The Modern Hideaway

Travel has changed a lot for me over the years. I’m no longer chasing the loud moments or the places everyone is posting about. As I step into 2026, I’m choosing a different rhythm one that feels slower, intentional, and more in line with the way I live, cook, and carry myself.

Over the past decade I’ve cooked, lived, and wandered through some of the world’s most magnetic places: the rainforests of Borneo, the back streets of Prague, the slow cafés of Vienna, and the tropical corners of Southeast Asia where a cup of kopi can change your entire afternoon. Those experiences built the foundation for Hideaway Traveler. But this year, the focus sharpens each place taught me something about pace, hospitality, and design. Now I’m bringing all of that into a new chapter for Hideaway Traveler.

This year is about finding the hotels that feel good the moment you walk in.
Spaces with soft light, considered details, warm tones, honest service.
Places where a cup of coffee in the morning sets the tone for the whole day. Those are the stays I want to highlight the ones that feel like they were built with intention.

The nights matter too.
I’ve always believed that a good bar, a well-made drink, and a thoughtful cigar say a lot about a city. Not in a flashy way just the small cues that tell you the people there care about craft. That’s where After Hours comes in. It’s the part of travel where things slow down, conversations stretch out, and you start to understand the personality of a place.

And then there’s style.
As a chef, I’ve always paid attention to texture and balance and that’s the same way I approach clothing. Good fabrics. Clean lines. Simple pieces that travel well and feel right whether you’re at a rooftop bar in Nashville or a quiet café in New York. This year, I’ll share more of the pieces I wear, the brands I respect, and the looks that match the tone of the places I visit.

Each month in 2026, I’ll explore a new American city through these three lenses: the stay, the night, and the style.
Think of this as a journal of the places I actually enjoy the corners I slow down in, the drinks I return to, the hotel lobbies with the right energy. Nothing loud, nothing forced. Just honest moments, good design, and a way of traveling that feels grounded.

Think of this as a journal of the places I actually enjoy the corners I slow down in, the drinks I return to, the hotel lobbies with the right energy. Nothing loud, nothing forced. Just honest moments, good design, and a way of traveling that feels grounded.

Welcome to this next chapter of Hideaway Traveler.
Let’s see where it takes us.