Where are you based?

Poughkeepsie, in New York's Hudson Valley region.

What topics and places do you cover?

I consider myself a generalist, which means almost no topic is off-limits to write about. My portfolio includes coverage of everything from luxury resorts and sober-curious vacations to swimming with whale sharks, exploring secret islands, and visiting national parks in the off-season.

The beautiful part of being an independent writer is the opportunity to learn about and cover whatever I'm most interested in! My current interests include cycling, vegetarian-friendly culinary scenes, wellness/yoga retreats, hotels with big personalities, wildlife, and off-the-beaten-path destinations and experiences.

Are you in-house or freelance (or both)?

I'm freelance! Over the years, I've written for TIME, National Geographic, Forbes, Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, Frommer's, The Compass magazine, Yahoo, and Real Simple, just to name a few. I also run a Substack newsletter focused on PR and media.

What is your approach to press trips?

Earlier in my career, I would have considered almost any press trip I believed could result in a story that I could sell. Over time, I've become far more selective. I now approach travel as a business and editorial decision as much as a lifestyle one, and I now prioritize press trips that feel deeply meaningful and personally aligned.

That might mean visiting a destination or property that's high on my bucket list, a chance to see rare wildlife, an opportunity to travel with a +1 or with another writer I'm close to, or experience something else that feels really special to me. That also means I turn down the vast majority of invitations that hit my inbox.

Beyond that, other factors that are important to me include willingness to book my preferred flights (bonus points for anything above economy), ability to accommodate my vegetarian diet, small group size (no more than 4 journalists, ideally!), and hosts having reasonable expectations for coverage that align with the realities of the industry today. When everything feels aligned, it becomes an easy yes and allows me to immediately begin putting my energy toward what's important: compelling storytelling.

What are your professional pet peeves?

Ahead of a press trip, long delays in confirming flights or sharing itineraries can be stressful for me. Travel already has so many moving parts and potential challenges, so timely communication and clear logistics make me feel a lot more confident that things will go smoothly once I'm on the ground.

Purely transactional interactions are frustrating, too. I value long-term relationships and thoughtful collaboration over quick turnaround wins. The strongest work tends to come from partnerships built on mutual respect and trust. Those relationships not only lead to better stories, they make this work a lot more meaningful—and a lot more fun.

In your past professional life, you were…

As a teenager, I worked at a local bakery, doing everything from stocking shelves and helping customers to decorating cupcakes and cookies. My hair and clothes perpetually smelled like cinnamon.

I also spent a year working as a staff editor at a newspaper in Jakarta, Indonesia, which was absolutely life-changing.

Where would you like to return to?

India and Indonesia. I lived in both places, and I would like to see how they've changed (and how I've changed!) since my last visit.

What's on your bucket list?

I'm dying to do a self-guided, supported cycling tour with my partner—we're in the early stages of booking a trip right now! We're looking at options in Europe.

I'd also really like to go to Costa Rica and Patagonia, explore more of Mexico and Poland, and take a surf retreat in Central America.

Your funniest (or most harrowing) travel story is…

During a six-month stint in India, I was nearly attacked by monkeys—twice! One tiny monkey grabbed my neck as I walked (then ran, screaming!) across a narrow footbridge. Another mature, plump monkey aggressively entered my hotel room from a balcony and I had to chuck a pillow at him to scare him off.

What advice would you give your younger professional self?

Don't be afraid to set boundaries for yourself—you have more power than you think, and the right opportunities won't disappear because you said no or advocated for yourself.

What nugget would you like to add that we haven't touched on?

I've read more than 150,000 PR pitches (yes, really!) and I now use that experience to help PR professionals sharpen their media outreach efforts with The Pitch Fix, my premier pitch-critique service.

How best should people contact you? 

Reach out via my TravMedia profile here.