Christopher Brooks has more than two decades of writing experience as an editor at Market Watch (a sister publication to Wine Spectator) and Hearst's Country Living and credits that include Family Circle, Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Tribune, and USA Today. Catherine Brooks is a professional photographer whose images have been published in a number of magazines.

They have hiked the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Inca Trail, and extensively explored the U.S., Mexico and South America, Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Their work appears regularly in Backpacker magazine.