Current Rock of Residence:

Dominican Republic

Island Girl Since:

2005

Originally Hails From:

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Lebawit Lily Girma is an award-winning travel writer, photographer, and guidebook author focusing on the Caribbean region. Her work has appeared in major travel publications, including Delta Sky, CNN Travel, Lonely Planet, BBC, Travel Channel, and New York Times Magazine, among others.

Born in Ethiopia, raised in Côte d’Ivoire, and also schooled in the US and England, she fell in love with the Caribbean on her first solo trip to St. Lucia in 2005. Four years later, Lily left behind her prestigious legal career and took a leap into travel photography, followed by writing — focusing on culture, adventure, and sustainable travel.

Thanks to her work, which includes Belize and the DR guidebooks for Moon Guides, she’s made island living a reality since 2011, from Jamaica to Grenada, Belize, and currently, the Dominican Republic.

You can follow her adventures on her travel and photography blog, Sunshine and Stilettos.