Michelle Gross

I was four years old the first time my parents packed my one-year-old brother and me into the back of—what my dad maintains was a red, and my mom maintains was a white—Mustang convertible and set off on a family road trip along Maui’s iconic Road to Hāna. Threading its way through lush rainforest..

Some 100,000 of these small dives are hidden in plain sight across Japan. Now, travellers are finally discovering these locals-only hangouts – and the beloved "mamas" who run them.

It’s just above freezing on a late August morning in Itilleq, Greenland. As I peel off my hiking shoes and head inside the home of Emma Davidsen, I’m immediately filled with a sense of relief that I decided to wear socks that are not only warm but, more importantly, matching. Inside, the smell of freshly brewed coffee, chocolate cake, and crumbly chocolate chip scones hangs in the soft morning air of ...

Driving cross-country is an ambitious journey that always sounded a bit more romantic to me in theory than in practice. But when my partner convinced me to expand my horizons a few years ago, we started planning with the Ralph Waldo Emerson adage "it's not the destination, it's the journey," as our guiding principle. We drove a total of 6,036 miles cross-country from New York to my hometown of San Diego and back — and I figured we might as well see as many cool and quirky things along the way...

Between the United States and Canada, it’s estimated that over 800 new hotels opened in 2025, adding to the nearly 100,000 hotels that already exist across both countries. In short, there are a lot of options when it comes to picking lodging for your next vacation.

The first time I stayed in a robot hotel in Tokyo was in 2019, and not only was the technology glitchy, but the humanoid robots creeped me out. So when a new hybrid-robot hotel, Yotel Tokyo Ginza, opened in the same neighborhood earlier this year, I thought I'd give it a try.
I've been covering Japan's travel and hospitality scene for the better part of the last decade, and as tourism reaches an all-time high in 2025, ongoing labor shortages have forced the service and hospitality industry to...

Taghazout has long attracted free spirits, surfers, and backpackers thanks to its bohemian vibe. It has quietly transformed into an eco-conscious capital of cool.
"What are you so afraid of?" Akrou Ayoub, my surf instructor who goes by “Ay," asks as I battle my way through another set of small waves off the coast of Tamraght Beach in Taghazout, Morocco. I'm not a surfer, but I grew up in a small surf town in Southern California, so I somehow feel right at home in Taghazout.
"Surfing at 40 is ...

In April 2025, Japan welcomed a record-breaking 3.9 million international visitors, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). One of the most tourist friendly destinations, there is a learning curve to traveling here, and knowing how to navigate and plan accordingly will ensure a better travel experience.

In its late 1960’s heyday, there was arguably nowhere on Earth as discreetly glamorous as the Athenian Riviera.

A nearly 40-mile stretch of sun-kissed coastline stretching from the port of Piraeus to the southernmost point of Attica at Cape Sounion, the Athenian Riviera has been a popular destination for decades. Celebrities, soci...

Biohacking, bloodwork, transcranial electro-stimulation and an alkalizing daily miso soup for breakfast might not sound like the sexiest way to spend your vacation. But health is wealth and a growing contingent of high-net-worth, leisure-class travelers are trading R&R for self-prescribed “med-cations.”
“The trend of viewing vacations as investments in health and well-being is gaining momentum, with travelers increasingly seeking experiences that offer tangible health benefits,” Alejandro Bat...

From Mexico to the Middle East, luxury resorts are upgrading their spas into ultra high tech, medical grade fountains of youth

As the legend goes, Japan’s Ryukyu Islands were created by the goddess Amamikyo, who is believed to have descended from the heavens and into the sea, just off the southern coast of what is now known as the main island of Okinawa.
The Ryukyu Islands, located in the East China Sea, flourished for some 450-years as the semi-independent Ryukyu Kingdom. The islands served as a center of trade between Japan, China, and Southeast Asia until being officially designated a Japanese territory and rename...

For 450 years, the little-known Ryukyu Kingdom thrived in what is now Japan. Now, after nearly vanishing, its unique fusion cuisine is being revived.

"You can learn a lot about a person by looking at their tongue," Yukie Miyaguni tells me in the kitchen-classroom of her second-storey apartment in Uruma, a city on the Japanese island of Okinawa. I've taken a few cooking classes over the years, but this is the first time anyone's ever asked to examine my tongue.

With my mouth agape, Miyaguni – ...

In an age when green is the new glam of the hospitality world, and the sight of single-use plastics feels like a relic of the past, (at least across most in the know eco-forward hotels these days) one hotel brand is raising the sustainability bar even higher with the opening of a new ‘carbon-positive’ hotel called Populus Seattle this week.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the next chapter of Populus Hotels with the opening of Populus Seattle,” real estate developer behind the project and Presid...

Miami Beach is no stranger to opulent restaurants and luxury hotels. Opening in a former 1920’s bungalow in the heart of the city’s historic Art Deco District, Donatella Boutique Hotel & Restaurant will be upping the luxury ante when it opens its modern meets Mediterranean style doors in May.