Jillian Dara Instagram Website For the past decade, Jillian Dara has worked as a researcher, writer, editor, and fact checker for more than a dozen publications in the lifestyle genre. She covers travel, culture, spirits, wine, and personalities. Outside of Travel + Leisure, her work has appeared in USA Today, Elite Traveler, Forbes, Wine Enthusiast, Michelin Guides, and Hemispheres, among others. Traveling, eating, and imbibing may be part of the “job” but Jillian truly believes in the whimsical power of a local culinary experience or traditional spirit to bond strangers in the most chance of circumstances. Her go-tos are a symmetric charcuterie board and a dry martini — dirty. About Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is a top travel media brand with a mission to inform and inspire passionate travelers. Our expert team includes a network of hundreds of writers and photographers across the globe, all providing a local eye on the best places to stay, eat, and explore. We reach an audience that takes 76 million round trips annually, offering valuable travel tips, ideas and inspiration, and products you need to get you to your destination — whether it’s a small town or big city, beach or lake, national park or theme park, road trip, cruise, or long-haul flight, and everything in between. Learn more about us and our editorial process