Editor

An accomplished and creative editor, Veronica has an extensive background in conceptualizing, developing, and editing compelling content as well as managing an editorial and design staff and a stable of freelancers and columnists on multiple platforms.
"Ronny is an incredible editor. She has a great eye for a compelling story, is able to clearly communicate directions to a writer, and always improves your copy. Working with her was a privilege."
~ Christopher Elliott, travel columnist for USA TODAY, National Geographic Traveler, and the Washington Post

Writer

Veronica has written hundreds of articles, editorials, and reviews on topics ranging from travel and food to art criticism and culture.  She’s interviewed everyone from Virgin founder Richard Branson and Oscar-nominee Diane Lane to TV personality Anthony Bourdain, actor Jeremy Irons, director Francis Ford Coppola, filmmaker Ken Burns, authors Paul Theroux and Jan Morris, and Ernest Hemingway’s real-life “Old Man and the Sea.”

Her pieces have appeared in Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, Conde Nast Traveler, AARP The Magazine, AARP Bulletin, Islands, Caribbean Travel & Life, Worth, AAA Explorer, Westways, Hemispheres, American Way, Eastern Review, USA TODAY, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, AARP.org, RobbReport.com,  CruiseCritic.com, ThePointsGuy.com, Frommers.com, FoodandWine.com, TravelAwaits.com, TheDailyMeal.com, MSN.com, JohnnyJet.com, BedandBreakfast.com, YahooTravel.com, YahooLife.com, FamilyTraveller.com, InsidersGuidetoSpas.com, Latitudes, MoneyInc.com, Washington Style, Americas, Aboard, The Denver Gazette, and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette.
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Veronica Stoddart and Ma Ying-jeou, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Sample stories:

America's Most Iconic Pie Shops From Baltimore to Brooklyn

Food & Wine, August 18, 2025
Few foods capture the heart of America quite like pie. Whether served oven-warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cold from the fridge the next day, pie is more than just dessert — it’s tradition, comfort, and community all rolled into one flaky crust. Indeed, pie is one of America's most enduring culinary traditions.
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From small-town diners to nationally renowned bakeries, certain pie shops have risen to iconic status thanks to their time-honored recipes, loyal followings, and unwavering devotion to the craft. 

Step Back in Time for a Scoop at America's Nostalgic Ice Cream Parlors

Food & Wine, August 6, 2025
There’s something magical about an old-fashioned ice cream parlor — a place where time slows down, scoops are generous, and memories are made with every lick. Long before ice cream became a mass-produced treat, it was sold in small, family-owned shops, often with old-fashioned soda fountains. Among the nearly 18,000 ice cream shops in the United States today, according to IBISWorld, a handful have stood the test of time, preserving not only cherished recipes but also the heritage and heart of their communities. ​

Cruise Into the Heart of West Africa

MSN.com, May 2025
It’s late afternoon in the dusty market town of Kuntaur on the Gambia River as I disembark from my small cruise ship. The townspeople swarm our tiny group of visitors, a rarity in these remote parts, while children latch onto our hands as if to signal, “this one is mine.” After a short stroll through town, we return to shore to witness a spirited dance and drumming presentation, kicked off by a leaf-covered masked shaman, who blesses the event. Before I know it, a tall, lithe local woman with an exuberant smile grabs my hand and pulls me into the dance circle, as the drummers pound out a pulsing rhythm. 

Mekong Kingdoms' Boheme sails into the heart of Laos

Travel Weekly, April 12, 2025
As my fellow cruisers and I stepped aboard the top deck of the gleaming new Boheme riverboat moored near Luang Prabang, Laos, we were welcomed with a traditional baci ceremony that set the spiritual tone for our journey to come. While we sat barefoot on colorful carpets around a pha wan marigold floral arrangement, five village elders chanted prayers to bless our voyage. 

The Cappuccino Originated in This City With 40 Coffee Specialties

Food & Wine, April 8, 2025
More than just a place for coffee and cake, the coffeehouse in the Austrian capital serves as a unique social gathering spot or “extended living room” — a place to meet friends, gossip, catch up on news and exchange ideas, with rarely a laptop in sight. Vienna café culture, in fact, is so essential to being Viennese that UNESCO put it on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list for Austria in 2011.

Where to Celebrate ‘The Great Gatsby’ Centennial

AARP, March 14, 2025
A tale of money, decadence and longing, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel, The Great Gatsby, is turning 100 on April 10. Embodying the glamour and excesses of 1920s America, it came to define the Jazz Age through the tragic tale of Jay Gatsby and his elusive American dream.
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To mark this seminal anniversary, locations from St. Paul to New York to the French Riviera are going all out to celebrate. 

A new boutique hotel in Mexico City caters to culture lovers

Travel Weekly, February 26, 2025
Walking into Mexico City's Casona Roma Norte is like entering an eclectic art gallery. Carefully curated framed photos, artworks, ceramics and coffee-table books, artfully arranged on a long serpentine table and on spotlit display shelves, set the tone for this sophisticated boutique hotel in the Roma Norte neighborhood, which opened late last year. 

Head to This South American City for Soul-Warming Soup

Food & Wine, January 9, 2025
“You have to slice the potatoes thinly,” said Jack Díaz, director of La Escuela Taller de Bogotá cooking school, as his colleague Mariana demonstrated on the cutting board. He was addressing our class of a dozen students gathered in a colonial house in downtown to learn how to make ajiaco, the hearty, aromatic soup of chicken, potatoes, and corn that’s practically synonymous with Bogotá cuisine.

​No dish transports me back to my childhood in the Colombian capital as much as this traditional Bogotá staple. 

From Colombia to Kerala: 13 New Cruise Itineraries You Have to Try in 2025

CruiseCritic.com, December 4, 2024
As cruise lines grow their fleets and extend their geographic reach around the globe, each year they roll out itineraries to thrilling new destinations.
The year 2025 is no exception. Several lines are debuting novel sailings on routes that have not been offered before. Some are perfect for bucket listers eager to check off new destinations on their cruise vacations. Other lines are offering a fresh take on more well-trodden regions in the Caribbean and Europe.

Self-Guided Tours: Travel at Your Own Pace

AARP, October 11, 2024
Did you ever want to take an organized tour but wished that it provided more independence and the ability to customize the experience? Then a self-guided tour, also known as inn-to-inn walking, may be for you.
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A hot new trend among American travelers (though it’s been popular in Europe for years), these tours allow participants to follow a detailed itinerary and stay at prebooked accommodations arranged by a company that transports their luggage from hotel to hotel. 

Guide to Low-Season Europe

AARP, September 27, 2024
With its rich history, culture and natural beauty, Europe is a perennial favorite among travelers. Although throngs of tourists crowd its famous landmarks and cities in the peak summer months, there’s an often-overlooked alternative: the winter offseason. Demand for Europe’s cool low season is a hot trend.

These cruise ports don’t want you. Here’s why — and where to go instead

ThePointsGuy.com, September 25, 2024
Legions of tourists elbowing their way through narrow streets and alleyways, crowding shops and restaurants and swamping iconic attractions: It's a scene repeated in cruise hot spots around the world as countless cruise passengers join with land-based visitors to overwhelm popular-yet-fragile destinations.
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​Indeed, when multiple megaships dock in a city all at once, their thousands of passengers can overload the destination's infrastructure and degrade its appeal with excessive noise and crowds.

5 Great Restaurants in Washington, DC, for Latin and Hispanic Cuisine: Mexican, José Andrés, and More

Frommers, September 5, 2024
The Latino population in Washington, DC, has been on the upswing since the 1980s, and it now forms the U.S. capital city’s largest and fastest-growing minority group. Out of DC’s population of 5.5 million, nearly a million of those people are Latino. Among them, perhaps surprisingly, are the largest Bolivian and second-largest Salvadoran groups in the United States.
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Given that thriving community, it’s not surprising that mouthwatering restaurants have sprouted like cornstalks across DC to serve it. 

Get smarter at sea: Educational cruises and the travelers who love them

ThePointsGuy.com, August 29, 2024
It's a sunny afternoon aboard the gleaming new 190-passenger Ocean Albatros expedition ship docked at Scrabster in northern Scotland. Passengers are gathered not at the bar or the pool, but in a lecture room, where Professor Donna Heddle of the University of the Highlands and Islands in Orkney is giving a lecture on Scottish history.

6 Reasons a Disney Cruise could be your perfect skip-gen vacation

Family Traveler, July 2, 2024
From my first step aboard the 4,000-passenger Disney Dream, I knew this three-day cruise to the Bahamas was going to be special. And not just because my two grandchildren, 11-year-old Jock and 9-year-old Scarlett, were with me. As our names were announced on the loudspeaker, we were welcomed aboard by crewmembers who clapped as we entered the ship. Special, indeed.

So, too, was traveling with my grandkids without their parents, which is part of a growing trend of “skip-generation” trips. 

7 Serene Silent Retreats

AARP, June 6, 2024
In our age of tech-fueled overstimulation, silence might be just the ticket for travelers in 2024. Enter silent meditation retreats, which provide places to relax and reset by dialing down the noise. These retreats vary from religious to secular, from guided to freestyle, from total to partial silence. But they all offer quiet as a possible way to enhance our well-being.

The Best Restaurants in San Antonio to Eat Its Best Local Dishes

Frommers, April 19, 2024
San Antonio is home to some of the best Mexican food in Texas, ranging from authentic dishes to the beloved regional hybrid known as Tex-Mex. The city’s gustatory heritage is so unique that the city earned the distinction being named of A UNESCO-designated Creative City of Gastronomy (one of only two in the United States—the other is Tucson, Arizona).

A New Native American Cuisine Is Emerging in New Mexico

Food & Wine, July 18, 2024
“Corn is very sacred to the Zunis,” says Celia Tsabetsaye, an 81-year-old Zuni Pueblo great grandmother in her kitchen on the reservation. “If you drop a kernel, you better ask for forgiveness. It’s like dropping your child.”
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Tsabetsaye is showing me how to make traditional cornballs using her mother-in-law’s special blue cornmeal. As her experienced hands carefully roll the balls, she says, “I learned to cook in my grandma’s kitchen. But cornballs are only made for ceremonial purposes nowadays because the diet has become Americanized.”

Cruising the historic cities of the Baltic Sea with Ponant and Smithsonian Journeys

MSN.com, June 2024
“We have to invent a new world,” says Solidarity founder and former President of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, to a rapt standing-room-only crowd on board Ponant’s 184-passenger Le Dumont d’Urville. We’re docked at the Polish port of Gdansk, where the Wałęsa-led Solidarity labor movement of the 1980s famously contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. “We have to improve democracy,” continues the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, as the audience peppers him with questions.

Adelaide Has Some of Australia’s Best Aboriginal Cuisine — Here’s Where to Eat

Travel + Leisure, December 15, 2023
“This is a macadamia tree,” said Haydyn Bromley, gesturing toward a cluster of dark green leaves as we walked through the Adelaide Botanic Garden. “They’re native to Australia.” I was surprised — I had always associated the nut with Hawaii. Bromley, the cultural director of the Aboriginal-owned and -operated consultancy Bookabee Australia, was introducing me to some of the endemic plants that grow in this 124-acre park in South Australia. Indigenous clans, he told me, were the first people to eat macadamias; they also used macadamia oil for skin rejuvenation and body paint.

7 Great Vintage Railways in America

AARP, October 19, 2023
America’s heritage railways follow the tracks of history back to the late 19th century, when industrialization was changing the face of the country. Today, many have been repurposed to offer gorgeous scenic excursions throughout the U.S. — from the mountains of the Alaskan panhandle to the ponderosa pine forests of Arizona and the farmlands of Pennsylvania. They use restored vintage cars and steam engines and, in some cases, narrow-gauge tracks and historic depots.

12 Ways To Experience Authentic Cowboy Culture In Cody, Wyoming

TravelAwaits.com, October 19, 2022
The welcome sign at the Cody airport says it all: “Long Live the Wild West.” Indeed, there’s no better place to unleash your inner cowboy than in tiny Cody, Wyoming.

​Founded by that legendary Western showman himself, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody in 1896, the eponymous town is rife with rodeos, cowboy music, gunfight reenactments, shooting galleries, a recreated frontier town, wild mustang tours, and food and art that epitomize the authentic Old West. 

Uncovering the Ancient Wonders of Alula, Saudi Arabia

Discover.Silversea.com, April 13, 2022
On a velvety, star-studded night in the middle of the Arabian Desert, I join a glittering group of VIPs in a venue just as dazzling: the Maraya Concert Hall, the largest mirrored building in the world. Sprouting dramatically from the arid landscape, Maraya shimmers like a mirage, as surreal as the AlUla region that surrounds it.

8 Lush Hudson Valley Museums Worth the Trip (And How to Reach Them From NYC)

Frommers, August 30, 2021
New York's gorgeous Hudson Valley has been inspiring artists ever since painter Thomas Cole founded America’s first major art movement there in the early 19th century. Called the Hudson River School, its 100 or so adherents celebrated the region’s pinch-me scenery in landscapes of the vast vistas of the river and nearby Catskill Mountains. Since then, artists have flocked to this pastoral region, and art—displayed in eclectic museums scattered in small towns along the river—continues to play a key role in the area today.

The St. Lawrence Seaway: Come Along on Our Canadian-American River Cruise Adventure

CruiseCritic.com, January 28, 2020
Cities that ooze Old World European charm. Fairytale castles and historic lighthouses. Storybook islands and whale watching adventures.
Those are the kind of experiences that you’ll find when you sail on the St. Lawrence River with Victory Cruise Lines. The cruise line offers St. Lawrence itineraries in 2020 on its ship, the 202-passenger Victory I, that run from Portland, Maine, to Niagara Falls; Halifax to Buffalo; Niagara Falls to Boston; and Montreal to Portland.

Love Scandinavian Design? You'll Adore these Ships

CruiseCritic.com, October 19, 2019
Nordic design is as popular and timeless as ever. Home furnishing stores across the globe are adopting the aesthetic made mainstream by brands like Marimekko, Finland’s legendary purveyor of graphic patterns; Denmark’s Hay, known for clean-lined housewares and fixtures; and Oslo-based Northern, which recently branched out from its specialty, lighting, to offer furniture crafted with pale woods native to Norway.
Deluxe Swiss Hotels: Three Countries in One
MoneyInc.com, December 2018
​​Famous for its tradition of outstanding hospitality, Switzerland is blessed with grand dame hotels that boast long and illustrious legacies. But it may also be the only country where you can stay in such historic five-star hotels in three culturally and linguistically distinct areas of the country. From Italian-speaking Lugano in the southern lake region to German-speaking Zurich in the north to French-speaking Geneva bordering France, here are three deluxe hotels that reflect their unique regions.
Virtual Antarctica: Come Along on Our Cruise to the Lost Continent
CruiseCritic.com, November 2018
Antarctica is a place etched in the imagination, carved there by early explorers and adventurers who risked their lives to forge a path into an unknown world. Scott. Shackleton. Amundsen. Their names ring down through the years for their daring exploits on the most remote and inhospitable continent on our planet. Almost two centuries after its discovery in 1820, the White Continent remains so mysterious that NASA may well know more about Mars than the entire scientific world knows about this desolate, frozen landmass.

These days, however, ordinary travelers can forego starvation, deprivation and frostbite to fulfill their exploration fantasies from the safety and comfort of a modern-day expedition vessel.

New Expedition Ships: Small but Mighty Appealing

Conde Nast Traveler, June 14, 2018
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This luxe 254-guest ship is now doing edgy trips after a 2017 refit that added state-of-the-art sonar and thermal imaging equipment plus an inflatable platform—a first in expedition usage—that makes Zodiac embarkation and disembarkation easier. Ready for both the poles and the tropics, Silver Cloud Expedition has a heated pool, two whirlpools, a new observation lounge with floor-to-ceiling views, and carries 22 expedition experts (when traveling in polar regions), including marine biologists, ornithologists, geologists, historians, and photographers who lead shore excursions, which are included in the fare.
​Why There's Never Been A Better Time to Cruise (Hint: the Food)
Conde Nast Traveler, June 12, 2018
Want to sail with Japanese sushi master Nobu Matsuhisa, slurp oysters in a medieval Croatian village, or learn truffle making in Estonia? Cruise lines are now making all of that possible—plus countless other memorable experiences that come with a healthy serving of bragging rights.

The push is driven in large part by cruise lines striving to get new passengers aboard. “Everybody cares about good food and trendy restaurants,” says Mary Jean Tully, a travel specialist who’s been watching the cruise industry for more than 30 years. “But they also want an authentic experience, something their friends haven’t done.”
Guinea Pig, Alpaca, and Kiwicha: Are You Daring Enough for New Andean Cuisine?
TheDailyMeal.com, March 9, 2018
Heading to the legendary Inca citadel of Machu Picchu? You’re in for a treat — but not just for the reason you think. You’ll experience a dining scene as astonishing and unique as those iconic ruins in the 11,152-foot-high gateway city of Cusco nearby.

Boasting a mind-boggling 3,500 varieties of potatoes, 300 types of corn and 55 different peppers, and giving birth to such ancient nutrient-dense superfoods as quinoa, canihua and kiwicha (also known as amaranth), the Peruvian Andes have forged a dynamic gastronomy all their own. And it’s on full mouth-watering display in Cusco.
Celebrate New Orleans' 300th Birthday at One of These B&Bs
BedandBreakfast.com, 2018
​From quirky inns to historic mansions, New Orleans boasts as many bed and breakfasts as beads tossed at a Mardi Gras parade. For years, their welcoming innkeepers have shared an insider’s perspective of the city with their guests. As The Big Easy marks its 300th anniversary, also known as a Tricentennial, there’s no more authentic way to celebrate its birthday than a stay at a B&B.

Here are five of the best, where you can enjoy the city like a local.

6 Amazing Expedition Ships Taking Adventure to New Extremes

RobbReport.com, August 2017
Calling all Amundsen, Scott, and Shackleton wannabes. Exploring the most remote places on earth—from the equatorial rainforests to the polar extremes—is about to get seriously upscale thank to a host of new luxury cruise ships that are putting adventure first. Combining top amenities and luxurious staterooms with once-in-a-lifetime explorations to far-flung destinations like Antarctica, the Amazon, and the Arctic, this emerging fleet of ships is charting territory once reserved for only hard-core explorers. Here, we tour six custom-built expedition vessels that will soon be taking adventure cruising to new extremes.
Lions and rhinos and zebras, oh my!
USA TODAY, November 22, 2013
ETOSHA, NAMIBIA -- It's a velvety black night in Etosha National Park as a crowd congregates on a protected rise overlooking the Halali watering hole like worshipers in a cathedral. Eyes riveted on the shimmering pond — lit only by a canopy of stars and strategically placed spotlights — we wait in reverential silence.
Author Paul Theroux on his final African journey
USA TODAY, May 23, 2013
Author Paul Theroux, known for such travel classics as The Old Patagonian Express, The Great Railway Bazaar, and Dark Star Safari, has spent a lifetime famously chronicling his travels to some of the farthest reaches of the world. In his latest book, The Last Train to Zona Verde: My Ultimate African Safari (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27), he writes about one last sentimental journey through the continent that has captured his heart ever since he arrived as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi in 1963. This voyage — equal parts unimaginable squalor and touching human encounters — takes him through the hinterland of South Africa, Namibia and Angola, where he finally asks: What am I doing here? With unvarnished honesty and razor-sharp insights, he confronts not only a continent struggling to find its place in the world but also his own mortality.
Secrets of Hong Kong cuisine revealed
USA TODAY, March 29, 2013
HONG KONG -- Somewhere between the braised bamboo piths stuffed with bird's nest and the pigeon in Shaoxing wine sauce served with its head attached, I realize that all the Chinatown meals in the world haven't prepared me for my customized culinary tour of Hong Kong.
Portugal: Beautiful, soulful, affordable
USA TODAY, May 10, 2012
LISBON, Portugal -- On a cobbled back street in the ancient Alfama neighborhood, candlelight dances across the crumbling, 19th-century blue-and-white tiled walls of the Mesa de Frades tavern. Amid a hush of anticipation, fado singer Pedro Moutinho steps in front of two acoustic guitarists, closes his eyes and pours out a tune of loss so haunting, it can make strong men weep. Those packed into the hole-in-the-wall erupt with approval.
'Dragon Tattoo' tours lure visitors to Stockholm
USA TODAY, June 17, 2011 
STOCKHOLM – Last summer, an elderly couple from the USA unsuccessfully tried to book a trip to the fictional Swedish town of Hedestad made famous in Stieg Larsson's crime thriller, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Undaunted, they flew to Stockholm anyway and badgered the tourist office for Hedestad's location.
Beirut is reborn as a glitzy playground for tourists
USA TODAY, January 22, 2010
BEIRUT — On a soft Tuesday evening in downtown Beirut, the city's young and beautiful are bellying up to the hottest night spot, the bohemian Gemmayzeh neighborhood. Model-chic Beiruti women, sporting skinny pants, stiletto boots and cascading tresses, cluster in groups or with dates inside the hip bars, pubs and restaurants that line this milder Middle East version of Bourbon Street.