michelle gross

Three hours outside of New York City, The Faerie Forest is the stuff dreams are made of.
Once upon a time, in June of 2020, a whimsical hotel called The Roxbury at Stratton Falls was opened deep in the heart of the Catskill mountains. About a three-hour drive outside of New York City, the hotel — a successor to its nearby sister property The Roxbury Motel— was destined to become an out-of-this world experience for wayward city-dwellers looking for an escape from reality.
The lifelong dream of...

From Molokai sweet potato pie to Portuguese sausage and pineapple stuffing, these chef tested and guest approved recipes will take you on a culinary journey around the globe.
The world is in a constant state of flux these days, and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, and public health experts strongly cautioning against traveling right now, many of us are rethinking how (and where) we’re going to celebrate one of our country’s most time honored holidays.

In an effort to incentivize business and leisure travelers alike, hotel brands like Hyatt have been rolling out 'workation' packages at deeply discounted rates.
Freelance writer Michelle Gross spent a week spent working at the 5-star Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona to see if the 'Work from Hyatt' amenities were worth the $254 per night price tag.
During the day, she and her partner did their jobs remotely from their patio or from a designated hotel banquet roo...

I don’t know exactly where it started, but somewhere between Alexandria and Asheville, we knew we were in the doghouse. Literally.
With our two dogs in tow, it was our first foray into taking a road trip as a family, and between the incessant barking, howling, crying, growling, and what our vet later described as “destructive behavior,” our chill little getaway down south hit a major road bump.
As most pet parents can attest, traveling with pets can be, well, challenging. From disobedient pas...

If you're not accustomed to flying in small aircraft, it's hard to describe the range of emotions -- fear, anxiety, excitement, combined with pure adrenaline -- that take hold of you as you're cruising across Zambia in a six-seat Cessna 208B Caravan.

When it comes to camping, we are a family divided. On the one hand, Teddy, our 1.5-year-old rescue dog, and I love the great outdoors, bug bites, sleeping on a slightly deflated air-mattress and all. On the other hand, my partner and our 10-year-old dog, Bear, prefer the air-conditioning and high thread-count sheets that come with a luxury hotel stay.

Recently, due to COVID-19 and uncertainty around the safety of travel, I've talked my partner into enjoying more of the great outdoors and taking our dogs on nearby camping trips.

Just two hours outside of New York City, the Catskills is a year-round destination offering an outdoor escape teeming with a wide range of activities from hiking and skiing trails to breweries and sweat lodges.

A women-owned business, Kokoro Care Packages includes handcrafted Japanese snacks, recipes and ingredients from Kyoto and Kyushu all delivered right to your front door.
There’s nothing like being grounded for a few months that really makes you appreciate the minor inconveniences that used to come with traveling. The hurried rush to catch a flight followed by subsequent flight delays. The jet lag, followed by subsequent bloating after a long flight. Ah, the good old days.
I’ve been relishing t...

Travel has continued to surge in July and August, and travel shaming and COVID-call outs are becoming more common. While some travelers continue to share their photos and experiences on social media, many are choosing to curb their online presence or to not post at all.

Therapeutic voice meditation, called Arigato Zen, can be practiced from anywhere through chanting and repeating a simple mantra or word.

From champagne Jell-O shots and playful party food to a life-sized statue of the Tennessee legend herself, prepare to be tickled pink.
Go big or go home, as the adage goes. Set on top of Nashville’s recently reopened Graduate Hotel, White Limozeen— a gorgeous new rooftop restaurant-bar concept that pays homage to all things Dolly Parton— is every bit as big, beautiful and over the top as the Tennessee legend herself.

With the summer heat and humidity in full swing and many states continuing phased reopenings, some people are cautiously looking for a beachside vacation away from the crowds.

Traveling right now is a highly personal decision and I know full well that it is still a risky proposition at that. I've been reporting on how the travel industry and hotels in particular have been operating in light of COVID-19. According to a recent study by The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), while domestic travel has continued to tick up in recent weeks, hotel booking in smaller markets and towns are also on the rise.

As cities and states across the country start to reopen, many people are eager to make their summer travel plans. In light of the novel coronavirus, things have changed since your last hotel visit. Read on to see a few of the ways hotels are adapting and how your next hotel stay could look a little different.
Set in the quaint town of Charlottesville, Virginia, Quirk Hotel officially opened their doors on March 5th. Two weeks later, on March 23rd, as the novel coronavirus began to take its un...

After months of isolation, self-quarantine, and canceling travel plans, many people are starting to think about vacations again and future trips. The possibility of hitting the road with nothing but open fields and endless trails sounds especially good right about now.