Travel Stories
FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
Copa Del Ray It's the eve of the Indian election results and all my friends are doing a variety of things to keep themselves distracted from this nailbiting finish. I decided to sort through my [...]
For Silkroad Cathay Pacific on Dance
For Silk Road. May 2014 issue KA0514_p058-061_Bengalura dance
For The National Abu Dhabi on Japan
I just got slammed for generalizing but here I go again. This was written before the feedback though. As an amateur cultural anthropologist, I find the differences and similarities between cultures fascinating. Japan is one of my favorites.
For The National Abu Dhabi on Oman Shopping
About incense, frankincense, perfumes, dishdashas and things to buy in Oman
For British Airways magazine on Chennai
Chennai's culture, beaches, food, museums, temples. A survey
For The National Abu Dhabi on business class
Funny what you remember. Travelling with kids: what to do with babies in business class? January 9, 2014 Updated: January 9, 2014 17:17:00 I show my passport to the security agent and, as the proverbial [...]
For The National Abu Dhabi on Bangalore
So many new restaurants in Bangalore. Even since this writing. My Kind of Place: Bangalore bustling with activities Shoba Narayan January 2, 2014 Updated: January 2, 2014 14:23:00 Why Bangalore? This capital of the [...]
For The National Abu Dhabi on Shanghai
How do you create a story about "travelling with kids," the section that I am writing for? You amplify the drama; you choose transformative moments; and you downplay the humdrum of everyday life. Realize from [...]
Travelling with kids on the Nile river for The National Abu Dhabi
I have started a new contributing gig, which is right up my alley. I've sent a series of essays under the title "Travelling with kids." Here is the first one. Travelling with kids: gods, [...]
Latest Articles
Hindustan Times: AI & Studio Ghibli
This post is about AI copying art from Studio Ghibli and also the season of outdoor concerts in Bangalore-- particularly the Ramaseva Mandali ones in Chamarajpet.
WisdomCircle: Character vs Achievement
No matter what the field, there are three things that all of us need for success: content/talent, attitude, and projection or marketing yourself.
Poem: Untouchable: in Humans of the World
This poem won 3rd Place in the Summer Poetry Winner: Humans of the World. August 23, 2023
Hindustan Times: Water and Food pop-ups
Bangalore has always been a city where citizens want to participate in the city’s improvement only to be rebuffed by the government.
Poem: Refugee: in The Mantelpiece
Refugee was published in The Mantelpiece Magazine, published in Iceland, in the May 2024 issue.
Hindustan Times: Ambition & Adaptation
Politician Tejaswi Surya married Carnatic singer Sivasri Skandaprasad earlier this month with great fanfare and predictably some controversy. All of which led me to wonder about ambition and adaptation. Ambition requires nimbleness and adaptation.
Nine features I wrote for Condenast Traveler (US edition) a while back
Interviews with His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Follow my Youtube channel below
Follow my Instagram channel below
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.