When I realized Departures, the ultra-luxury magazine, was dedicating its annual single-topic October issue to Africa this year, I knew I had to be included. I’m excited to be a…
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Recent Work
My very first story for the New York Times’ Travel section is a review of an innovative Johannesburg restaurant that features a black chef making sushi with an African accent.
You probably don’t expect to see a tent that resembles a spaceship in the African bush, right? Here are some high-design hotels in unlikely locales, in the Wall Street Journal.
I just received my copy of The Places We’ve Been: Field Reports from Travelers Under 35, a brand-new travel anthology featuring young(ish) writers — including yours truly! My humble essay…
For one of India’s top magazines, India Today Travel Plus, I wrote a big feature on the best shopping in NYC. Check it out here, and let me know if…
If you’re flying Emirates during the month of September, take a close look at the excellent in-flight magazine — I wrote a piece on a quirky new Cape Town shop…
In my latest piece for Fodor’s, I spotlight five great day trips from Cape Town — if you’re visiting for more than a few days, a mini road trip is…
This week I wrote an Insider’s Guide to Cape Town for Fodor’s, detailing my picks for the places to eat, sleep, drink, and more in the Mother City. If you’re…
In National Geographic Traveler this week, I shared a glimpse of everything I *heart* about my adopted city of Cape Town. See the full list here.
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.