MTV Road Trips U.S.A.

A former editor at Frommer’s Travel Guides, John Vorwald (lead writer; Las Vegas to Baja) gave up his sexy cubicle for the wealth and security of the freelancer’s life. When not driving from Vegas to Mexico, he can be found writing and editing restaurant and nightlife reviews for BlackBook magazine, where he is managing editor of the BlackBook Guides. Favorite roadtrip song: The Road Goes on Forever, The Highwaymen.

Dara Bramson  (Festival Season) is seeking professional help for her festival/roadtrip addiction. She’s honored to be a member of this intrepid roadtrip crew. In addition to her Northeast festivals journey during summer 2006, she lived in London, New York City and visited Paris for a full 12 hours. A Miami native, Dara will graduate from Florida International University with degrees in journalism and history. She teaches hip-hop dance and has an absurd collection of vintage clothing that’s often mistaken for her grandmother’s. Favorite roadtrip song: Sky Is Falling, Blackalicious.

Born in southern Louisiana and educated in Seattle, Kelsy Chauvin (American Highways) now lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is a writer and photographer of varied interests, with an emphasis in exploration. (kelsychauvin.com) Favorite roadtrip song: Title and Registration, Death Cab for Cutie.

Nick Honachefsky (Down the Shore) has wrestled a 300-pound mako shark, been shot at in the Greek Islands, surfed Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica and loves dogs, especially puppies. Shunning the suit and tie dragdown, he’s become a full time outdoor adventure freelancer, columnist, screenwriter andbook author who’s traveled the worldwide circuit. A Villanova graduate, Nick regularly contributes to ESPN, Saltwater Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Gannett USA newspapers, and is currently late for Happy Hour. Favorite roadtrip song: Atomic Dog, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic.

Since eating her way through the south (Southern Barbecue Roadtrip) and drinking at rock dives from SoCal to Seattle (Rocking the West Coast), Maya Kroth has been spending a lot of time at her local gym in San Diego, where she spends her days writing and editing WHERE magazine, sipping dirty martinis and obsessing about Padres baseball. She favors ribs over brisket and has a weakness for scruffy guys in indie rock bands. Favorite roadtrip song: Out of Gas, Modest Mouse.

Ashley Marinaccio (Paranormal Northeast) is honored to be a part of the MTV Roadtrips U.S.A. crew. She’s a theatre and anthropology major at Pace University in Manhattan and is actively involved in many clubs and organizations both on and off campus. She’s traveled to Lebanon, Jordan, South Africa, Syria and hopes to do much more traveling in the future. For now, you’d most likely find Ashley in the theater as she’s a director, actor and playwright whose focus is on creating theatre around political and social justice issues. Favorite roadtrip song: Imagine, John Lennon.

Heather McNiel’s first attempt at travel writing was at the age of 12, when her family moved to Europe. Sadly, the young writer found that there was no market for her Travel Tips for Twelve Year Olds. Heather currently lives and works in Minneapolis, with her partner, Dan Yim. They wrote the Urban Heartland roadtrip. As a native Southern Californian, Dan Yimwas skeptical about life in the Midwest, but was won over by the prospect of ice-fishing and an end to his long commutes on the 405. He now lives in Minneapolis, where he works as a teacher and regularly complains about how slow Minnesotans drive. Favorite roadtrip song: Ooh, Las Vegas, Cowboy Junkies.

Valerie Willis (Retro Roadtrip) was born and raised in small-town Oklahoma and has a bachelors degree in Professional Writing from the University of Oklahoma. Her three passions are travel (of course), art, and chocolate and she hopes to never grow up. Favorite roadtrip song: Out On The Open Road from A Goofy Movie.

Ethan Wolff’s (First Americans) first post-college address was Albuquerque, NM, but Manhattan’s low cost of living eventually drew him back east. His Frommer’s guide NYC Free & Dirt Cheap has all the details. Ethan’s favorite roadtrip author is Oakley Hall, his favorite roadtrip film is Two-Lane Blacktop, and favorite roadtrip song is Bob Dylan’s One More Cup of Coffee.

Kathleen Warnock (editor) has been going on roadtrips and editing books for some time now. Her favorite trips include seeing Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in Denmark and Australia. Her roadtrip reports and reviews have appeared in ROCKRGRL, Bust, Metal Maidens, Gargoyle and other publications. Her roadtrip play, “Rock the Line,” (United Stages) won the Robert Chesley Playwriting Award. Favorite roadtrip song: Light of Day, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.