Christopher Paul Baker
Encyclopedia
Christopher Paul Baker (born in Yorkshire, England, on 15 June 1955) is a travel writer and photographer currently specializing in the Caribbean
and Central America. He is a contributor to magazines and other publications worldwide, and is the author of travel guidebooks (for publishers such as Lonely Planet
and Moon Publications
) and a literary travelog.
, Yorkshire
. In 1976 he received a BA (Honours) in Geography
from University College London
, during which time he participated in a university exchange program at Krakow
, Poland
; and in two Sahara
research expeditions. The following year he attended the graduate Centre for Latin American Studies, at the University of Liverpool
, where he received a Masters. He returned to the University of London, received a teaching diploma from the Institute of Education
in 1978, and spent brief periods teaching at schools in London between periods of travel in Europe
and North America
. His first travel article appeared in the Brighouse Echo as dispatches from the United States.
, where he received a Scripps-Howard Foundation Scholarship to attend the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
; however, he instead married a travel agent and started work for Adventure Center. He launched his career as a travel writer and photographer in 1983 and initially specialized in international adventure travel. His articles included first-person reports on such activities as bicycling in Bali
, hiking
to Mount Everest
, whitewater rafting in Papua New Guinea
, and natural history cruising in the Galapagos Islands
. In 1984 he became a contributing editor for International Travel News, specializing in Southeast Asia
. That year he also planned his first group tour to Britain and for the next six years operated tours to Britain under British Pride Tours. In 1989 and 1990 he operated shopping tours to Hong Kong
and Korea
. He continued to organize and manage trips to Britain until 1990, following which he dedicated himself exclusively to his travel writing and photography career.
Baker's self-syndicated stories appeared in newspapers throughout the USA and Canada
, including front-page stories in the Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, New York Post, San Francisco Examiner, and Toronto Globe & Mail. His other credits included stories in BBC World, Elle and National Wildlife, Newsweek International and the South China Morning Post. His skills as a commercial writer earned him three national awards for best catalogs.
In 1989, Baker was admitted to the Society of American Travel Writers. That year he was also commissioned to write his first guidebook, resulting in publication of the Costa Rica Handbook. His guidebook won the 1996 Benjamin Franklin Award. Baker's first Lonely Planet
guidebook, on Jamaica, was followed by Lonely Planet's guidebook to The Bahamas & Turks & Caicos and by the Cuba Handbook.
In 1996, Baker shipped his BMW motorcycle to Cuba and rode 7,000 miles (11,000 km) around the island. The journey resulted in publication of Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba, a literary travelog that won both the Lowell Thomas Award as 'Travel Book of the Year' and the North American Travel Journalists Association's 'Grand Prize.' Baker has since authored numerous other books, including Moon Handbooks: Havana, National Geographic Traveler's Cuba, and Cuba Classics: A Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles.
, California. He is a regular contributor to such publications as National Geographic Traveler, The Robb Report, and Caribbean Travel & Life, as well as such Internet sites as Expedia, Home & Abroad, and Luxury Latin America.
He continues to update his Moon Handbooks: Costa Rica (now in its sixth edition) and Moon Handbooks: Cuba (now in its fourth edition). His most recent works include National Geographic Traveler's Panama (National Geographic Society, 2007) and Puerto Rico: A Beautiful Isle (Macmillan Caribbean, 2007). He is currently authoring National Geographic Traveler's Dominican Republic, Top 10 Cuba (to be published by Dorling Kindersley), and Palm Springs: A Destination Guide (to be published by Countryman Press).
Chapters in:
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Central America. He is a contributor to magazines and other publications worldwide, and is the author of travel guidebooks (for publishers such as Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...
and Moon Publications
Moon Publications
Moon is a travel guidebook publisher founded in 1973 in Chico, California as a collective of world travelers and writers. the company started with travel guides to Asia and later became the top publisher of guides to the Americas. Moon was an early advocate of independent travel, and their authors...
) and a literary travelog.
Education
Baker was educated at Rastrick Grammar School, in BrighouseBrighouse
Brighouse is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax in the Pennines. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 motorway and Brighouse railway station on the Caldervale Line and Huddersfield Line. In the...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. In 1976 he received a BA (Honours) in Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
from University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, during which time he participated in a university exchange program at Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
; and in two Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
research expeditions. The following year he attended the graduate Centre for Latin American Studies, at the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
, where he received a Masters. He returned to the University of London, received a teaching diploma from the Institute of Education
Institute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
in 1978, and spent brief periods teaching at schools in London between periods of travel in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. His first travel article appeared in the Brighouse Echo as dispatches from the United States.
Career
In 1980, Baker relocated to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he received a Scripps-Howard Foundation Scholarship to attend the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
The UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism is a graduate professional school on the campus of University of California, Berkeley. It is among the top graduate journalism schools in the United States, and is designed to produce journalists with a two-year Master of Journalism degree.The program...
; however, he instead married a travel agent and started work for Adventure Center. He launched his career as a travel writer and photographer in 1983 and initially specialized in international adventure travel. His articles included first-person reports on such activities as bicycling in Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
to Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
, whitewater rafting in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, and natural history cruising in the Galapagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
. In 1984 he became a contributing editor for International Travel News, specializing in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. That year he also planned his first group tour to Britain and for the next six years operated tours to Britain under British Pride Tours. In 1989 and 1990 he operated shopping tours to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. He continued to organize and manage trips to Britain until 1990, following which he dedicated himself exclusively to his travel writing and photography career.
Baker's self-syndicated stories appeared in newspapers throughout the USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, including front-page stories in the Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, New York Post, San Francisco Examiner, and Toronto Globe & Mail. His other credits included stories in BBC World, Elle and National Wildlife, Newsweek International and the South China Morning Post. His skills as a commercial writer earned him three national awards for best catalogs.
In 1989, Baker was admitted to the Society of American Travel Writers. That year he was also commissioned to write his first guidebook, resulting in publication of the Costa Rica Handbook. His guidebook won the 1996 Benjamin Franklin Award. Baker's first Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...
guidebook, on Jamaica, was followed by Lonely Planet's guidebook to The Bahamas & Turks & Caicos and by the Cuba Handbook.
In 1996, Baker shipped his BMW motorcycle to Cuba and rode 7,000 miles (11,000 km) around the island. The journey resulted in publication of Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba, a literary travelog that won both the Lowell Thomas Award as 'Travel Book of the Year' and the North American Travel Journalists Association's 'Grand Prize.' Baker has since authored numerous other books, including Moon Handbooks: Havana, National Geographic Traveler's Cuba, and Cuba Classics: A Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles.
Current activities
Baker currently lives in Palm SpringsPalm Springs
Palm Springs is a desert city in CaliforniaPalm Springs may also refer to:* Palm Springs, Florida* Palm Springs, Hong Kong, a residential development in Yuen Long, Hong Kong* Coachella Valley, also known as the Palm Springs area...
, California. He is a regular contributor to such publications as National Geographic Traveler, The Robb Report, and Caribbean Travel & Life, as well as such Internet sites as Expedia, Home & Abroad, and Luxury Latin America.
He continues to update his Moon Handbooks: Costa Rica (now in its sixth edition) and Moon Handbooks: Cuba (now in its fourth edition). His most recent works include National Geographic Traveler's Panama (National Geographic Society, 2007) and Puerto Rico: A Beautiful Isle (Macmillan Caribbean, 2007). He is currently authoring National Geographic Traveler's Dominican Republic, Top 10 Cuba (to be published by Dorling Kindersley), and Palm Springs: A Destination Guide (to be published by Countryman Press).
Works
- Bahamas and Turks & Caicos (Lonely Planet)
- Cuba Classics: A Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles (Interlink)
- Eyewitness Travel Guide to Costa Rica (Dorling Kindersley)
- Jamaica (Lonely Planet)
- Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castros' Cuba (National Geographic Adventure Press)
- Moon Handbooks: Costa Rica (Avalon Travel Publishing)
- Moon Handbooks: Cuba (Avalon Travel Publishing)
- Moon Handbooks: Havana (Avalon Travel Publishing)
- National Geographic Traveler's Costa Rica (National Geographic Society)
- National Geographic Traveler's Cuba (National Geographic Society)
- National Geographic Traveler's Dominican Republic (National Geographic Society)
- National Geographic Traveler's Panama (National Geographic Society)
- Illustrated Guide to Jamaica (NTC Publishing/Thomas Cook Publishing)
- Top 10 Cuba (Dorling Kindersley)
- Trav'bug California (Prentice Hall; with Judy Wade)
- Travelers Companion Guide to Costa Rica (Globe Pequot, 3rd ed.)
Chapters in:
- America on Wheels: California & Nevada (Frommer's)
- Literary Trips: In the Footsteps of Fame
- Rainforests (Inside Guides)
- Travel: Where to go When (Dorling Kindersley)
- Travelers' Tales: Cuba (Travelers Tales)
- Travelers' Tales: Food (Travelers Tales)
- Voyages: The Romance of Cruising (Tehabi)
- World Travel: A Guide to International Ecojourneys (Time-Life Books)
- Writer's Digest: A Beginner's Guide to Getting Published (Writer's Digest Books)
External links
- Official site of Christopher P. Baker
- National Geographic interview
- Baker reads an excerpt from Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba. Audio link.
- Christopher P. Baker's Moon Handbooks: Costa Rica
- Christopher P. Baker's Moon Handbooks: Cuba
- Interview with Rolf Potts
- Authors Den profile
- Photos and information on Baker's Cuba Classics: A Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles
- Information about Baker's Cuba Classics: A Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles
- Baker's travel blog at Moon.com
- TravelGuides.com accessed 13 November 2007
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0221_030221_cubaguide.html
- http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0105/audio.html
- http://www.moon.com/catalog2/costarica.html
- http://www.moon.com/catalog2/cuba.html
- http://www.rolfpotts.com/writers/baker.html
- http://www.authorsden.com/christopherpaulbaker
- http://www.cuba-automobiles.com
- http://www.interlinkbooks.com/product_info.php?products_id=865