Bio

Prepare for CrossCheck is about travel, food, libations, lifestyle, photography, philanthropy and whatever other topics grab my interest.

I’ve been covering the travel industry for more than 10 years, first as a business journalist for Nielsen Business Media, then as the founding editorial director for the award-winning travel-planning website TravelMuse.com.

Prior to my editorial career, I worked in marketing and development for a variety of organizations, including Thomas Cook Group, Accenture, New York University and RJR Nabisco, where I wrote and edited just about every type of business communication you can think of, from legal contracts and annual reports to CEO speeches and press releases. I also planned special events, including galas featuring international presidents, prime ministers, business icons and celebrities.

What prompted the switch?

After my last corporate job, I spent nearly a year backpacking through Nepal and Southeast Asia. It was a life-changing adventure. Favorite experiences from that trip: trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal; taking a slow boat two days down the Mekong River from the Thailand boarder to Luang Prabang, Laos; and spending a week in intensive meditation classes while living with monks and nuns in a Buddhist temple in Bangkok.

My goal for that period was simply to explore and figure out what I really wanted to do for a career. Even though I had always wanted to be writer, I had a business degree and felt compelled to use it. Plus, I didn’t think I could earn a decent living as a writer. (Yes, I’m still laughing about that one.) When I returned to New York I decided it was “now or never” and started taking writing classes. Through the encouragement of teachers and journalist friends, I pitched editors, sold my first article within four months and haven’t looked back since.

What’s with the title?

It’s an airline term you often hear for flight attendants. Cross-check basically means making sure the doors on the plane are closed and “armed” with an escape slide for emergencies, and that it’s all been checked by another attendant before takeoff and landing. Being prepared for whatever may come next on the journey is how I like to interpret it. In writing it means verifying your sources; there also are references in hockey, chess, technology and business, but those definitions don’t necessarily apply here.

What’s next?

Landing a new full-time editorial job remains my goal, but in the meantime I’m fortunate to have secured a number of contract jobs as a freelancer:

• Editor of TravelWorld International magazine, published by the North American Travel Journalists Association;
• Contract writer and newsletter manager for Incentive magazine (now part of Northstar Travel Media);
• Editor of the Travel Industry blog at UpTake.com; and
• New York City reporter for HelloMetro.com.

I also contribute articles to other publications, including Time Out New York and DNAinfo.com, and occasionally get hired to write materials for businesses and individuals. Travel still rules my life, however. During the past year I’ve visited India, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico (three times), Spain, Morocco, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Cooperstown, Coastal Alabama, and spent a month in China.

My favorite adventures occur when I’m on an extended solo journey, slowly exploring a destination’s culture and cuisine for a few months. If I can also enjoy a few single-malt Scotches along the way, that’s a happy bonus.