Who is Leif Pettersen?

Who wants to know? Oh, all right...

My third-person bio is as follows:

In 2003, Leif Pettersen was "Kramered" by an unbalanced friend into leaving his idiot-proof career with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and embarking on an odyssey of homeless travel writing. Despite no leads or training - and a dubious grasp on grammar - his "unhinged contempt for reality" drove him onward and he somehow managed modest success by deluging hapless editors with material so raw and protracted that a tri-continental international support group was formed to cope with the situation.

Leif's weakness for pretty girls first brought him to Romania in 2004, where the low cost-of-living compelled him to stay. Speaking the language, having an apartment and owning a 1990 Dacia 1310, it's said Leif needs only to learn tuica distilling to gain honorary Romanian citizenship.

Leif keeps a wildly popular blog going about life as a travel writer at KillingBatteries.com.

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"Lonely Planet Romania and Moldova" 4th edition featuring agonizingly updated information and sarcastic comments by myself and Robert Reid is in stores now!

"Lonely Planet Eastern Europe" 9th edition, with my dense chapters on Rom & Mol, is in stores now!

"Lonely Planet Europe on a Shoestring" 5th edition, with my tiny chapters on Rom & Mol, is in stores now!

"Lonely Planet 2007 Bluelist" includes a piece I contributed about the Danube Delta.

So, to sum up: freelance writer, homeless, wino.

In addition the massive undertaking of this web site, I have also written about Romania and Moldova in the following capacities:

• "Tiraspol" a feature article for LonelyPlanet.com
• "Iasi; The Final Frontier" for Global Traveler magazine
• The Romania and Moldova sections for the "Lonely Planet Europe" coffee table book
• Updated the pages for both countries for LonelyPlanet.com's Worldguide
• Wrote about the Danube Delta for Lonely Planet's "Lonely Planet 2007 Bluelist"
• Blogged his 2007 Romania visit for Gadling.
• And of course, wrote/contributed to the chapters for Romania & Moldova for Lonely Planet's "Europe on a Shoestring" (publication March 2007), "Eastern Europe" (publication February 2007), and "Romania & Moldova" (publication May 2007)

When I'm not LP's willing whore for Romania, Moldova and Tuscany, I can write with authority on countless other destinations and topics, and do for several publications including Global Traveler magazine, Experience magazine and MSN.

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