Meet the EuroCheapo Team Who is EuroCheapo? So, who are we and why should you take our advice? Since our first hotel trip in January 2001 (yikes, THAT was a disaster!), the EuroCheapo staff has expanded to include writers, editors and other types from around the globe. And watch out -- We're only getting started!
New York Office
Tom Meyers Founder, Editor-in-Chief E-mail Tom started EuroCheapo in the Fall of 2000 and blasted off for Europe in January 2001. Within months, he had seen hundreds of hotel rooms and figured out the French, Italian and Spanish ways to say "sound-proofed windows." Tom lived in Berlin for most of 2001 and launched EuroCheapo from his office there. He returned to New York in 2002, set up office, and has led the EuroCheapo team from the Big Apple ever since. Updating the site and staying on top of the listings isn't easy, however, and he and the staff make frequent trips to Europe. A native of Bellevue, Ohio, Tom moved to New York in 1993 to attend Columbia University where he majored in French and lived for as long as he could in Paris.
Pete Meyers Director, Marketing and Business Development E-mail An Ohio native, Pete was bred on family road trips and the Beach Boys. During his year abroad in Aix-en-Provence, Pete comically took a job waiting tables in a seafood restaurant and was promptly "dismissed," due to his understandably limited fish-related vocabulary. Upon graduating from the University of Michigan, Pete pursued a career in digital marketing and advertising, which took him from his beloved Ann Arbor to New York and eventually London, where he was a Senior Partner and Director of Global Client Service for OgilvyOne’s European digital media group. After countless late-night conversations with his brother Tom about EuroCheapo, Pete finally joined the company in the summer of 2006. Pete now lives in Brooklyn Heights with his wife, Meredith.
Meredith Franco Meyers Managing Editor E-mail Meredith grew up in suburban Detroit listening to the motown sounds of Diana Ross and the Supremes. In high school, inexplicably, a Lord of the Dance show made her want to take the next plane overseas. (But, that's another story entirely and would require acrobatics.) After graduating from the University of Michigan, she earned an MFA in fiction writing at The New School in New York City. Her feature stories and articles have appeared in Ladies' Home Journal, Self, InStyle Specials, Modern Bride (regional editions), Bridal Guide, Time Out New York, Fitness and more. Additionally, she is on the writing faculty of Gotham Writers Workshops. An ideal night in Paris—her favorite EC city—would include a cabaret show Aux Trois Mailletz, a crépe from the Horse Man Team at La Cour aux Crépes (Rue Galande) and a brief browse-through at Shakespeare's. She joined EuroCheapo in summer 2007 and always looks forward to traveling with her husband (see "Peter" above) and brother-in-law (see "Tom").
Correspondents and Contributors
Eileen "Travel Gram" Detlefsen Columnist When she's not traveling or seeing her dear friends in Germany, Denmark, and Austria, Travel Gram resides in the Midwest and takes good care of EuroCheapo's staff kitty, Prince Olaf (see: "Unclassifiable, yet beloved" below). Eileen was born and raised in Ohio and enjoyed working as a reporter on the city desk for The Sandusky Register daily newspaper where she met her husband, also a journalist. Together, a few years later, they started their own newspaper, RFD News (still a well known paper in the Midwest), a bi-monthly publication for farm and suburban families. Over the past three decades, Eileen has enjoyed much overseas travel. She arrived to visit friends in Hamburg the day the Berlin Wall fell. She has visited the Holy Land, seen the Great Pyramids of Egypt, followed in the apostle Paul's journeys from Jerusalem to Rome. Eileen has six grandchildren and one great-grandchild, many of whom she's traveled with abroad.
Alex Robertson Textor Editor at Large Bitten by the travel bug at 11, Features Editor Alex Robertson Textor has fond childhood memories of ultracheap Spanish hotels (the kind with Styrofoam shelving) and supermarket lunches scarfed on park benches. Formerly an academic, Alex has spent the last several years redirecting his professional life into full-time travel journalism and editing. He has published destination, travel news, and travel strategy articles in the New York Times, Guardian Unlimited, Condé Nast Traveler, Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian, among other publications. A budget travel fan, Alex loves to show people how to travel well on a modest budget.
Vivien Kim Thorp Editor and Staff Writer Vivien Kim Thorp got her first taste of travel aboard Caribbean-bound cruises, leaving from her native Florida. While these trips resulted in a life-long aversion to cruise ships, they did whet her appetite to see the world. (One could even call it an addiction.) Since then, she has traveled throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, though her heart belongs to Southeast Asia. Her most recent thrills include driving a team of sled dogs in northern Sweden, diving with manta rays in Komodo, and wandering through the Temples of Karnak in Luxor. She recommends adding the following items to your "try it at least once" list: raw horse meat, fried spiders, and bear carpaccio. Vivien has a bachelor's degree in English and Asian American Studies from U.C. Berkeley and is working on earning a master's degree from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism.
Laura Kerns Staff Writer Laura's intro to international travel began with a study abroad program in 2003, living in a 12th-century medieval castle in Well, the Netherlands. Every weekend, Laura traveled extensively around Europe, staying in dark, windowless, 12-bedded dorms... Ah, sweet memories! After completing her BFA degree in writing, literature and publishing from Emerson College, Laura moved to New York City and joined the crew of EuroCheapo. Although her travel these days is mostly limited to taking the Chinatown bus between Philadelphia, New York and Boston, she dreams of returning to Europe soon.
Kaymaria Daskarolis Greece Correspondent In order to keep a promise she and her brother had made to their grandmother (and to simultaneously fulfill one of her own dreams) Kaymaria left her beloved hometown of Oakland, California and headed to Athens in time for the 2004 Olympics. Today, she continues to work and play in the Greek capital, where you may find her writing atop Lykavittos, road-tripping with overseas guests, enjoying Athens cafés with friends, dancing to Greek hip-hop music, or reading Greek subtitles in an outdoor cinema. The daughter of two life-long educators and enthusiastic travelers, Kaymaria has explored North America, Mexico, and Europe. It was not until she spent a year as an exchange student at The University of York in England, however, that she discovered that she does not actually speak English.
T.J. DiChristopher New York Correspondent TJ developed a taste for travel while living (and ostensibly) studying in Rome. He soon began catching bargain-basement Ryanair flights to various European destinations, where he would immediately scope out the dodgiest bar upon arrival. (He also saw some art along the way.) After returning to SUNY Albany, he developed an independent study in travel writing, which was mostly an excuse to drive cross-country. The 7200 mile trip, made in 11 days with two friends in a very small red car, culminated in a collection of essays called MOVE!, which he describes as incredibly self-indulgent and quite un-publishable. After moving to Manhattan, he found his way to EuroCheapo and has spent most of his time writing reviews for the New York City listings.
Elizabeth Gorman Spain Correspondent After studying abroad in Alicante, Elizabeth Gorman filled her duffel bag and set off for Madrid to help jumpstart an e-zine for young expats and students. She’s lived in the Spanish capital ever since. A contributor to MTV Spain, she has written for New York Times T: travel magazine, Maxim, and ELLE Décor. Elizabeth updated EuroCheapo’s Madrid listings and added Seville to the site. Her favorite thing about working for EuroCheapo? The opportunity to genuinely take hotels by surprise! Currently, Elizabeth is working on her siesta.
Kari Hoerchler Staff Writer E-mail Ever wondered where the happening night club in Geneva is? In November? Or how to avoid the lines at the entrance of La Segrada Familia in Barcelona in July? Or where to find the perfect little joint in Amsterdam? Well, search no longer. With the help of Kari Hoerchler (and EuroCheapo.com!) your inquiries are in good hands. Taking a pen, pad and camera everywhere she goes, Kari is always looking out for her readers whether she’s traveling around Europe, the United States, or South America. She is also the Managing Editor of EuropeanHostels. When not helping her fans find bargains, Kari enjoys yoga, bicycling and writing novels. At the moment, her prose is taking her and her readers to the science fiction travel destination of the future: a tropical island in the Bermuda Triangle.
Mike Kirwan Paris Correspondent Enchanted by maps at a young age, Michael's first voyages were of the unglamourous variety (think Florida, Subarus, and talking mice). It was in an Australian hostel, while sleeping on a bare mattress, that he discovered the value of quality budget travel. Following a six month sejour on Australia's Sunshine Coast, Michael finished his studies at Hunter College in New York and moved to Paris. In Paris, Mike edits and writes for The Paris Times and checks out cheap sleeps for EuroCheapo. When not walking the streets of Paris pretending to be Ernest Hemingway, Michael enjoys penning short stories and playing the didjeridoo.
Annie Shapero Italy Correspondent Annie Shapero was born and raised in the cosmopolitan oasis of Columbia, Missouri. A call to the big city brought her to Chicago, where she pursued a degree at DePaul University's theatre conservatory. Four years of "rigorous, professional" training and a minor in Italian language led her to her next destination: Rome, a city of natural born tragedians with a flair for comedy. There she put her dreams of Broadway stardom on hold and took up a wild series of careers (including "marketing strategist" for an edible Egyptian insecticide). Eventually, she found her niche: writing for "WHERE Magazine Rome." When not in Rome, Annie hops about the Mediterranean, indulging in the local gastronomic and dance traditions. Ole´!
Heather Stimmler-Hall Paris Correspondent Heather Stimmler-Hall came to Paris in 1995 as a political science student, just in time to live through one of the longest transportation strikes in the city’s history. She soon discovered the joys of exploring the city’s many hidden corners, a hobby she turned into a career as a travel writer and private tour guide. She has lived in Paris and on the French Riviera permanently since 1998. After visiting over 500 hotels in France (without one case of bed bugs), she knows when she’s found a good deal. Heather has written for Fodor's Guide, Time Out Paris, Michelin's Green Guide, Home & Abroad, Expedia.com, France Magazine, the Robb Report, the London Times, and is the Paris correspondent for easyJet's in-flight magazine. Heather is the editor of SecretsOfParis.com.
Regina WB Barcelona Correspondent Born with a severe case of "wanderlust" and prone to boredom, Regina WB has always been up for an adventure. Curiosity has been her hilarious guide and has led her to live in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Spain—and travel extensively throughout Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Along the way, she has sampled different culinary versions of the ever diverse frijol, perpetually falling in love with the Latino landscape. She studied English and photography in her native Portland, Oregon and later began her freelance career in Guatemala. Today, she lives in Barcelona, where she freelances for several publications.
Miranda Siegel Correspondent Native New Yorker Miranda fondly recalls family trips to Europe, which featured formative events like spending a night on the roof of an overbooked Greek hotel and sampling the culinary wonders of horse meat. But it was while riding a pony through a patch of wild blueberries in Iceland that she realized she wanted to be an explorer. As an undergrad, Miranda bicycled across the US and lived for several months in Berlin. Nowadays she obsesses over Baltic countries and the plump cream-smothered dumplings to be found there. Fluent in German, she does freelance translation and writes educational material for children.
Unclassifiable, yet beloved
Gianni Bettucci Writer/Cheapo Emeritus Gianni joined Tom in February of 2001 in his hometown of Florence, Italy. Together, they inspected hundreds of budget hotels in Florence, Rome, and Amsterdam, before settling down for the year in Berlin. On their first day working on the site in Rome, Gianni and Tom had lunch in a Chinese restaurant where Gianni started listing off the criteria for what would come to define a EuroCheapo hotel. Five years later, Gianni still resides in Berlin, where he is the company manager for the theater troupe "Familie Flöz." Gianni has a doctorate in literature from the University of Florence.
Emily Ford Writer/Cheapo Emeritus EuroCheapo + Emily = Good Times. A notorious multi-tasker, Emily was writing a thesis in Berlin, freelancing at the BBC World Service in London and traipsing around the rest of Europe in what free time she had. At her best, she was able to visit a site of ancient ruins and a beach every day for two months. Thanks to countless NYC connections, Tom was able to chase down and recruit Emily while both were based in Berlin. Back in New York now, she is ever-dedicated to all things international and will soon return to school for a doctorate in International Education.
Mauricio Mena Writer/Cheapo Emeritus Though a native of New York City, Mauricio Mena has lived in so many countries that he considers himself "globoset" -- too poor for jet set, but entirely too mobile for normal. As a hotel investigator, Mauricio tirelessly surveyed hotels by the hundred and learned quickly how to separate the sketchy from the sublime. He often dreams of his favorites -- was that balcony overlooking Plaza del Sol in Madrid or the sun-kissed hills of Lisboa? Poor guy. He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he is finishing his third screenplay, and has lived in Seville and Berlin.
Oliver "Prince Olaf" Meyers Complaint Resolution Coordinator E-mail Born with a couple of extra toes, Oliver—recently renamed Prince Olaf (hey, it just works)—hails from Bellevue, Ohio and made his big move to the Big Apple at the tender age of four months. This kitty was ready for the big city and did enjoy his beat in Chinatown, but feeling the need to sprawl out and yearning to become an outdoor cat for part of the year, he recently relocated back to Ohio. In his words, "I guess I knew I was made for complaint resolution coordination ever since I was declawed." Oliver has never been to Europe and makes no apologies for it.
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