Hey! I'm Stephanie Vermillion, an adventure writer, journalist, and photographer.

I trot the globe to find under-the-radar stories of culture, adventure, astrotourism, and conservation. Think: The Afro-Indigenous Garifuna culture preserving their language via song or the scientists using sonification to make eclipse chasing more accessible to the blind/ low-vision community. As a Sony Alpha photographer, I also use imagery and video to bring these stories to life.

I know, I know—it's an absolute dream job. But it's not about ticking off my bucket list. Words & photos have power, and I want mine to inspire responsible adventures and a love for (and desire to protect) our planet. That's why I build my travels around stories of awe, connection, and hope.

A life-changing leap into travel writing

I didn’t start my career as an adventure writer. Nope, despite a degree in journalism, I took a 9-to-5 public relations route thinking it would be safer. Turns out safe doesn’t always mean fulfilling (especially when it comes with a meager 10 vacation days…).

When I moved to the NYC area in 2015, I started meeting fellow travel lovers and creatives making this unconventional travel media path work. Maybe I could, too? Since I had a full-time job, short weekend and biz-trip-extension road trips became my escape. I launched a road trip blog side-hustle (the blog actually nabbed me a quick TruTV guest spot on Jon Glaser Loves Gear!) before deciding to go back to my journalism roots. In fall 2018, I quit my 9-to-5 and went all in on my travel journalism dreams.

In the years since, I’ve traveled the world to report on stories of culture, adventure, astrotourism, and conservation for publications like National Geographic, Vogue, Outside Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, AFAR, Backpacker Magazine, BBC Travel, Business Traveler Magazine, CNN Travel, Mashable, VICE, and many more. I also turned my love for astrotourism into a book deal with National Geographic and Disney Publishing, with my first book, 100 Nights of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Adventures After Dark, which published in December 2024.

I also integrate my PR/ marketing communication experience—which included leading campaigns for brands like Play-Doh, Verizon Wireless, and Monopoly—into brand journalism and content work for companies, tourism boards, hotels, and nonprofits. Examples include the World Wildlife Fund, Patagonia, TOGO RV, World Nomads, Adorama, Visit Hudson County, and the Golden Isles Convention & Visitors Bureau.