Sharri Whiting began writing about Namibia when the southern African country became independent in 1990. She is a longtime regular contributor to Luxury Travel Advisor and Travel News Namibia. Her work has appeared in Travel Africa/Travel Namibia (UK), St Louis Post-Dispatch (US), Los Angeles Times, Travel News Namibia/Italian, Air Namibia Flamingo, Wall Street Journal Europe, Expat Journal (NL), The Tennessean (US) and other publications. In addition to Culture Smart! Namibia, Sharri wrote the Top Ten Guide to Rome (Internationalist, Boston, 2001). She has lived and worked in Windhoek, Namibia, and raises olives in Umbria, Italy. She lectures on Mediterranean cruises, created an International Etiquette Seminar for the American University in Rome, Italy, and co-directed a graduate course in Italy on international communications for Simmons College. An American, she has developed seminars and lectures on independent travel, food, wine and culture. She has a master s degree in Communications Management from Simmons College, Boston. She is married to Piero De Masi, an Italian diplomat whom she met in Namibia.