Behind the Scenes with Afar

Under Julia’s leadership, Afar is the only brand to win a Lowell Thomas Award every year since launch and the only travel brand to be a National Magazine Award finalist for General Excellence across both print and digital. Julia has appeared on the Folio: 100 list of the most influential people in magazine and digital media, and she speaks frequently to large audiences about travel. Prior to launching Afar in 2009, Julia was a writer and editor at media companies big and small, including Time Out, BusinessWeek, and ReadyMade. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughters.

Billie works across all platforms, leading the team in the creation of day-to-day content as well as multimedia themed packages, such as our annual Where to Go list, our many inspiration series, and our intel packages that help travelers experience the world in better and smarter ways. Prior to joining Afar, she worked at Condé Nast Traveler, BBC Travel, WendyPerrin.com, and the Time Out Group, both in New York and Singapore. She’s based in New York City.

Katherine focuses on features and essays in the print magazine and on afar.com. Katherine also edits the Unpacked column and oversees digital packages including accessibility, wellness, and women in travel. She has been with Afar since 2019. Previously, she held staff roles at Vanity Fair and Condé Nast Traveler, and freelanced for such publications as the New York Times, New York, Bon Appétit, Outside, and Vogue. Katherine’s work has been recognized in the Best American Food Writing, the Best American Science & Nature Writing, and the Best American Essays. She lives in New York City.

Michelle oversees breaking news, travel intel, air, cruise, and consumer travel news. Baran joined Afar in August 2018 after an 11-year run as a senior editor and reporter at leading travel industry newspaper Travel Weekly. She has reported on everything from Europe’s forthcoming entry rules, to how to help destinations such as Los Angeles and Maui recover in the aftermath of tragedy. She is also passionate about inspiring the next generation of global travel stewards. Prior to Travel Weekly, Michelle was the women’s editor at Condé Nast’s Footwear News. She received her Masters in Journalism from Northwestern University, after completing undergraduate studies in anthropology and French at UCLA. Michelle and her husband are currently renovating their mid-century Eichler home in the up-and-coming Northern California suburb of Concord, where they live with their two kids, Catalina and Niko.

Tim focuses primarily on destination inspiration content on afar.com. He also works on the annual Where to Go list and related stories throughout the year; oversees themed packages; and writes the regular Afar Answers column for the print magazine. His areas of focus include sustainability, outdoor adventure, food and drink, and—as a father of three young boys—family travel. He’s based in the Los Angeles area and has been with the company since 2018. Before Afar, he worked as a travel editor for Rough Guides and Travel DK in London and at various other brands in the worlds of tech, culture, and news. He’ll be attending IPW in Chicago in June and GoMedia in Jasper in September.

Kim probably knows, or has worked directly with, more travel writers than anyone else on the planet.

She draws on those media connections to ensure TravMedia attracts the best media to the platform. At TravMedia she manages and executes all media-related aspects of the IMM North America and grows the media side of TravMedia.

Across 30 years, Kim has worn many travel hats as Author of almost 50 guidebooks for most major print publishers; Developer of Slow Down See More using AI, "Authentic Intelligence"; Founder of Bindu Trips, a platform for 150 colleagues; Chief Content Officer at Sutro Media, the world's largest mobile platform for indie travel writers; Travel Acquisitions Editor at The Countryman Press, acquiring and shepherding 150 titles through to completion; and Stock Photographer represented by Getty Images.