Christopher P BAKER last modified: August 18, 2010

Membership profile

Name: Christopher P BAKER
Professional title Freelance Travel Writer/Photographer
Address 200 E Francis Drive #230
Palm Springs, CA 92262
Telephone (day) 760-327-9879
Telephone (evening) 760-327-9879
Fax: 760-327-9884
Mobile 760-285-9879
E-mail cpbaker@earthlink.net
Website 1 www.christopherbaker.com
Website 2 www.travelguidebooks.com
Biography Christopher P. Baker specializes in the Caribbean, Central America, and California and has written & photographed more than 20 guidebooks, travel literary books, and coffee-table books.

He was born and raised in Yorkshire, England. He received a B.A. (Honours) in Geography at the University of London's University College, during which time he participated in two Sahara research expeditions and an exchange program at Krakow University, Poland. He later earned Master's degrees in Latin American Studies from Liverpool University, and in Education from the University of London's Institute of Education.

He began his writing career in 1978 as a contributing editor on Latin America for Land & Liberty, a London-based political journal. In 1980, he received a Scripps-Howard Foundation Scholarship in Journalism to attend the University of California, Berkeley.

He has made his living as a professional travel writer and photographer since 1983. Christopher also writes frequently on natural sciences and tourism related issues. His feature articles have appeared in more than 200 publications worldwide.

Christopher is an acclaimed public speaker. He has been honored to address the National Press Club, National Geographic Society, and World Affairs Council, among other prestigious organizations. He has also been a faculty member of Cunard Cruise Lines and Holland America Cruise Lines, and aboard cruise ships throughout the Caribbean and further afield. He currently escorts cruise-tours on behalf of Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions.

Baker appears frequently on radio and television talk shows and has given live and recorded interviews for "Fox Magazine," the National Geographic Channel, NPR Public Radio, ABC, NBC, and many other nationally syndicated programs.
Main professional activities
Memberships Society of American Travel Writers
Bay Area Travel Writers
National Writers Union
Awards Baker--the Lowell Thomas Award 2008 'Travel Journalist of the Year'--has been honored with many awards for outstanding travel writing, among them the Society of American Travel Writers' prestigious Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award (11 times, including "Best Travel News Investigative Reporter" and "Best Travel Book"), and the "1995 Benjamin Franklin Award" from Publisher Marketing Association of North America for his Moon Handbooks: Costa Rica.

In 1998, he was named 'Travel Journalist of the Year' by the Jamaica Tourist Board. In 2002 he won the Grand Prize in the North American Travel Journalists Association 'Awards of Excellence' for his literary travelog, Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba, which that year also was honored with the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist Award 'Travel Book of the Year.' In 2005, the Caribbean Tourism Organization named him 'Travel Writer of the Year.'

For a complete list, see www.christopherbaker.com.
Most recent publications Caribbean Travel & Life, National Geographic Traveler, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, Robb Report
Other important publications Baker has authored the following books:

California: Travel Bug Guide
Cuba Classics: A Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles
Eyewitness Travel Guide Caribbean
Eyewitness Guide to Costa Rica
Eyewitness Travel Guide Top 10 Cuba
Eyewitness Travel Guide Top 10 Puerto Rico
Great Destinations: Dominican Republic
Great Destinations: Palm Springs & Desert Resorts
Great Destinations: Panama
Lonely Planet Bahamas and Turks & Caicos
Lonely Planet Jamaica
Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba
Moon Cuba
Moon Havana
Moon Costa Rica
National Geographic Traveler's Colombia (in preparation 2010/2011)
National Geographic Traveler's Costa Rica
National Geographic Traveler Cuba
National Geographic Traveler's Dominican Republic
National Geographic Traveler's Panama
Passport's Illustrated Travel Guide to Jamaica

He has also contributed to:
Eyewitness Guide to Cuba (*)
Fodor's Puerto Rico (*)
Frommer's America on Wheels: California & Nevada (*)
I Should Have Stayed Home (*)
Literary Trips: Following in the Footsteps of Fame (*)
Travelers' Tales: Food (*)
Traveler's Tales Cuba (*)
Voyages: The Romance of Cruising (*)
World Travel: A Guide to International Ecojourneys (*)
Rainforests (*)
Writer's Digest Beginner's Guide to Getting Published (*)
Areas of particular interest or expertise Bahamas, California, Caribbean, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Panama, United Kingdom, South America
Other relevant information Baker has wide experience in marketing and has been a consultant to dozens of travel companies, including such industry leaders as Backroads, Ker & Downey, Mountain Travel-Sobek, and Wilderness Travel, as well as for major international corporations such as Intel. He has written brochures, catalogs, press releases, etc. for dozens of companies, and has been honored with awards from the American Catalog Awards, the Direct Marketing Creative Guild, and Target Marketing. He is available for freelance projects. Baker also has wide experience within the travel industry. For seven years he was president of British Pride Tours, which he founded. In addition to operating his own tours to England, he has packaged and managed group tours on behalf of several universities, and has escorted group tours to Cuba, England, Hong Kong, Korea, and New Zealand. Baker regularly teaches travel writing classes for the Learning Annex and Media Alliance.