About The Fast Track

The editors behind Travel + Leisure share all that is trending, classic, cool, and new in the world of travel—so that you can go out and live your best life.

Follow us for real talk and real advice, as we scour the globe in service of you.

Why You Should Subscribe

Travel is what everyone is breathing and saving for right now. But in a worldwide universe of content, so much information can still feel hard to access, watered down, or promotional.

Travel + Leisure is a 55-year-old brand that started out by answering a simple question: Why go here now? Back in the 70s, we sent Slim Aarons to photograph Sicily, St.-Tropez, and Malaysia. Because we could.

To this day, our editorial team uses that same discerning lens as it reports on the best places to stay and things to do and people to meet. We love to do it, and while maybe we missed the 2016 boat on calling ourselves influencers, here in 2026, we are—as we have always been— people of influence in the travel world. There is a distinction. Full stop.

Our Substack will demonstrate why we care, so very deeply, about travel. You’ll hear directly from each of our experts in their own fields—all to help you make your own experiences stand out.

We also want you to talk to us. So please comment, share, like, not like, whatever the case may be. Because sometimes, healthy disagreement leads us to new and better places.

Who We Are

Jacqui Gifford

Editor in Chief

I’m the editor in chief of Travel + Leisure. Travel is woven into my DNA. Born in Japan and raised in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, I started living out of suitcases from an early age—swimming in the Maldives and trekking in Nepal before I was four. Today, I feel lucky to share that same sense of curiosity with my son, Bobby–and to discover the world alongside him and my husband, Rob.

Nikki Vargas

Associate Editorial Director

I’m the associate editorial director here at Travel + Leisure and the editor of T+L’s The Fast Track Substack. I’m originally from Bogotá, Colombia, and grew up in the Midwest, where I studied journalism at Indiana University (go Hoosiers!). In addition to my editorial work, I’ve penned two books: a women’s travel guide, Wanderess (Penguin Random House, 2022), and a bestselling travel memoir, Call You When I Land (HarperCollins, 2023). My favorite city to visit, time and time again, is Cartagena, and a fun travel fact about me is that I used to live on a cruise ship.

Susmita Baral

Senior Editor

I’m senior editor of news and lifestyle at Travel + Leisure. That means I’m always on top of the latest travel trends, keeping tabs on airline and hotel news, and helping shape our digital coverage so readers know what’s worth booking—and what’s worth skipping. As a traveler, I’ve yet to visit a country I wouldn’t return to, have planned entire vacations around a single restaurant reservation, and never pass up the chance for a local shopping haul.

Paul Brady

News Director

I’m the news director at Travel + Leisure, where I help readers have smarter, smoother, more enjoyable vacations. I’ve been covering the travel industry—and in particular cruises—for more than 20 years. When I’m not reporting, you’ll find me sailing small keelboats on the beautiful Hudson River and hiking to fire towers in the Catskills.

Liz Cantrell

Deputy Editor

I’m the deputy editor at Travel + Leisure, running the daily operations of making a beautiful magazine. On assignment, I’m always looking for a scenic running route—I’ve logged miles while on assignment in Lisbon, Hong Kong, Paris, even the Serengeti. When I travel for myself, I’m drawn to “big nature,” and I go on one solo backpacking or hiking trip every year.

Asa Canty

Associate Editor

I’m the associate editor at Travel + Leisure, where I edit the Discoveries section. In my free time, I enjoy writing poetry, driving around, and spending time with animals. Travel is a great sport for daydreamers. As Elizabeth Bishop put it, “Are they assigned, or can the countries pick their colors? — What suits the character or the native waters best. Topography displays no favorites; North’s as near as West. More delicate than the historians’ are the map-makers’ colors.”

Jess Feldman

Associate Director of Special Projects

I’m the associate director of special projects at Travel + Leisure. What that funny title actually means is that I lead editorial strategy from start to finish for some of the brand’s biggest initiatives, including the World’s Best Awards and World’s Best Summit. I also keep up with the latest trends in wellness, aviation, and the region of Oceania. Outside of work, I find joy in morning workouts; exploring new destinations through long strolls; fall sunsets on Nantucket, where my family lives; and weekly solo nights at the movie theater.

Lisa Greissinger

Senior Research Editor

As senior research editor at Travel + Leisure, I fact-check destinations, history, and every detail so readers can travel with confidence. But my own love of exploring started long before my career—with a year in France as an exchange student, and my father’s stories of growing up in a small medieval Bavarian town. Wanderlust runs in the family. My husband and I live in New York City, while our two sons have settled across the pond, giving us the perfect excuse to keep visiting Europe. Thanks to my German passport, I breeze through the EU passport lane—my version of TSA PreCheck—so I can spend less time in line and more time discovering what’s beyond it.

Maya Kachroo-Levine

Senior Editor

I’m a senior editor at Travel + Leisure, and our resident hotel obsessive. In fact, I’ve worked on editorial hotel awards for eight years. I handpick each entry on T+L’s It List, which finds the 100 best new hotels, and send reporters to about 250 properties a year. I dispense hotel pet peeves to anyone who will listen—luggage on the bed? in this economy?—and am always ready with a rec for the newest stay in French wine country, so watch this space.

Denny Lee

Articles Editor

I’m the articles editor at Travel + Leisure, where I edit first-person narratives and fashion news. I’m always plotting my next trip—ideally to somewhere I’ve never been—with an eye for great design, fashion, art, and photography, plus any excuse to go snowboarding or snorkeling. This newsletter is where I’ll share the places, people, and discoveries that stay with me long after I get home.

Myles McDonnell

Content Quality Director

I’m the content quality director at Travel + Leisure, which basically means I read a lot of words, and do a lot of thinking about efficient ways to get them from our staff’s minds to the eyes of our readers. I’m a born-and-raised Manhattanite from a family that goes back in NYC for five generations, and while I now live slightly north of the city, everything about its history and culture will always be one of my core passions. As the child of a professional historian, I’ve also inherited a love of history in general, and there’s no corner of the world I’m not up for diving into deep rabbit holes about.

Alisha Prakash

Digital Editorial Director

I’m the digital editorial director at Travel + Leisure. Born in India, I spent my first year living on a ship, sailing around the world, before landing in New York at age six, where I’ve been ever since. But I’ve also built a life around temporarily leaving it, guided by one self-imposed commandment—always say yes—which has taken me motorcycling through Vietnam, road-tripping across the Himalayas, and on solo safari in Zambia. I’m now doing it all with my three-year-old son, who’s already logged 38 flights and taught me that slowing down leads to the most meaningful travel experiences—and the best stories.

Elizabeth Rhodes

Senior Editor

I’m a senior editor at Travel + Leisure, where I cover a wide range of topics, from major sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup to theme parks, celebrity interviews, aviation, destinations, and more. A South Carolinian at heart and New Yorker by choice, I’ve traveled to all seven continents and am always plotting my next adventure—whether it’s 30 minutes or 30 hours away.

Nina Ruggiero

Senior Editorial Director

I’m the senior editorial director at Travel + Leisure, overseeing our digital content teams—the creative minds behind all the travel inspiration you’ll find on our website and social media platforms. I was born and raised in New York, but I’ve fully embraced life by the beach in Los Angeles, where you can most often find me out on the water with my husband and our dog (and soon our daughter). I spend as much time as possible in Italy, and I’m always searching for my next tropical destination.

Peter Terzian

Features Editor

I’m the features editor at Travel + Leisure. My interests include reading classic literature and contemporary fiction, visiting bookstores, buying more books than I’ll ever have time to read, cross-training, and biking around Brooklyn, where I live with my husband, the writer Caleb Crain, and our puppy, Arthur.

Editorial Principles

Great journalism is great journalism, and we hope that you will find our insider expertise of value. Your subscription allows us to keep telling travel stories for another 55 years. To begin, our content will be free and not behind a paywall. Those who wish to subscribe and pay a fee will help support our journalism.