Some personal news, as they say: after eight exhilarating years as a freelance travel journalist, I’ve joined Condé Nast Traveller Middle East as editor in chief. I’m excited for a…
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Recent Work
I joined my Travel Is Better in Color cofounders Paula Franklin and Naledi Khabo for Condé Nast Traveler’s Women Who Travel podcast, to chat about the importance of diverse perspectives in travel media.
I’m in Drew Barrymore’s new magazine, talking about a few of my favorite things – from lipstick to junk food to hand sanitizer.
I wrote about a road trip down South Africa’s Wild Coast for the July/August issue of Condé Nast Traveler.
For my first byline as editor in chief of Condé Nast Traveller Middle East, I weighed in on a global feature of CNT editors around the world sharing our post-pandemic travel aspirations.
Newsweek asked me and several other travel experts, like Samantha Brown and The Points Guy Brian Kelly, to share our post-pandemic travel wish lists – read it to see why Albania is climbing up my list.
For the return of Time’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2021, I reported on two destinations: Dubai and North Goa.
For Netflix Queue, I interviewed Indian Matchmaking’s Sima Taparia.
I spoke with influencer Afshan Nasseri about how she uses her platform to celebrate the heritage and textiles of Lucknow.
Awards & Books
Awards
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2021: Honorable mention for the Grand Award, Travel Journalist of the Year
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2021: Outstanding Arts and Culture Reporting for “Zanzibar in the Rain,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2020: Bronze in Short Work on Travel for “Raise the Roof,” Condé Nast Traveler
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2019: Outstanding Arts, Culture, and Lifestyle Reporting about South Asia for “Force of Nature,” Surface magazine
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2018: Gold award in US/Canada Travel for “A Muslim American’s Homecoming: Cowboys, Country Music, Chapatis,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2018: Bronze in Service-Oriented Consumer Work for “My Town,” Virtuoso Life
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2017: Gold in Culinary-Related Travel for “Eating Bunny Chow in Durban,” Saveur
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2017: Outstanding Arts and Culture Reporting for “Eating Bunny Chow in Durban,” Saveur
- North American Travel Journalists Association Awards, 2016: Two Silver awards in Destination Travel and Adventure Travel for “7 Days, 1500 Miles in Namibia,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2016: Gold in Foreign Travel for “7 Days, 1500 Miles in Namibia,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2015: Gold in Personal Comment for “Returning to Hyderabad, Once a Land of Princes and Palaces,” New York Times
- Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing, 2013: Silver in Most Unforgettable Character for “Spitting Distance in Jodhpur,” Wall Street Journal
Books
- New York Times Cultured Traveler: Contributed a feature on Bosnia & Herzegovina to this upcoming anthology
- Best American Travel Writing 2021: “City of Saints” from Travel + Leisure was selected for the 2021 edition of this anthology, edited by Padma Lakshmi and Jason Wilson
- New York Times 36 Hours World: 150 Cities from Abu Dhabi to Zurich: Contributed 36 Hours guides to Johannesburg and Mumbai for this anthology
- My Life Abroad: A Selection of Expat Stories: Contributed to this compilation of expat stories from around the globe, recounting my experience as an American in South Africa, in the chapter “From New York City to Cape Town.”
- The Places We’ve Been: Field Reports from Travelers Under 35: Contributed my essay “When Coconuts Attack” to this travel anthology.