Amy practiced law in Virginia before moving to Los Angeles to try to break in as a screenwriter. If you listen carefully, you can still hear the horrified screams of her parents echoing through the space-time continuum. After a stint as a writer’s assistant on Law & Order: SVU, she jumped into freelance writing, focusing on travel, food, and the outdoors.
She has hiked, biked, and paddled across Southern California, the Southwest, New England, and the South. Her top picks for U.S. adventure include the cables of Half Dome, the South Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch, the road to the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, the Gauley River during dam release, and the doorbell at the Museum of Jurassic Technology.
Amy has authored or co-authored more than 50 books for Lonely Planet, including Arizona, Los Angeles Encounter, Los Angeles & Southern California, Caribbean Islands, Discover Maui, Hawaii, Florida & The South’s Best Trips, New England’s Best Trips, Southwest USA, Texas, and USA. She has also written for Backpacker, BBC.com, Every Day with Rachael Ray, theknot.com, Lonely Planet Magazine, Redbook, Sierra, Vegetarian Times, and Women’s Health. Amy’s essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Southern Living, the Washington Post, and the travel anthologies Go Your Own Way and The Thong Also Rises. She thanks you for reading this far.
http://amycbalfour.wordpress.com/
Instagram: AmyCBalfour
Books in order of publication:
| Los Angeles Encounter | 2009 |
| Lonely Planet USA | 2010 |
| 48 Hours in St. Louis: City Trip from USA’s Best Trips Travel Guide | 2011 |
| 48 hours in Los Angeles: City Trip from USA’s Best Trips Travel Guide | 2011 |
| Arizona | 2011 |
| Discover California | 2011 |
| Lonely Planet Southwest USA | 2012 |
| Lonely Planet Western USA | 2012 |
| Southwest USA | 2012 |
| Southwest USA’s Best Trips: 32 Amazing Road Trips | 2014 |
| Discover Maui | 2014 |
| Lonely Planet Western USA | 2014 |
| Lonely Planet San Antonio, Austin Texas Backcountry Road Trips | 2016 |
| Lonely Planet Civil War Trail Road Trips | 2016 |
| Lonely Planet Best of USA | 2016 |
| Lonely Planet New England Fall Foliage Road Trips | 2016 |
| Lonely Planet Discover Hawaii | 2017 |
| Lonely Planet Best of Hawaii | 2017 |
| Lonely Planet Pocket Austin | 2018 |
| Lonely Planet Georgia & the Carolinas | 2019 |
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