-host, Michael Strahan was a Super Bowl champion during his years as a defensive end for the New York Giants. He would later be nominated for an Emmy for his work as a “Fox NFL Sunday” analyst. Also on his list of multitasking duties: hosting ABC’s “100,000 Pyramid” and executive producing the TBS revival of “The Joker’s Wild.” In 2015, he partnered with JCPenney to launch Collection by Michael Strahan. The latest addition to his clothing and accessories line is luggage.
Ruby Modine grew up watching her parents, actors Matthew Modine and Caridad Rivera, work in Hollywood. Modine, 27, is one of the stars of the Showtime series, “Shameless,” as well as the film, “Happy Death Day.” Based on West Coast, she says her favorite day trips are “close to Los Angeles for now, because of work. Weekend getaways consist of driving to the desert, lying on the hoods of cars and looking up at the stars. Then we go to diners for pancakes and coffee.”
Journalist Bill Weir explores the world in his CNN series, “The Wonder List.” As a kid, his family did a lot of car camping across Wisconsin. “We paddled the Boundary Waters of Minnesota and backpacked in Colorado with my dad. These are some of my fondest memories, and since he taught me to love the natural world, these trips were the original inspiration for ‘The Wonder List.’“
The author of “Real Food Heals: Eat to Feel Younger and Stronger Every Day” (Avery, $35), Seamus Mullen was also a finalist on the Food Network series, “The Next Iron Chef.” Based out of Brooklyn, New York, Mullen has been able to marry his love of cooking and traveling by pairing up with DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co.’s “Chef on Wheels” tours through Italy.
Former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones traveled constantly playing for teams such as the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals. The author of “The Sportsman: Unexpected Lessons from an Around-the-World Sports Odyssey,” Jones’ latest project is the CNBC series “Adventure Capitalists.”
For “Scandal” actor George Newbern, the perfect vacation would be to “rent a place in Paris and use that as a base to eat all the food and invite friends over to hang out.”
Tanna Frederick thrives when she’s juggling multiple projects. A co-founder of the Iowa Film Festival and creator of the nonprofit Project Save Our Surf, she is also an avid surfer and holds a second-degree black belt in taekwondo. Frederick, who co-starred opposite James Denton in “Ovation,” recently won positive reviews for her work in Carl Weathers’ stage production of “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.”