{{Short description|English travel writer and photographer}} {{multiple issues| {{COI|date=June 2015}} {{BLP primary sources|date=June 2015}} }} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Christopher P. Baker | image= |caption= Travel journalist Christopher P Baker in Havana, Cuba, 2013 | birth_name = Christopher Paul Baker | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1955|6|15}} | birth_place = Pontefract, Yorkshire, England | years_active = 1980–present | occupation = Travel writer, photographer, public speaker, tour leader, adventure motorcyclist, Cuba expert | awards = Lowell Thomas Award 2008 'Travel Journalist of the Year' | notable_works = Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba<ref name="shop.nationalgeographic.com">{{cite web|url=http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/books/travel-and-adventure/travelogues-and-memoirs/mi-moto-fidel%3A-motorcycling-through-castro-s-cuba|title=Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling through Castro's Cuba|work=National Geographic Store|access-date=28 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083959/http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/books/travel-and-adventure/travelogues-and-memoirs/mi-moto-fidel:-motorcycling-through-castro-s-cuba|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> | television = ABC, CCTV,<ref name="youtube1">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-arYV7_4Rrk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/-arYV7_4Rrk| archive-date=12 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Travel writer Christopher P. Baker discusses tourism in Cuba |publisher=YouTube.com |date=18 December 2014 |access-date=26 June 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> CNN,<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/17/politics/cuban-vacations-cigars-must-wait/index.html |title=The wait for Cuban beaches and cigars remains - CNNPolitics.com |publisher=Cnn.com |date=18 December 2014 |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> Fox News Channel | website = http://www.christopherpbaker.com/ }}
'''Christopher P. Baker'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://christopherpbaker.com |title=Christopher P Baker |publisher=Christopherpbaker.com |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> (born 15 June 1955) is a professional travel writer and photographer, adventure motorcyclist, tour leader, and Cuba expert, and the 2008 Lowell Thomas Award 'Travel Journalist of the Year.'<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gadling.com/2008/10/23/2008-lowell-thomas-travel-journalism-award-winners/ |title=2008 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award Winners |publisher=Gadling.com |date=23 October 2008 |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> He is a contributor to magazines and other publications worldwide, and is the author of travel guidebooks for publishers such as Dorling Kindersley, Lonely Planet, Moon Publications, and National Geographic.
He is best known for his award-winning literary travelog, ''Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba''.<ref name="shop.nationalgeographic.com"/>
Baker has appeared on dozens of radio and TV outlets as a Cuba expert, including on CCTV,<ref name="youtube1"/> CNN,<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Fox News Channel,<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvMuwXUseKA&feature=c4-overview&list=UUCLdKhEL-salhYROBVigRkw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/qvMuwXUseKA| archive-date=12 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Christopher P. Baker interview with Fox News, Cuba 2003|date=10 September 2009|work=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> NBC, NPR, and ''Travel with Rick Steves,''.<ref name="ricksteves1">{{cite web|url=https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/radio/programs/program-399 |title=Program 399: Cuba for American Travelers; Easter in Seville | Travel with Rick Steves |publisher=Ricksteves.com |date=28 March 2015 |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> He is a public speaker and has twice addressed National Geographic ''Live!''<ref name="nationalgeographic1">{{cite web|url=http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/ng-live/baker-lecture-nglive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011042717/http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/ng-live/baker-lecture-nglive |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 October 2014 |title=NG Live!: Christopher Baker: The Soul of Cuba |publisher=Video.nationalgeographic.com |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref>
He is currently partnered with actor-singer David Soul in producing a cinematic documentary<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Vintage/article_Hemmingway.php?id=Cuban-Soul-restores-Hemmingway%27s-car|title=Cuban Soul restores Hemmingway's car - Ernest Hemingway - Features and articles - Cuba Absolutely|work=cubaabsolutely.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redearthstudio.com/project/cubansoul/|title=Cuban Soul|work=Red Earth Studio, Crews & Kit, Broadcast TV and corporate production|date=9 December 2014}}</ref> about the restoration of Ernest Hemingway's 1955 Chrysler New Yorker convertible,<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web |last=Baker |first=Christopher P. |url=http://moon.com/2011/05/hemingways-chrysler-to-be-restored-in-cuba |title=Hemingway's Chrysler to be restored in Cuba - Moon Travel Guides |publisher=Moon.com |date=6 May 2011 |access-date=26 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628224623/http://moon.com/2011/05/hemingways-chrysler-to-be-restored-in-cuba/ |archive-date=28 June 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> in Havana.
He is also well known as an adventure moto-journalist specializing in travel reports on international motorcycling for such publications as ''Adventure Motorcyclist'',<ref name="scribd.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/255854758/2013-09-Sep-ADVMoto#scribd|title=2013_09_Sep_ADVMoto|work=ADVMoto}}</ref> ''CNN Travel'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/12/travel/motorcycle-rides/|title=10 of the world's best motorcycle rides|first=Christopher |last=Baker|date=13 August 2013|work=CNN}}</ref> ''Motorcyclist,'' ''National Geographic Traveler'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/motorcycle-rides-in-us/?sf10042441=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701033208/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/motorcycle-rides-in-us/?sf10042441=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 July 2015|title=Top 10 Motorcycle Rides in the U.S. -- National Geographic|first=Christopher P. |last=Baker|work=National Geographic|date=12 May 2015}}</ref> and ''Robb Report.''
==Education== Baker was educated at Rastrick Grammar School, in Brighouse, Calderdale, Yorkshire. In 1976 he received a BA (Honours) in Geography from University College London, during which time he participated in a university exchange program at Kraków, Poland; and in two Sahara research expeditions. The following year he attended the graduate Centre for Latin American Studies, at the University of Liverpool, where he received a Masters following his thesis on agrarian reform and guerrilla insurrection in Colombia. In 1977, he returned to the University of London, received a teaching diploma from the Institute of Education in 1978, and spent brief periods teaching at schools in London between periods of travel in Europe and North America.
His first travel article appeared in the ''Brighouse Echo'' as dispatches from the United States. He also published articles on agrarian reform for ''Land&Liberty'', the publication of the Henry George Foundation of Great Britain.
==Career== In 1980, Baker relocated to California, where he received a Scripps Howard Foundation Scholarship to attend the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He instead married a travel agent, Kristen Birner, and started work for Adventure Center, a wholesaler and retailer of international adventure travel. His principal duties included marketing plus brochure production. In 1981 he led a travel agent familiarization trip to New Zealand, resulting in publication of his first travel story in the US for ''TravelAge West.''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travelagewest.com/|title=Home : TravelAge West|work=travelagewest.com}}</ref>
He launched his career as a travel writer and photographer in 1982 and initially specialized in international adventure travel. His articles included first-person reports on such activities as bicycling in Bali,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-14-tr-3557-story.html|title=Experiencing Some of the Bali Highs and Lows Are Just Part of Any Indonesia Bicycle Tour|work=Los Angeles Times|date=14 October 1990 }}</ref> hiking to Mount Everest, whitewater rafting in Papua New Guinea, and natural history cruising in the Galapagos Islands. In 1984 he became a contributing editor for ''International Travel News'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intltravelnews.com/|title=International Travel News|work=intltravelnews.com}}</ref> specializing in Southeast Asia. That year he also planned his first group tour to Britain and for the next six years operated tours to Britain under British Pride Tours. In 1989 and 1990 he operated shopping tours to Hong Kong and Korea with former fashion model Kim Mason. He continued to organize and manage trips to Britain until 1990, following which he dedicated himself exclusively to his travel writing and photography career.
He was a founding member of the Bay Area Travel Writers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.batw.org/about |title=About Us |publisher=Batw.org |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> in 1982.
Baker's self-syndicated stories appeared in newspapers throughout the United States and Canada, including front-page stories in the ''Baltimore Sun'', ''Boston Globe,'' ''Chicago Tribune,'' ''The Los Angeles Times'', ''Miami Herald,'' ''New York Post'', ''San Francisco Examiner,'' and ''Toronto Globe & Mail''. His other credits have included stories in more than 200 magazines, including ''BBC World,'' ''Geographical Magazine'' (Royal Geographical Society), ''Elle,'' ''National Wildlife'', ''Newsweek International,'' and the ''South China Morning Post'', and dozens of airline in-flight magazines. He was a regular contributor to ''Caribbean Travel & Life'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caribbeantravelmag.com/find/christopher%20baker|title=Search Results|work=caribbeantravelmag.com}}</ref> winning many awards for his self-illustrated stories.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://christopherpbaker.com/awards |title=awards |publisher=Christopherpbaker.com |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref>
He was also in demand as a commercial copy-writer in the specialist travel industry. His skills as a commercial writer earned him three national awards for best catalogs<ref>{{cite web|url=http://christopherpbaker.com/awards |title=awards |publisher=Christopher P Baker |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> for the adventure travel company Backroads.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://backroads.com|title=Backroads Active Travel: Bike Tours, Walking & Family Vacations|work=backroads.com}}</ref>
In 1989, Baker was admitted to the Society of American Travel Writers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.satw.org/|title=Home - Society of American Travel Writers|work=satw.org}}</ref> That year he was also commissioned to write his first guidebook, resulting in publication of the ''Costa Rica Handbook'' (now ''Moon Costa Rica'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://moon.com/books/moon-costa-rica |title=Costa Rica Travel Handbook - Moon Travel Guides |publisher=Moon.com |access-date=26 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627020814/http://moon.com/books/moon-costa-rica |archive-date=27 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His guidebook won the Independent Book Publishers Association 1996 Benjamin Franklin Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibpabenjaminfranklinawards.com |title=Annual Book Awards Program |publisher=IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards |date=20 June 2014 |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> Baker's first Lonely Planet guidebook, on Jamaica,<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=0864423721|title=Lonely Planet Jamaica (Serial): Christopher P. Baker: 9780864423726: Amazon.com: Books|last1=Baker|first1=Christopher P.|year=1996|publisher=Lonely Planet Publications }}</ref> was followed by Lonely Planet's guidebook to ''The Bahamas & Turks & Caicos'').<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=1864501995|title=Lonely Planet Bahamas Turks Caicos: Christopher P. Baker: 9781864501995: Amazon.com: Books|last1=Baker|first1=Christopher P.|year=2001|publisher=Lonely Planet }}</ref> and by the ''Cuba Handbook'' (now ''Moon Cuba''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moon.com/books/moon-cuba/|title=Moon Cuba|work=Moon Travel Guides|access-date=28 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629110936/http://moon.com/books/moon-cuba/|archive-date=29 June 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
During the 1990s and early millennium years he taught travel writing and photography classes for The Learning Annex,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/LITERARY-GUIDE-2849900.php|title=LITERARY GUIDE|work=SFGate|date=25 November 2001}}</ref> in San Francisco, and in 2006 was inducted as a permanent faculty member in the prestigious annual SATW Institute for Travel Writing & Photography.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travelwritersnews.com/events/classes_salons_workshops_etc/satw-institute-for-travel-writing-photography/|title=SATW Institute for Travel Writing & Photography|work=Travel Writers News|access-date=28 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630112452/http://www.travelwritersnews.com/events/classes_salons_workshops_etc/satw-institute-for-travel-writing-photography/|archive-date=30 June 2015|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
In 1996, Baker shipped his BMW R100GS motorcycle to Cuba and rode 7,000 miles (11,000 km) around the island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0105/audio.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010506144049/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0105/audio.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 May 2001 |title=Adventure May/June 2001 |publisher=Nationalgeographic.com |date=17 October 2002 |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> The journey resulted in publication of numerous magazine articles, plus ''Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba''<ref name="shop.nationalgeographic.com"/> (National Geographic Adventure Press, 2001), a literary travelog that won both the Lowell Thomas Award as 'Travel Book of the Year' and the North American Travel Journalists Association's 'Grand Prize.' The judges of the Lowell Thomas Award, offered by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.satwf.com/|title=SATW Foundation|work=satwf.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629105056/http://www.satwf.com/|archive-date=29 June 2015}}</ref> said: ''"This is a wonderful adventure book… a meditation on philosophy, politics, and the possibilities of physical love. It has the depth of a novel and the feeling of a great love story."''
Baker has since authored more than two dozen other books, including ''Moon Spotlight Havana'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://moon.com/books/moon-spotlight-havana |title=Moon Spotlight Havana - Moon Travel Guides |publisher=Moon.com |access-date=26 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627004657/http://moon.com/books/moon-spotlight-havana |archive-date=27 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and a self-illustrated coffee-table book ''Cuba Classics: A Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.interlinkbooks.com/product_info.php?products_id=865|title=Interlink Books|work=interlinkbooks.com}}</ref> plus guidebooks to Costa Rica, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Panama in the ''National Geographic Traveler'' series;,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/category/books/travel-and-adventure/traveler-guidebooks |title=Travel Guide Books - The Best Traveler Guides | National Geographic Stores |publisher=Shop.nationalgeographic.com |access-date=26 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627075409/http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/category/books/travel-and-adventure/traveler-guidebooks |archive-date=27 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as well as numerous books for Dorling Kindersley.
He has also contributed chapters to such anthologies as ''Literary Trips: Following in the Footsteps of Fame'',<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/literarytripsfol00broo|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/literarytripsfol00broo/page/287 287]|quote=Literary Trips: footsteps of fame dickens baker.|title=Literary Trips|publisher=GreatestEscapes.com Pub.|isbn=9780968613719|last1=Brooks|first1=Victoria|year=2000}}</ref> ''Motorcycle Messengers: Tales from the Road by Writers who Ride'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://canadamotoguide.com/2015/06/02/indiegogo-campaign-offers-chance-to-pre-order-jeremy-kroeker-travel-anthology/|title=Indiegogo campaign offers chance to pre-order Jeremy Kroeker travel anthology|work=Canada Moto Guide|date=2 June 2015}}</ref> ''Travelers Tales: Cuba''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travelerstales.com/catalog/Cuba/toc.html|title=Travelers' Tales: Cuba|work=travelerstales.com|access-date=28 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630103604/http://www.travelerstales.com/catalog/Cuba/toc.html|archive-date=30 June 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''Travelers Tales: Food'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travelerstales.com/catalog/food/|title=Food|work=travelerstales.com|date=4 December 2015}}</ref> plus ''Voyages: The Romance of Cruising''<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xhkxDAAcqPIC&q=baker|title=Voyages|isbn=9780789446176|year=1999|publisher=DK Pub. }}</ref> and ''World Travel: A Guide to International Ecojourneys''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/22075604?selectedversion=NBD12223114|title=World travel : a guide to international ecojourneys / Christopher P. Baker ... [et al.] ; with illustrations by Rob Mancini ; consultant editor, Dwight Holing. - Version details - Trove|work=nla.gov.au}}</ref>
Baker continues to write and photograph for publications around the globe. He is a regular contributor to such publications as ''National Geographic Traveler''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/15/my-city-havana-cuba/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701025031/http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/15/my-city-havana-cuba/|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 July 2015|title=My City: Havana, Cuba|work=nationalgeographic.com|date=15 May 2015}}</ref> and ''Robb Report'', as well as such Internet sites as CNN Travel, Expedia, and Luxury Latin America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luxurylatinamerica.com |title=Luxury Latin America travel: best 5–star hotels, luxury travel tours, and real estate in the Americas |publisher=Luxurylatinamerica.com |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref>
His many awards include being named 'Travel Journalist of the Year' by the Jamaica Tourist Board (1998, Marcia Vickery-Wallace Memorial Award); the Caribbean Tourism Organization (2005);<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caribbeannewsdigital.com/en/noticia/cto-announced-winners-third-annual-worldwide-travel-writer-photographer-awards-contest|title=CTO Announced Winners of Third Annual Worldwide Travel Writer, Photographer Awards Contest|work=Caribbean News Digital}}</ref> and the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation (2008).<ref>{{cite web|title=Past Winners SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition|url=http://www.satwf.com/past-winners-satw-foundation-lowell-thomas-competi/2008-satw-foundation-lowell-thomas-travel-journali|work=satwf.com Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards|access-date=27 June 2015|archive-date=30 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630011658/http://www.satwf.com/past-winners-satw-foundation-lowell-thomas-competi/2008-satw-foundation-lowell-thomas-travel-journali|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Baker is also a professional photographer and has illustrated scores of books and magazine articles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://christopherpbaker.com/photographer/about-the-photographer |title=the photographer |publisher=Christopherpbaker.com |access-date=26 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809004807/http://christopherpbaker.com/photographer/about-the-photographer |archive-date=9 August 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His work was formerly represented by Lonely Planet Images photo stock agency, and is today represented by Getty Images<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.com/search/photographer?family=creative&photographer=Christopher+P.+Baker|title=Stock Photos And Images - Getty Images|work=gettyimages.com}}</ref> and Alamy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alamy.com/search/imageresults.aspx?pseudoid=%7b0D3296A3-B92F-42B6-8993-759C8041A79B%7d&name=Christopher+P+Baker&st=11&mode=0&comp=1|title=Christopher P Baker Stock Photos & Christopher P Baker Stock Images - Alamy|work=alamy.com}}</ref> He is also a National Geographic contributing photographer and has photographed travel books on Colombia and Costa Rica on assignment for National Geographic. He has led photo workshops to Costa Rica and Cuba for National Geographic Expeditions<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/experts/christopher-baker/detail |title=Christopher Baker - Expert |publisher=Nationalgeographicexpeditions.com |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> and Santa Fe Photographic Workshops.
Baker is considered a Cuba expert and has been acclaimed by National Geographic as "one of the world's leading authorities on Cuba travel and culture."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/expeditions/cuba-cultural-tour/customtab/Q+A-ChristopherBaker |title=Cuba Cultural Expedition Q&A |publisher=Nationalgeographicexpeditions.com |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> He has visited Cuba more than 100 times and in October 2003 met with Fidel Castro at the Palacio de Convenciones in Havana. He is familiar with the island's culture, society, history, politics, and economics, and since 2011 has led more than 60 tours to Cuba on behalf of National Geographic Expeditions,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/expeditions/cuba-cultural-tour/experts|title=Cuba Cultural Experts - National Geographic Expeditions|work=nationalgeographicexpeditions.com|date=12 May 2018}}</ref> Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, and MotoDiscovery,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.motodiscovery.com |title=Adventure Motorcycle Tours Worldwide by MotoDiscovery |publisher=Motodiscovery.com |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> a Texas-based adventure motorcycle tour company. In 2013 he led the first group motorcycle tours of Cuba for U.S. citizens<ref name="bmwmcmag.com">{{cite web|url=http://bmwmcmag.com/issuemore/cuba/|title=Cuba|work=bmwmcmag.com}}</ref> since the Revolution, and specializes in arranging and leading customized group motorcycle tours of Cuba. He has also led tours to Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama on behalf of National Geographic Expeditions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/experts/christopher-baker/detail|title=Christopher Baker|work=nationalgeographicexpeditions.com|date=21 April 2018}}</ref>
He is also known as an adventure motorcycle journalist and has written and photographed for such motorcycle publications as ''Adventure Motorcyclist,''<ref name="scribd.com"/> ''BMW Motorcycle Magazine,''<ref name="bmwmcmag.com"/> ''Motorcyclist,'' ''Motorrad & Reisen,'' and ''Rider.'' He speaks frequently about adventure motorcycling at such venues as the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America annual reunion and Horizons Unlimited.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.horizonsunlimited.com |title=Welcome to the global home of motorcycle travel and overland adventure travel! |publisher=Horizonsunlimited.com |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> In April/May 2015 Baker toured South Africa to test ride the 2015 Indian Roadmaster on behalf of Indian Motorcycle Company, reporting for magazines such as ''Rider'' and ''Robb Report.''
In April 2011, Baker was the first foreign journalist to photograph and report the existence of Ernest Hemingway's long-lost and recently rediscovered 1955 Chrysler New Yorker convertible,<ref name="autogenerated2"/> in Havana. In 2012 Baker partnered with actor-singer David Soul to produce a cinematic documentary about the restoration of Hemingway's Chrysler. The documentary, in which Baker plays a fixer, translator and sidekick to David Soul, is being produced by London-based Red Earth Studio.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.redearthstudio.com/project/cubansoul |title=Cuban Soul |publisher=Redearthstudio.com |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=26 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629070147/http://www.redearthstudio.com/project/cubansoul/ |archive-date=29 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Baker is a frequent public speaker, specializing in Cuba. He has addressed the National Press Club{{cn|date=December 2021}}, National Geographic ''Live!,''<ref name="nationalgeographic1"/> and World Affairs Councils of America, among others. His is also a former faculty member of Cunard Line and Holland America Line, acting as guest speaker and port-of-call lecturer aboard ships cruising the Caribbean and South America seaboard. He has also been the keynote speaker at the North American Travel Journalist Association's national convention (2010)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.natja.org/node/1192 |title=NATJA 2010 Annual Conference | NATJA |access-date=28 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630130523/http://www.natja.org/node/1192 |archive-date=30 June 2015}}</ref> and TBEX Travel Bloggers Exchange (2012)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tbexcon.com/us/2012/06/03/tbex-keynote-speaker-christopher-p-baker/|title=TBEX Keynote Speaker: Christopher P. Baker|work=tbexcon.com|date=31 May 2017 }}</ref>
Baker has been profiled in USA Today<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/travel/leisure/2001/2001-03-23-cuba.htm |title=USATODAY.com - Riding across Cuba brings forbidden thrills |publisher=Usatoday30.usatoday.com |date=23 March 2001 |access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> and ''Geographical Magazine''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.exacteditions.com/browsePages.do?issue=9263&size=1&pageLabel=50|title=Geographical (September 2011)|work=exacteditions.com}}</ref> and has been interviewed about Cuba on ABC, CBS, CCTV,<ref name="youtube1"/> CNN,<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Fox News Channel, NBC, NPR, and dozens of other radio & TV outlets. He makes regular appearances on ''Travel with Rick Steves,''<ref name="ricksteves1"/> a travel radio show hosted by Rick Steves.
==Personal life== Baker was born in Pontefract, England. He currently lives in Palm Springs, California.
==Bibliography== * ''Back Roads California'' (Dorling Kindersley) * ''Bahamas and Turks & Caicos'' (Lonely Planet) * ''Cuba Classics: A Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles'' (Interlink) * ''Eyewitness Top 10 Cuba'' (Dorling Kindersley) * ''Eyewitness Top 10 California Wine Country'' (Dorling Kindersley) * ''Eyewitness Top 10 Puerto Rico'' (Dorling Kindersley) * ''Eyewitness Travel Guide Caribbean'' (Dorling Kindersley), co-authored * ''Eyewitness Travel Guide to Costa Rica'' (Dorling Kindersley) * ''Great Destinations: Palm Springs and Desert Resorts'' (Countryman Press) * ''Great Destinations: Panama'' (Countryman Press) * ''Great Destinations: Puerto Rico'' (Countryman Press) * ''Jamaica'' (Lonely Planet) * ''Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castros' Cuba'' (National Geographic Adventure Press) * ''Moon Costa Rica'' (Avalon Travel Publishing) * ''Moon Cuba'' (Avalon Travel Publishing) * ''Moon Spotlight Havana'' (Avalon Travel Publishing) * ''National Geographic Traveler Colombia'' (National Geographic Society) * ''National Geographic Traveler Costa Rica'' (National Geographic Society) * ''National Geographic Traveler Cuba'' (National Geographic Society) * ''National Geographic Traveler Dominican Republic'' (National Geographic Society) * ''National Geographic Traveler Panama'' (National Geographic Society) * ''Illustrated Guide to Jamaica'' (NTC Publishing/Thomas Cook Publishing) * ''Trav'bug California'' (Prentice Hall; with Judy Wade) * ''Travelers Companion Guide to Costa Rica'' (Globe Pequot, 3rd ed.)
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links== * {{Official website|http://www.travelguidebooks.com }}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Christopher Paul}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:American travel writers Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:English travel writers Category:Alumni of University College London Category:Alumni of the University of Liverpool Category:Alumni of the UCL Institute of Education Category:People from Brighouse Category:Writers from Palm Springs, California Category:People educated at Rastrick High School