Howard Blount is founder and editor of the travel web site Backroad Planet. He has traveled internationally since boyhood and lived abroad in Mexico, Chile, and Paraguay. Now his passion is navigating the roads-less-traveled of this amazing planet in search of anything rare and remote. Howard is a writer, consultant, and has published with major houses such as Simon & Schuster and McGraw-Hill.

Howard writes primarily for Backroad Planet, his road trip, fly-drive, and cruising travel blog. Backroad Planet promotes the philosophy that taking scenic routes, scouting offbeat sites, stopping at roadside attractions, and getting immersed in local flavor are the best ways to travel. Active daily on social media, Howard through Backroad Planet has a combined organic following of 47K+ and a Klout score of 72. Howard and his travel partner Jerry Woods have collaborated with major brands and DMOs such as Viking Cruises, VISITFLORIDA, ACDelco, Florida Superior Small Lodging, I Amsterdam, Visit Mississippi, Explore Georgia, and the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In sponsored by Visit Central Florida. Howard and Jerry love participating in press trips and other forms of sponsored travel, and they welcome opportunities to work with travel brands, CVBs, DMOs, and tourism boards.

Recently retired from his 35-year career as a middle school teacher, Howard would much rather be doing anything that includes mountains, waterfalls, dachshunds, gospel choirs, books, restored classic movies on Blu-ray, autumn, Florida springs, rain and other gloomy weather, log cabins, cracker shacks, abandoned sites, unearthed history, genealogy, museums, documentaries, scenic and historical sites, castles, cathedrals, the Civil War, National Park Passports, quotes, Steely Dan, Diet Pepsi, anything Apple, all things British, and lists. And on a random note, Howard is a fourth cousin once removed to Truman Capote.