Elaine Masters is an award-winning essayist, travel journalist, and food writer whose storyteller's heart has unspooled tales from a life dedicated to wanderlust. A proud San Diego resident for nearly 25 years, Elaine has backpacked across Sri Lanka just before its Civil War, traversed Switzerland and Egypt solo, and explored Europe in a broken-down bus long before van life was a thing. Founding a Southeast Alaskan radio drama group early in her career led to years in public radio in Alaska and Portland, Oregon — and a lifelong passion for multimedia storytelling.

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Her writing champions humane, ethical, and sustainable travel, with bylines in Hidden Compass, The Bucket, International Luxury Travel, Travel Awaits, Matador Travel, Edible Magazine, Big Blend Magazines, and Roadtrippers, among others. She has earned awards from Travelers' Tales, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Edible Magazine, and American Women in Radio and TV. Her book Drivetime Yoga won an Indie Excellence Award for Best Audio. Most recently, Elaine was honored to contribute to the National Geographic Traveler's Atlas of the World, joining over 130 writers celebrated for their cultural storytelling and travel expertise — contributing pieces on American Samoa and the Philippines. She has also served on the Board of the San Diego Press Club, leading professional development webinars for fellow journalists.

Today, Elaine is at work on her memoir, Where Wonder Leads — a spiritual travel memoir exploring serendipity, synchronicity, and the discoveries that come when you follow your heart into the world. She continues cross-platform storytelling through writing, photography, and video reels, sharing her adventures with a growing audience at @tripwellgal. When she's not at her desk, she's scuba diving the world's oceans alongside her partner, underwater photographer and sea urchin diver Dave Rudie.

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