For Khabar Magazine. November 2018 print issue.  The “Welcome to Kashmir” sign at the modest Sheikh ul-Alam Airport was draped by posters of a scene from a popular 1981 Bollywood movie, Silsila, where the romantic couple Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha sing a duet at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden of Srinagar (the largest tulip garden […]

For Fodor’s Travel. August 2018. Yamabushi are mountain warriors that are said to have supernatural powers trained in martial arts and survivor skills—here’s one traveler’s tale of training with the samurai. The philosophy of Yamabushi involves reconnecting with yourself by letting go of human character and immersing in nature through meditative hiking. In today’s modern […]

For Cuisine Noir Magazine. October 2018. The founder of Caribbean Smooth, a new brand of tropical spiced rum liqueur, shakes an unusually shaped black-colored bottle and pours me a taste of his guava-pineapple and passion fruit blends as we chat sitting at the bar of a Mexican restaurant near his home in Atlanta. “This is […]

For Cuisine Noir Magazine. October 2018.  Are you curious about traveling to countries that are particularly known for their UNESCO designated sites? Lazare Eloundou Assomo, deputy director of the World Heritage Centre, provides some insight into how the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) works.  UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. November 2018 print issue.  Before I moved to Atlanta in 1997, I had a picture-postcard image of Thanksgiving — a Caucasian family wearing plaid shirts gathered around a big table covered with a dozen delectable dishes. There was always a whole pumpkin and orange tones to signify autumn. I knew there […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away. October 2018. Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass is just not another luxury resort. Located in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona, this expansive property sits on a Native American reservation and converges nature, culture, and business. Continue reading on CheapOAir Miles Away. 

For One Travel. October 2018. With its luxurious resorts offering exclusive experiences, Arizona attracts travelers who want to not only hike, bike and explore the sunny outdoors by day, but also unwind with good food and soothing spa treatments in the evening. The state’s dazzling desert scenery is the perfect backdrop to refresh, recharge, and […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. September 2018.  “Get yourself a Persian friend. Just show interest in their culture, and the next thing you know, they will invite you over to their house,” says Samira Shakib Bregeth, an Iranian-American English teacher at Roswell High School and advisor for news and opinion website VOX. She and others I […]

For Cuisine Noir Magazine. Oct 2018. If you don’t want to wait around to sync schedules with your parents, family or friends, you don’t have to. With technology at their fingertips and transparency among travelers, women are more empowered than ever to travel the world on their own. Moreover, the rewards are a more enriching […]

For Cuisine Noir Magazine. October 2018. Next time when you sit at a bar or browse the wine racks at your neighborhood wine retailer, expand your horizon beyond the well-known wine growing regions of the world. Most of us gravitate towards the familiar French, Italian, South African or Argentinean bottles for a little flavor of […]

For One Travel’s Going Places. September 2018. With holidays around the corner, chances are you will encounter larger crowds and weather-related delays while traveling. It’s a frustrating fact about air travel and being equipped with the right tools and knowledge can seriously save you some stress and aggregations in case you end up getting stuck in […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. October 2018. Check out some of critics picks in the Oral Pleasure section of the annual Best of Atlanta competitive countdown. Full story in print.

For Cuisine Noir Magazine. September 2018. Sophia Musoki (who goes by Sophie) is a 24-year-old food blogger from Kampala, Uganda. Her blog, A Kitchen in Uganda is one of the first, if not the only, food blogs that showcases Ugandan cuisine on a global scale. Since its inception in 2014, it has been recognized by […]

For Cuisine Noir. September 2018.  London is one of the largest cosmopolitan cities in the world, where different races are not only welcomed but celebrated. The influences of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean are felt throughout the city’s food, fashion, music and art. Here are some ways to get a feel for the global influences […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away. September 2018 When you think of traveling to Mexico, you are likely charmed by the white sandy beaches of Cabo San Lucas, ancient Mayan ruins in the Yucatan, or the active night life in Riviera Maya. But, the capital of our neighbor south of the border has a unique, vibrant culture […]

For CheapOAir MilesAway. Aug 2018 Sydney is the largest city in Australia and one of the most cosmopolitan places in the world. With sunny skies, temperate climes, affluent restaurants, chic nightlife, and scenic harbors, the city offers the perfect mix of culture, adventure and luxury to a discerning traveler. If you have always wanted to […]

For Cuisine Noir. September 2018 The French Caribbean island of Martinique sits just north of the sovereign island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean Sea. Best known for its laidback European-style fishing villages, black and white sand beaches and the bustling capital of France-de-Fort, Martinique also has a long dark history. The Dutch, English, Portuguese […]

For Travel+Leisure. August 2018.  What would you do if you had to trade speaking, bathing, and texting for hiking through forests and jumping over fire, but you were promised you’d come out of it totally renewed? This is not your average digital detox — it’s a tradition practiced by Japanese mountain hermits known as Yamabushi for 1,300 years that is […]

For OneTravel. July 2018. Picture gigantic infinity pools suspended in air across a hill, overlooking the Pitons (dual volcanic spires that are a UNESCO World Heritage site) and the Caribbean Sea. You have arrived at what is probably the most luxurious and eco-friendly all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean! Almost by its very nature, luxury travel […]

For Cuisine Noir. July 2018.  Though much of the Caribbean has seen its fair share of devastation with hurricanes Irma and Maria, the U.S. island of St. Croix has bounced back a lot faster than its neighbors. One of the reasons for the quick recovery, as stated by native Sharon Rosario, is, “We don’t wait […]

One Travel Going Places. July 2018. Fancy walking barefoot on fine white sand holding your partner’s hand, sharing a sensual couples massage listening to tranquil ocean waves, or relishing a slow private sunset dinner on the beach? Head to the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, one of the most popular spots among honeymooners and romantic […]

For Cuisine Noir. July 2018 Japan is a small country with a deep-rooted culture. Aiyana Victoria Mathews first visited Japan as a 19-year old African-American student. After attending Benjamin E. May High School in Atlanta, she went on to pursue her undergraduate studies at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)  and found a way to study […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away. June 2018.  The eastern Caribbean island of Barbados is known for turquoise blue waters, tropical beaches, lots of sunshine, good food, and friendly people. While most visitors who to come to Barbados spend their time in all-inclusive resorts, the best way to experience the island is by indulging in its Caribbean roots. […]

For Cuisine Noir. June 2018. As you start planning your summer vacation and look for hotel deals online, be an informed traveler and select properties that are sustainable. Many hotels and resorts take pride in investing their profits in the local community by training and employing the native population, building schools, organic farms and other […]