Michael Benanav is a freelance writer and photographer whose work appears in The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Geographical, Afar, and other publications.
His first book, "Men Of Salt: Crossing the Sahara on the Caravan of White Gold," recounts his adventures traveling with one of the world's last working camel caravans on a 1,000-mile trek along the ancient salt trading routes north of Timbuktu; his second book, "Joshua & Isadora: A True Tale of Loss and Love in the Holocaust," tells the remarkable story of how his paternal grandparents met while escaping from Eastern Europe during World War II.
Michael is also the founder of the educational non-profit organization Traditional Cultures Project, which documents traditional and indigenous cultures around the world.
He lives in northern New Mexico with his girlfriend Kelly and their son Luke, who just started kindergarten. They have four dogs (and will probably have two cats by the time Michael gets home from India).