Cilla Cole grew up in Sydney and after finishing school, spent a year as a Rotary Exchange Student in Indonesia. After studying Economics and Anthropology at Sydney University, she completed a Graduate Diploma in Tourism at James Cook University, Townsville, before returning to Sydney to work in wholesale travel. Now with four children she works part time with her husband Richard as bookkeeper and office administrator for their architecture firm, Richard Cole Architecture on Sydney’s Northern Beaches while spending her spare time planning the next holiday and writing about the last.