Gwen Pratesi is a James Beard Foundation Award Finalist in Journalism and an award-winning travel writer. She is the author of PratesiLiving.com with her husband and coauthor of Southern Heat. She contributes to the Travel section of U.S. News & World Report and freelances for USA TODAY, Cruise Critic, Reader's Digest, Forbes Travel Guide, and other publications. Her work has also been featured on MSN, Yahoo!, and Business Insider. She and her husband enjoy the coastal lifestyle in Florida with their Tibetan Terrier, Rhythm.