Travel Stories
For The National Abu Dhabi on Turkey
I love cheese. I wish I knew more about them. But to eat a Manchego in Spain or a Brie de Meaux in France, a Stilton in Britain, or Gorgonzola with Barolo in Italy doubles [...]
For Qantas Magazine on Oman
Oudh and frankincense epitomise Oman. How to buy this?
For Silkroad on Tea art
Can India make tea as upmarket as the Chinese have done?
For The National Abu Dhabi on New Zealand
Auckland and beyond in a car with kids. And we learn about each other.
For The National Abu Dhabi on Barcelona
Ah Barcelona! If you are an architecture or design or sports buff, or a foodie, this is the city to go to. Travelling with kids: When shopping abroad is a holiday July 24, 2014 Updated: [...]
For British Airways magazine on Hyderabad
Andhra Thali, bangles, palaces, shopping. Things to do in this syncretic city.
For The National Abu Dhabi on Bangkok
My Dad talks about this incident to this day. Tuk-tuk tricks and Bangkok bartering Shoba Narayan May 29, 2014 Updated: May 29, 2014 11:47:00 It begins innocently enough. We’re in Bangkok and my 12-year-old wants [...]
For The National Abu Dhabi on Hyderabad
Travelling with kids: History is more fun with new friends Shoba Narayan May 22, 2014 Updated: May 22, 2014 15:57:00 My husband asks as we disembark the plane: “Did you know that the Nizam didn’t [...]
For The National Abu Dhabi on Summer holidays
As someone who loves swanky hotels, that last bit is going to be hard to follow. Maybe later on that one. Opinion Comment When did travelling overseas stop being an adventure? Shoba Narayan March 25, [...]
Latest Articles
Poem: From the mustache, a moon cloud: in The Seraphic Review
from the mustache a moon cloud, was published in The Seraphic Review, Issue 3. February 2024. I honestly cannot tell where this poem came from. I write in the morning in my notebook and sometimes remnants from the night's dreams will come on the page. I think this came out of that free writing exercise.
Hindustan Times: Beyond Bangalore Startups
How is Bangalore is different from the events that he has organised in Delhi and Mumbai, I ask Raihan Vadra. Well, for one thing, Bangaloreans actually listen, he replies, echoing what Akhila said. In Delhi, young people quickly lose interest in hour-long panel-discussions.
Poem: The turtle widow: in Lucky Jefferson
The turtle widow was published in Lucky Jefferson 365 collection. I think the images come from majestic turtles who hold ancient secrets from within them and the real fear that we all have of falling-- in this case, falling down a waterfall.
Poem: When the body becomes all eyes: in The Rogue Agent Journal
This is the first poem of mine that got published in October 2023 in Issue 103 of the Rogue Agent Journal.
Hindustan Times: Cheese & Bread in Bangalore
Today, oddly enough, happens to be World Malbec Day, an entirely manufactured celebration, brazenly marketed as a “world” event, when in fact, it was created by Argentina to promote their Malbec grape. Heck, it worked.
Poem: Nagging Instructions: in The Stillwater Review
This poem was published in Volume 14 of The Stillwater Review on June 9, 2024. This is a print journal published by the The Betty June Silconas Poetry Center at Sussex County Community College in New Jersey.
Nine features I wrote for Condenast Traveler (US edition) a while back
Interviews with His Holiness The Dalai Lama
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Shoba Narayan is an award-winning Indian author, journalist, and freelance travel writer based in India. She specialises in luxury travel, immersive journeys, and Indian culture with a focus on food, wine, culture, cities, and identity. With over two decades of experience, she has contributed travel features to Condé Nast Traveler (US edition), Travel & Leisure, DestinAsian, Mint Lounge, The National (Abu Dhabi), Taj Magazine, and Hindustan Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph UK, The Guardian UK, and Robb Report among others. Her awards include the James Beard food-writing award and a Pulitzer Travel Fellowship. Her travel writing spans India, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, the Maldives, Bhutan, Costa Rica, and beyond — always with a focus on the sensory, the cultural, and the deeply human. Based in Bangalore, India, Shoba is a leading voice on South Asian travel, reviewing luxury hotels in India and abroad, and writing immersive features on traditional Indian crafts, and contemporary Indian culture. As a freelance travel writer and memoirist, she writes evocative, deeply researched features on everything from birding in Costa Rica to spiritual tourism in Bhutan.
For editors: Shoba Narayan is an Indian travel writer and food writer, who contributes to assignments on travel, food, culture, and Indian cities. She has reported from across the world and writes narrative-driven features with a strong sense of place.
Key Expertise: India travel writer, freelance travel writer India, South Asia travel journalist, luxury travel India writer, food and travel writer India, Indian food writer, Bangalore travel writer, South India travel writing, cultural travel writer, narrative travel journalist, travel features India, heritage travel India, slow travel India, sustainability travel writer, hotel and destination features India, travel essays South Asia.