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What do you get when you mix an unconventional life with years of restaurant work, expat experience, a lifelong battle against a deadly genetic disease, and a passion for words? The multi-faceted portfolio of Zanny Merullo Steffgen. Keep scrolling to check out her recent, award-winning work, or visit the About page to learn about her background.

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                           Based in Colorado.

ZANNY MERULLO STEFFGEN

                           Disabled Travel Journalist 

                             Contemplative Essayist

                                      Copywriter 

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Covering Travel as a Force for Good:

-  Adventure travel (often with an accessibility angle, focus on          hiking and scuba diving)

-  Stories that humanize and bridge cultural differences

-  Businesses, tours, movements, and organizations that make a      positive impact

-  Food and beverage (with a focus on wine) 

-  Other lifestyle topics​

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   Destination Expertise: 

Southwest US, New England, Cambodia, Italy, Germany

Recent trips to Central and South America

 

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2025 SATW Western Chapter Award Winner!

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TRAVEL WRITING
Image by Austin Neill

FIGHTING EXTRACTIVE ECONOMIES IN A PANAMANIAN PARADISE, BLUEDOT LIVING

September, 2025

Image by Andy Holmes

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: VISITING POMPEII, VIATOR

September, 2025

Wooden Sauna with View

REGULAR ARTICLES FOR OUTTHERE

2024-Present

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2026 NOT HOT LIST, ADVENTURE.COM

September, 2025

Image by sam onn chan

PLACES TO LEARN ABOUT KHMER ROUGE HISTORY IN PHNOM PENH, VIATOR

September, 2025

Image by Daniel Seßler

HOW TO BEAT THE CROWDS IN MUNICH, VIATOR

August, 2025

Image by Fernando Gutierrez

THIS MEXICAN BEACH TOWN OFFERS A LAID-BACK VIBE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

August, 2025

Image by Tia

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: VISITING THE FLOATING VILLAGES OF SIEM REAP, VIATOR

July, 2025

Image by Ouael Ben Salah

BEST VIEWS IN MILAN, VIATOR

June, 2025

Image by Luke Scarpino

10 HISTORIC HOTELS IN COLORADO, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

July, 2025

Street Food

BEST STREET FOOD DESTINATIONS IN THE WORLD, VIATOR

July, 2025

Image by Carlos E. Ramirez

HOW I UNMASKED THE REACH MEXICO CITY, VIATOR

July, 2025

Image by Micha Brändli

INSIDE NORTH KOREA 2025, ADVENTURE.COM

June, 2025

Image by Thomas Evans

THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A TOURIST IN NORTH KOREA, FODOR'S

June, 2025

Image by Fauzan Saari

WHERE TO PLAY, EAT, AND STAY IN BOSTON DURING THE WORLD CUP, MATADOR NETWORK

May, 2025

Image by Mor Shani

GERMANY'S CAMINO TREK RIVALS SPAIN'S FAMOUS PILGRIMAGE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

March, 2025

Image by Emmanuel Appiah

VISITING DENVER FOR THE FIRST TIME, VIATOR

March, 2025

Stir Fry Noodles

THE BENEFITS OF SUSTAINABLE FOOD TOURISM, GLP FILMS

March, 2025

Castle Tower

TOP MEDIEVAL CASTLES NEAR FRANKFURT, VIATOR

May, 2025

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VISITING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN THE YUCATAN PENINSULA, TRAVEL AGE WEST

March, 2025

Image by Zalfa Imani

THE BEST MUSEUMS IN DENVER, VIATOR

May, 2025

Woman in Wheelchair at Beach

HOW CAN TRAVEL BECOME MORE ACCESSIBLE? GLP FILMS

May, 2025

Image by Kingdom Compass

I DID THE TREK OF A LIFETIME IN PERU, TORONTO STAR

February, 2025

Image by Nils Huenerfuerst

7 THINGS EVERY TOURIST MUST DO WHEN THEY VISIT DENVER, BUSINESS INSDER

January, 2025

Image by Catherine Chu

THE BEST HOTELS IN SOUTH AMERICA, FODOR'S

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Read Article

October, 2024

Image by Joe Dudeck

A FIRST-TIME GUIDE TO TELLURIDE, COLORADO,
LONELY PLANET

October, 2024

Pretzel

QUINTESSENTIALLY GERMAN DISHES
AND WHERE TO EAT THEM IN MUNICH,
VIATOR

October, 2024

Image by zhendong wang

TOP HISTORIC BREWERIES IN GERMANY, VIATOR

January, 2025

September, 2024

Image by Megan Kotlus

WHAT TO DO IN AREQUIPA, TRAVEL AGE WEST

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September, 2024

Image by Yves Cedric Schulze

AN ART LOVER'S GUIDE TO MUNICH,

VIATOR

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September, 2024

September, 2024

Image by Andrey Omelyanchuk

VISITING MUNICH FOR THE FIRST TIME, VIATOR

August, 2024

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PRIDE AND PISCO, CLUB OENOLOGIQUE

August, 2024

Image by Liam McGarry

DO WE OWE IT TO DESTINATIONS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR TROUBLED PAST?, ROADBOOK

July, 2024

Quechua Indigenous Women

WHY THE FATE OF INDIGENOUS TRADITIONS IS LINKED TO TOURISM IN PERU, TTG

August, 2024

Image by Chetan Hireholi

June, 2024

COMPETITION OR CAMARADERIE? ADVENTURE.COM

Cashless Payment

10 REASONS THE CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED CARD IS WORTH IT, THE FRUGAL EXPAT

May, 2024

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DIVING IN PERU'S FINAL FRONTIER,

SCUBA DIVING MAGAZINE

April, 2024

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CLEANING UP CAMBODIA, BLUEDOT LIVING

May, 2024

Patient Room

7 THINGS I LEARNED AFTER HAVING A MEDICAL EMERGENCY ABROAD, MATADOR NETWORK

January, 2024

Aquarium

BEST THING TO DO IN DENVER, BUSINESS INSIDER

January, 2024

Plane on Runway

WHERE TO GO IN 2024, GOING

December, 2023

Golf Course Aerial Shot

9 AUDUBON GOLF COURSES THAT PROVE GOLF CAN BE SUSTAINABLE, MATADOR NETWORK

January, 2024

Airplane Wing

THE PROS AND CONS OF AIRLINE CO-BRANDED CREDIT CARDS, GOING

October, 2023

Road Trip

HOW DID THE DÖNER KEBAB BECOME GERMANY'S MOST POPULAR SNACK?
ADVENTURE.COM

June, 2023

Shawarma

DÖNER KEBAB: THE TURKISH DISH BELOVED ACROSS GERMANY, GOING

March, 2023​

Manta Ray

NIGHT DIVE WITH REEF MANTA RAY, GOING

June, 2023

JOURNALISM
Golf Ball Basket

CAN GOLF MAINTAIN ITS REPUTATION?
COMMON GOOD MAGAZINE

August, 2023

Image by Cole Marshall

LOCALS USE INSTAGRAM TO FIGHT HOUSING CRISIS, DAILY DOT

November 2022

Golf Field

THE FUTURE OF GOLF IN A WORLD OF CLIMATE CHANGE, FANSIDED

September 2022

Image by Aleksander Saks

WHAT'S BEHIND THE PICKLEBALL BOOM?

July, 2024

Image by Nicolas Spehler

HOW A HOTEL IS EMPOWERING LOCALS
IN CAMBODIA, REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

October, 2024

Image by Claude Piché

SUSTAINABLE MEASURES IN COLORADO'S CRAFT BREWING CAPITAL, BLUEDOT LIVING

December, 2024

Illuminated Stadium

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES
AT THE OLYMPICS, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

December, 2024

Image by Annie Spratt

WHAT DID WE LOSE WHEN WE LOST LANDLINES?, COMMON GOOD MAGAZINE

January, 2025

Image by Meritt Thomas

A SMALL BUT MIGHTY FISHING COOPERATIVE,
BLUEDOT LIVING

February, 2025

PERSONAL ESSAYS

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January, 2025

I'M 27 BUT TAKE ZUMBA WITH SENIOR CITIZENS, TODAY

April, 2024

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I SKIPPED COLLEGE TO TRAVEL AND LIVE ABROAD, BUSINESS INSIDER

August, 2025

Golf Club and Ball

GOLF TAUGHT ME EMOTIONAL REGULATION, BUSINESS INSIDER

December, 2024

Image by Andrew Lomas

HOW I'M TREATED AS A WOMAN ON THE GOLF COURSE, BUSINESS INSIDER

November, 2024

April, 2024

Doctor's Visit

MY SUDDEN SYMPTOMS LEFT DOCTORS STUMPED, NEWSWEEK

June, 2024

Image by Fabian Møller

LIVING IN THE IN-BETWEEN, CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION

Image by Hiroko Yoshii

A SCUBA DIVING HONEYMOON WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS, SCUBA DIVING MAGAZINE

May, 2022

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THE AMERICAN WORSHIP OF STUFF, THE BELLA DONNA

April 2022

Restaurant

I QUIT MY CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB TO BECOME A FREELANCER, BUSINESS INSIDER

April 2022

Pool Ladder

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO PLAY SCUBA POKER, SCUBA DIVING MAGAZINE

February, 2023

 Young Woman Contemplating

WRITING ABOUT TOUGH TIMES, AUTHOR MAGAZINE

January 2022

Sitting on a Bench

January, 2024

AFTER BEING LONELY FOR THREE YEARS, I FINALLY FOUND MY PEOPLE, SHONDALAND

SEO BLOGS

SEO BLOGS FOR LUXURY ITALIAN TOURS

2023-Present

Image by NEOM

2024-Present

Wedding Ceremony Stage

SEO ARTICLES FOR AN ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER

February 2022 to Present

Beauty Products

2021-2024

Boston

BOSTON WEDDING VENUES, MIND ON PHOTOGRAPHY

September 2023

REGULAR ARTICLES FOR BLU ATLAS SKINCARE

Image by Kristian Ranstrom

REGULAR ARTICLES FOR VISIT FORT COLLINS

2023-Present

Image by Simon Berger

SEO BLOGS AND COPYWRITING FOR QUASAR EXPEDITIONS

SEO BLOGS FOR ADVENTURES IN GOOD COMPANY

Image by Levi Guzman

DIVERSE VOICES IN TRAVEL, SOUL OF TRAVEL

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Read Article

For additional copywriting samples, please reach out. 

OTHER PROJECTS

Documentary Script Writing

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LESS RECENT WORK

Smartmouth Newsletter

January, 2022

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Newsletter about where to dine in Telluride, Colorado. 

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©2025 by Zanny Merullo Steffgen. Proudly created with Wix.com

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