Best-selling, award-winning author Gary McKechnie is one of America’s leading travel writers, speakers, and the author of two of the nation’s most ambitious travel guides: Great American Motorcycle Tours, which remains the best-selling motorcycle guidebook in the nation; and National Geographic’s USA 101, an in-depth look at 101 quintessentially American places, events, and festivals.

Gary’s presentations are based on his unique perspectives and awareness of the American Experience. Whether it’s introducing historic events as a key to business success, inspiring  audiences to see American achievement as the key to self-improvement, or motivating tentative travelers to hit the road, he uses his background as a stand-up comedian and improv actor to speak at events across the country and at sea as a lecturer with the prestigious Insights Series aboard the Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.

With a background in marketing, advertising, and public relations, he’s assisted agencies, PR firms, and corporations in developing advertising copy, campaigns, advertorials, training films, and resort videos as a writer, producer, and director. Among the international corporations entrusting Gary to give them a voice and vision are National Geographic, Disney, Cunard, AOL, Harley-Davidson, Budget Travel, and AAA.

His articles and personality profiles have been featured in American Heritage, Southern Living, Washington Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, inflight magazines, and dozens of other newspapers and magazines across the United States. He is the official ‘Off the Beaten Path’ Insider for the state’s tourism agency, Visit Florida, and the Guide for About.com’s bed and breakfast category based on his writing skills... and the fact he and his wife own Florida’s Coconut Cottage Inn bed and breakfast.

Notably, Gary’s received two Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Silver Awards (considered the Pulitzer Prize of travel writing); was the first guest to ever discuss motorcycles with travel legends Pauline and Arthur Frommer (read Arthur’s enthusiastic blog here); saw his book Great American Motorcycle Tours offered as a prize on The Price Is Right; and has been profiled in USA Today -- four times!

What more can one man do?