Mary Ann Simpkins

Although more at home in a city—whether in Mexico, France or the U.S., all countries where she has lived—the Ottawa, Ontario-based Simpkins sometimes escapes to the jungle, roaming through those in Laos, Guyana, Peru and now Brazil. She covers travel and culture for Toronto’s Globe and Mail, Fodor’s Travel Guides and other publications. “Visiting another country, seeing how different cultures live, fascinates me,” says Simpkins, “but travel also makes me appreciate what I have at home.”