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ZANNY MERULLO STEFFGEN

                    Disabled Travel Journalist  -

            Contemplative Essayist - Copywriter 
 

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 work, or visit the CV page to learn about her background.

                           Based in Colorado.

TRAVEL WRITING
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Image by Soheb Zaidi

THE BEST GOLF COURSE IN EACH STATE, THE DISCOVERER

September 2022

Shawarma

DÖNER KEBAB: THE TURKISH DISH BELOVED ACROSS GERMANY, GOING

March, 2023

Berlin Fernsehturm

A NON-DRINKER'S GUIDE TO BERLIN, VIATOR

April, 2023

Manta Ray

NIGHT DIVE WITH REEF MANTA RAY, GOING

June, 2023

Road Trip

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

June, 2023

Image by Sandra Grünewald

8 MUST-SEE MUNICH NEIGHBORHOODS, VIATOR

July, 2023

Airplane Wing

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

October, 2023

Credit Card

REVIEW: THE UNITED EXPLORER CARD, GOING

October, 2023

Image by Daniel Ribar

THE BETCHES-APPROVED GUIDE TO TELLURIDE, COLORADO, BETCHES

November 2022

Image by Kait Herzog

8 OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN COLORADO FOR PEOPLE OF ALL PHYSICAL ABILITIES, THE DISCOVERER

June 2022

Image by Silje Midtgård

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SEEING WILD HORSES IN COLORADO, MATADOR NETWORK

August 2022

View of the City

IN SUPPORT OF TRAVELING SOLO WHILE MARRIED, FODOR'S

November, 2023

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

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

Traveler in Motion

TRAVEL CAN GUIDE YOU TO YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE,
SOUL OF TRAVEL

February, 2024

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March, 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

Cashless Payment

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

May, 2024

Image by Chetan Hireholi

June, 2024

COMPETITION OR CAMARADERIE? ADVENTURE.COM

Image by Levi Guzman

DIVERSE VOICES IN TRAVEL, SOUL OF TRAVEL

July, 2024

Image by Liam McGarry

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

July, 2024

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SHINTA MANI FOUNDATION: POWER RANGES, OUTTHERE 

August, 2024

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PRIDE AND PISCO, CLUB OENOLOGIQUE

August, 2024

Image by Andrey Omelyanchuk

VISITING MUNICH FOR THE FIRST TIME, VIATOR

August, 2024

Image by Yves Cedric Schulze

AN ART LOVER'S GUIDE TO MUNICH,

VIATOR

September, 2024

Image by Megan Kotlus

WHAT TO DO IN AREQUIPA, TRAVEL AGE WEST

September, 2024

Quechua Indigenous Women

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

August, 2024

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

Image by John Fowler

A THRIVING BUSINESS COMMUNITY (PG 63) AND WELCOMING JASON CORZINE (PG 65), TELLURIDE GUIDE

December, 2022

Cup of Coffee

HOW A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CAFE IS LIFTING LOCALS OUT OF PANDEMIC RECESSION, CALIBRATION NOTES

September 2022

Golf Field

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

September 2022

Silver Cutlery

IN TELLURIDE, THE DIRTY SPOON

November 2021

Paintings In Gallery

TELLURIDE ART WALK, POLLINATE ART COLLECTIVE

November 2021

Image by Chad Madden

BUSINESS SHORTS, TELLURIDE GUIDE

May 2022

Image by Aleksander Saks

WHAT'S BEHIND THE PICKLEBALL BOOM?

July, 2024

PERSONAL ESSAYS

Image by Fabian Møller

LIVING IN THE IN-BETWEEN, CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION

April, 2024

Doctor's Visit

MY SUDDEN SYMPTOMS LEFT DOCTORS STUMPED, NEWSWEEK

June, 2024

Sitting on a Bench

January, 2024

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

Pool Ladder

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

February, 2023

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

 Young Woman Contemplating

WRITING ABOUT TOUGH TIMES, AUTHOR MAGAZINE

January 2022

Restaurant

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

April 2022

SEO BLOGS

Wedding Ceremony Stage

SEO ARTICLES FOR AN ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER

February 2022 to June 2022

Beauty Products

REGULAR ARTICLES FOR BLU ATLAS SKINCARE

2021-Present

Boston

BOSTON WEDDING VENUES, MIND ON PHOTOGRAPHY

September 2023

Image by Kristian Ranstrom

REGULAR ARTICLES FOR VISIT FORT COLLINS

2023-Present

Image by Geranimo

REGULAR ARTICLES FOR VISIT GRAND RAPIDS

2024

For additional copywriting samples, please reach out. 

MISCELLANEOUS

Documentary Script Writing

MEDIA APPEARANCES

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Zanny is a guest on the Oldish podcast to talk about the Substack she writes with her father: Hi Zan, Hi Pa. 

An interview with Zanny for a class at The College of St. Scholastica on Writing for Mass Media. 

Symone Sanders speaks to Zanny and three other guests with hospitality experience to figure out the future of the industry amid a staffing crisis.

Zanny is quoted in a New York Times article by Caitlin Kelly. 

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Zanny appears in a documentary short by TripAdvisor's Wanderlab

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Award Nominations

In 2022, Zanny was a finalist for Travel Media's Young Writer of the Year Award! In 2023, Zanny was a finalist for AITO's Young Travel Writer of the Year Award!

Zanny is mentioned in a segment on New England Public Media. 

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Zanny is a guest on the Limitless Living podcast to talk about how taking a gap year changed her life.

Zanny is interviewed by former classmate Kevin Zhen about choosing not to go to college.

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LESS RECENT WORK

Smartmouth Newsletter

January, 2022

Newsletter about where to dine in Telluride, Colorado. 

CONNECT WITH ZANNY

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