My insider’s guide to Cape Town — featuring tips on what to see/do/eat, courtesy GMs at some of the city’s top hotels — is the cover story of this month’s…
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Recent Work
I have my first story in the US edition of Vogue this June – a spotlight on Jalakara, a new boutique hotel in India’s Andaman Islands.
The U.S. food bible Eater.com is going global, publishing its roundups to essential restaurants for cities around the world. They commissioned me to write the Cape Town one — here’s…
The fashion brand J.Crew recently shot their latest catalog in Cape Town, and they asked me to write a brief Cape Town guide to go along with it. Read it…
A review of the ultra-sleek boutique hotel Athens. Was, a contemporary hideaway steps from the city’s most ancient sites.
Heading to my hometown of Hyderabad, India? Here’s a guide I did for the New York Times on how to spend 36 hours there.
I made my South African TV debut today on Mela on SABC3, taking presenter Carishma Basday around to a few of my favorite Cape Town CBD spots. Watch it here.
For the April issue of Conde Nast Traveler, I put together the ultimate Cape Town guide, tapping in on the expertise of those who know it best to help me out.
Also in the April issue of Condé Nast Traveler: a page inspired by my favorite hotel in the world, Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad.
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.