Samantha Shankman is a seasoned industry columnist who has profiled industry trends, executives, and technology for more than a decade. She began her career as the first reporter at Skift and today contributes to travel publications like Skift, AFAR, and Travel+Leisure. She also collaborates with travel technology companies to elevate their brand, decipher trends, and connect a constellation of data points. Getting her hands dirty as a principal in a Catalan farm hospitality project, Samantha ran the hotel’s marketing, branding, and experiential programming for 8 years, where she learned the challenges and pleasures of building an independent farm hotel. She believes an entirely new travel segment is coming on the market, including travel exclusively to visit farms and touch the earth — and that independent hoteliers are uniquely positioned to benefit and grow from it. Samantha founded Farm Hospitality, a nascent travel club, to curate farm hotels and experiences around the globe.