AAA The Extra Mile. Dec 2024. Venture on a trip to the world’s most captivating and remote destinations, so isolated that you can reach them only by ship. These are not private billionaire-owned islands or cruise line-designed party hubs. From the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand to the dramatic fjords of Norway, these remote destinations […]

AAA The Extra Mile. Sept 2024. If you like the thrill of knowing that you have a chance to run into celebrities or an opportunity to receive the same level of pampering as they do, here’s a list for you. Spotting a celebrity on your vacation can add some extra sparkle to your travel memories. […]

Travel+Leisure. September 2023 print. For anyone with mobility challenges, gorilla trekking in Rwanda or climbing Big Daddy Dune in Namibia probably seems like a far-fetched dream. But these days, thanks to growing demand, tour operators and safari companies across Africa are innovating to make wilderness wonders more available to those who might previously have been unable to […]

Going. August 2023. They hang out in trees but are not monkeys. They have small bodies, long noses, and large eyes, resembling a cross between a squirrel, a dog, and a cat. And their calls sound like grunts, swears, wails, and sirens. They are lemurs, the oldest living primates, and there’s only one place you […]

Khabar Magazine. April 2023 print. I’m embarrassed to admit that even as a well-seasoned traveler, I did not know much about the country of Rwanda until recently. About the same size as the U.S. state of Maryland, this tiny landlocked nation in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa has made headlines for the gruesome […]

AAA The Extra Mile. Feb 2023. As you plan your trips for the new year, consider how weather and timing can affect the cost of your vacation, as well as your mode of travel and the destination’s amenities. Peak and off-peak pricing vary greatly, and traveling during unfavorable—or unpredictable—weather can put a damper on getting […]

AAA The Extra Mile. January 2023. Tired of layering in winter gear, shoveling snow from the driveway, and spending the evening in darkness? Winter blues, aka seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a real thing. Thankfully, you don’t need to spend the entire season in hibernation as there are plenty of spots around the world that […]

AFAR. May 2022. As guests arrive at Kasane International Airport in the northeastern corner of Botswana, a woman driver begins to load luggage onto an open-air jeep. Wearing a khaki uniform with a red and white scarf tied neatly around her neck, she helps the fresh arrivals into her vehicle and cruises through the city’s […]

Khabar Magazine. April 2022 cover story. To reach Mauritius—located 1250 miles east of Africa, in the middle of the Indian Ocean—it takes six hours on a plane from India, twelve hours from Paris, and four hours from Johannesburg, where I boarded the flight. Ram Doobree, my limousine driver, meets me and my husband at the […]

HuffPost. September 2021. Veronica Wandui is the executive banquet chef at The St. Regis Atlanta, where she orchestrates weddings and conferences for up to 600 guests at a time. After graduating from culinary school in Nairobi, Wandui was demotivated, harassed and told to stay “in her place.” She migrated to the United States and restarted her […]

Cuisine Noir Magazine. Sept 2019. Senegal is one of the most peaceful and well-developed countries in West Africa and there was only one reported case of Ebola in 2014 (according to WHO). This French-speaking country in the westernmost part of Africa is relatively easy to navigate and friendly toward tourists. It offers pristine beaches, large […]

CheapOAir Miles Away. April 2019. If you’re looking up cheap flight deals to the Rainbow Nation and are on the lookout for a unique experience once you’re there, the Garden Route South Africa could be your answer! The 190-mile stretch allows for many opportunities to check out wildlife, hike, swim, eat, and drink along the […]

For Cuisine Noir. March 2019. What to see and do in the birthplace of the South African Revolution A 30-minute car ride from the urban sprawl of Johannesburg to the suburbs of Soweto makes you feel as if you have traveled to another country. The scenery changes from glass skyscrapers, planned roads, upscale boutiques and […]

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 Cuisine Noir Magazine. February 2018.  Kenya has some of the best-preserved wildlife and to see it with your own eyes is a dream come true. As I drove in a rustic jeep through the vast expanse of the Masai Mara watching, herds of zebras, giraffes, wildebeest and prides of lions walk past me, it […]

For Cuisine Noir Magazine. January 2018.  I arrived in Dar es Salaam with Grace Odogbili, a Nigerian-American chef and caterer from Brooklyn. Having worked with New York’s top restaurants and caterers, Odogbili started her own business, Dining With Grace, in 2010 to offer people a chance to savor regional cuisines of the African diaspora. She teaches nutritional […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away Blog. November 2017.  Ready to explore the enormous continent of Africa but don’t know where to start? There are 54 countries in Africa, offering amazing opportunities to immerse in the culture, as well as view nature and wildlife. Most travelers flock to South Africa, not realizing it is farther, more expensive, […]