Rudolf Abraham is the author of Walking in Croatia (2004) and The Mountains of Montenegro (2007), both published by Cicerone Press. In 2008 the latter won the award for 'best guidebook' from the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild, of which Rudolf is a member. He is also a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers.

Mark Baker is a freelance travel writer who lives in Prague. He is a regular contributor on travel matters to 'National Geographic Traveller' and the 'Wall Streeet Journal'.

Iain Bamforth is a much-travelled doctor of medicine and of letters, whose work has appeared in many periodicals, including 'Quadrant', 'London Review of Books', 'Times Literary Supplement' and 'Lapham's Quarterly'.

Üstün Bilgen-Reinart is an Ankara-based Turkish-Canadian writer. Her books have examined the social and environmental dislocations associated with development in Canada and western Turkey. Her latest book, 'Porcelain Moon and Pomegranates: A Woman's Trek through Turkey' was published 2008 by Dundurn Press.

Victor Paul Borg, a Maltese national, is a freelance writer and photographer. He writes regularly about his home country and is author of three guidebooks to Malta, including 'Malta and Gozo' in the Rough Guide 'Directions' series.

Hilary Bradt is founder of Bradt Travel Guides and herself author of a dozen books, of which the latest is '˜Slow Devon and Exmoor'. Madagascar is her first love, closely rivalled by her home county of Devon.

James Carron is an independent writer from Scotland. He specialises in outdoor pursuits and has walked many of Scotland's more demanding routes.

Following nine years of living in the Canary Islands, and a couple of years working with regional newspapers, David Cawley turned freelance. He focuses on travel writing and photography and nowadays lives not far from his native Manchester.

Anjeza Cikopano is an Albanian photographer now living near Vienna in Austria. Her special interest is in social documentary photography.

Chris Deliso is a writer and journalist who lives in Skopje in Macedonia where he manages the Balkan interest web site Balkanalysis. He is author of a travel narrative entitled Hidden Macedonia: The Mystic Lakes of Ohrid and Prespa, published in London in 2007 by Haus Publishing.

Bryn Frank writes widely about Germany and is especially interested in the eastern part of the country. He is editor of 'The Good Cottage Guide'.

Nicky Gardner is a travel writer and editor of hidden europe magazine. She is also a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers. Nicky specialises in writing about off the beaten track communities in Europe.

Paul Hadfield is a writer and educator who lived for over twenty years in Ireland. His poetry has been published in many journalys including Critical Quarterly and Études Irlandaises.

Amanda Kendle is an Australian travel writer with a special interest in Russia and eastern Europe. Prior to returning to her native Perth (Western Australia) in 2006, Amanda lived and worked in Europe for many years, with spells in both Slovakia and Germany. She has also lived in Japan.

Susanne Kries is editor of hidden europe magazine. She is also responsible for the magazine's design and layout. Born and brought up in Berlin, Susanne has made regular forays beyond the city boundary, so cultivating an affection for offbeat communities, their cultures and their languages.