Where are you based?
I divide my time between New England and New York.
What topics and places do you cover?
Within travel, I cover hotels, industry and consumer news and trends, new openings and attractions, women's travel, food and drink, and some cruising.
I've been as far as Fiji, to date. My scope of destination coverage has extended to many destinations around the globe; recent stories have involved guides ranging from Anchorage to Aruba but I cover the U.S. and Europe often.
Outside of travel, I write about books, arts and entertainment, fascinating or quirky histories, and local news.
What you don't write about?
I shy away from family travel and pet travel (I'm neither a parent nor a pet owner). With the outdoors, I report on topics relating to preservation and parks, but I tend to avoid heavy-duty adventure travel.
What outlets do you usually pitch (and write for)?
I often write for AAA publications including The Extra Mile and Traveler Worldwise, Livability, Fodor's, and USA Today's 10Best. Other recent bylines extend to Plate Magazine, Time Out, VinePair, and Azure Road.
Additionally, I contribute to niche publications, such as this one on chocolate. I've written copy for I LOVE NY and various travel and hospitality businesses and updated guidebook chapters.
In the past, I've landed stories on AARP, BBC Travel, Thrillist, Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, Smithsonian Magazine, Lonely Planet, Tripadvisor, and Frommers.
The best PR pitches include ...
A strong subject line and a direct and concise message informing me about your client or event, with a brief but detailed summary.
Are you in-house or freelance (or both)?
Freelance
What is your approach to press trips?
I've been open to both individual and group press trips but I find that individual trips give me more opportunities to scope out potential story ideas.
I advocate for having a fair amount of free time not only to catch up on emails and rest but also to scout out places or things not included in our itinerary. I also appreciate the flexibility with our meeting times or adding something to our itinerary that's not already included.
What are your professional pet peeves?
They are probably ones that other travel writers dislike too. It can range from getting pitches on topics beyond my scope of coverage to having to repeatedly follow up on getting a press trip itinerary/flight info.
The latter is especially important if a press trip involves a destination where the local weather or activities involve specific clothing or gear that we might not have on hand. I try to ask for a packing list sooner so if I need to buy something I can get it right away.
I'm sure others might relate to this one. At times, my first and/or last name is misspelled on things like emails, hotel/flight reservation forms, name badges, and greeting cards. It does sting a bit.
In your past professional life, you were …
I've always been a writer. I started my career at a community newspaper chain in Connecticut and worked my way up from an editorial assistant to a lifestyle section editor.
I moved on to a B2B magazine in the education sector until the Great Recession severely impacted that outlet. Following that job, I held writing gigs involving everything from creating dating profiles for Match[dot]com, to drafting blog posts for Bigelow Tea.
Where would you like to return to?
I'll always have a soft spot for Ireland, where much of my family is from. My first trip to Italy taught me a great deal about food, history, and art, and I want to see Sicily someday. I love venturing around New York and I would like to see more of Maine and Vermont and the American West.
What's on your bucket list?
I'm three states short of having visited all fifty (Iowa, Delaware, and West Virginia) and two continents (Australia and Antarctica) short of having visited all seven. Other dream destinations include Scotland, New Zealand, Romania, Georgia, India, Greenland, Chile, Vietnam and the Stans.
Where do you travel for fun?
I try to get back to Ireland as much as I can to see my relatives and more of both the Republic and Northern Ireland. Domestically, I go on urban hikes in New York City and venture around New York State and New England.
Your funniest (or most harrowing) travel story is …
In March 2020, I arrived in Helsinki right before the Trump Administration's coronavirus European travel ban was announced. Our group had to return to the airport the next morning and fly back to JFK; the tourism board didn't want to take any chances with us. I was only in Finland for maybe 26 hours.
What advice would you give your younger professional self?
When I started freelancing, I would try to do as much as I could in terms of landing assignments and projects and I would get overloaded. I've learned to pace myself better and continue to build my expertise and skillset. Also, write well but edit yourself.
What nugget would you like to add that we haven't touched on?
I try to save emails in the case that pitches might not be a fit right now but could be for a story soon. Aside from pitches, newsletters are also a great source for story ideas as I can read through them to see what's happening or what's new.
How best should people contact you?
Please contact me through my TravMedia profile or via the Gmail address that's listed on my profile. Thanks.
