It's been a strange & wonderful journey . . .

M. Timothy O'Keefe is a past president of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association and an officer in the Atlantic Caribbean Chapter of the Society of American Travel Writers.

A veteran of more than three decades of travel to the islands, he's been a regular contributor to Caribbean Travel & Life Magazine since its founding.

Tim has published 14 books and more than a thousand magazine and newspaper articles. He also was a major contributor to National Geographic Guide to Caribbean Family Vacations.

His writing and photography have won more than 50 regional and national awards.

Tampa Bay Magazine has called him Florida 's Premier Outdoor Photographer and Writer.

His book, Caribbean Hiking, has been universally praised. Outside Magazine calls it "the definitive guide for hot-weather adventurers interested in more than sunshine and beaches."

Two previous books, Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year: Florida with Georgia and Alabama Coasts and The Spicy Camp Cookbook were named Best Book by the Florida Outdoor Writers Association.

Most of Tim's books are illustrated with his photographs. He has published more 8,000 photographs worldwide, including eight National Geographic Society books, various Time-Life Books, Destination Discovery, Reader's Digest, Smithsonian, Scientific American, Endless Vacation, Islands, Outside, Newsweek, New York Times, Chicago Tribune and all major Florida newspapers.

His photographs appear in 2 coffee table books on Florida: Florida On My Mind (Falcon Publishing) and Florida (Communication Arts).

Tim holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He founded the Journalism division in the Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida.   

His personal website is at www.okeefetravels.com.