On my recent trip to Portugal, I stayed in two lovely Lisbon hotels: the charming Palacio Principe Real and the sleek, contemporary new Convent Square Lisbon. I reviewed both for…
Read More
Recent Work
Dubai’s dining scene continues to dazzle—I wrote about some of the city’s buzziest eateries for the winter issue of Ultratravel. Read it here.
As South Africa heads into its peak summer season, I recapped all the latest from Cape Town for Robb Report. Read it here.
For years I’ve been frustrated with a seemingly universal allergy to zippers shared by all major designers of luxury tote bags. Then I found Cuyana’s totes, with soft leather bags…
Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Best Places to Go list for 2024 just came out, and I’m thrilled to have played a big role in bringing this ambitious package to life….
I’ve been a fan of British-Lebanese journalist Zahra Hankir’s work for years, and when she set off around the globe to report her new book, Eyeliner: A Cultural History, out…
South Africa’s Cape Malay community encompasses a very unique hybrid of cultures—Southeast Asian, Dutch, English, African, Indian, Arab—that can only exist at the tip of the African continent. On a…
For the latest issue of List, I interviewed Jeddah-born, New York-based fashion consultant and influencer Alaa Balkhy about her favorite places in her Lower East Side neighborhood. Read it here.
For Virtuoso, I wrote about some of the wonders of Tasmania—the natural beauty, cultural offerings, and delicious cuisine. Read it 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.