Michelle Payer

Miami-based journalist Michelle Payer has been enamored with travel since childhood, after hearing about a European ancestor who was one of the first explorers and artists to chronicle a North Pole expedition. As a writer, Payer is a wide-eyed observer, learns polite phrases in countries’ native languages, and often follows up “thank you” with “I love you” to break the ice. During her career, she has lived in San Francisco, Mexico, Hawaii, Spain and Sweden and has brought obscure stories to life while reporting about destinations, cruise ships, hotels, artists, designers, chefs, vintners, CEOs and everyday people doing extraordinary things. She has been an occasional correspondent for the Travel Channel, Access Hollywood, Inside Edition and networks around the world. Her favorite possession is a 1940’s globe that survived World War II.