Rachel Chang

Rachel Chang

Rachel Chang is a travel and pop culture journalist who grew up in the California Bay Area and now lives in New York City (well, Hoboken, New Jersey). She's a solo travel advocate, dumpling addict, and reluctant runner — who managed to finish the NYC marathon three times. She's also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Romania and Poland. Rachel started her editorial career chasing celebrities as a magazine editor (Popstar associate editor, CosmoGirl entertainment editor, J-14 editor-in-chief, Us Weekly senior editor). Along the way, she also started chasing passport stamps and is now a freelance writer and editor contributing to Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, and The Washington Post, among others. She also edits standalone entertainment and travel magazines. Prior to this, she worked in television publicity at The WB Television Network, and also interned at Nickelodeon and "Dawson's Creek."

• 25+ years of media experience in television, magazines, and digital brands
• 20+ years of editorial experience as a journalist, writer, and editor
• TaiwaneseAmerican.org's 100 Passionate People Pioneer
• Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Professional Gallery Wall of Fame
• Received a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of California, Los Angeles
• Received a master’s degree in magazine, newspaper, and online journalism from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Completed writing courses through UCLA Extension, Media Bistro, Gotham Writers Workshop, Yale Writers' Workshop, and the Highlights Foundation
• Founding executive board member of the alumni group Newhouse 44 and still serves as a member
• 15+ years of experience as a judge for the Mirror Awards


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

Latest from Rachel Chang

Tight shot of dragon sculptures at the entrance to Los Angeles' Chinatown district
The 8 Best Places to Eat and Drink in Los Angeles' Chinatown, According to Local Experts
People waiting for the metro in Taipei
15 Best Trip Destinations for Solo Female Travelers
The Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina has a field of sunflowers in bloom
Asheville's Historic Biltmore Estate Is in Peak Sunflower Season — See the Stunning Photos
Raffles Boston suite.
Travel + Leisure Readers’ 10 Favorite Hotels in Boston of 2024
Interior view of Little Palm Island Resort & Spa.
This Private Island Resort Was Voted No. 1 in Florida — and It’s a Romantic, Adults-only Slice of Paradise
The Fifth Rose bar at the Pendry San Diego
Travel + Leisure Readers’ 3 Favorite Hotels in San Diego of 2024
A bar space in a room at the Rally Hotel, in Denver
Travel + Leisure Readers’ 5 Favorite Hotels in Denver of 2024
A sitting area at the Perry Lane hotel in Savannah
Travel + Leisure’s Readers’ 10 Favorite City Hotels in Georgia of 2024
 Travel Journalist, and These Are
I’m a Travel Journalist, and These Are the 14 Safety Items My Inner Circle of Solo Female Travelers Swear By
KR Liu on trip with family
How I Travel With a Hearing Disability — and What I've Learned Along the Way
A collage of three photos of Hunter Woodhall on his travels
I'm a Double Amputee Paralympian With Prosthetic Legs — Here's What It's Like to Travel the World
I’m a Journalist Who Travels Solo — Here Are 17 Safety Devices Everyone Should Have on Hand Tout
I’m a Journalist Who Travels Solo — Here Are 17 Safety Devices Everyone Should Have on Hand, From $7
Group hiking outdoors in mountains
12 Mistakes to Avoid on Your First Multiday Hike, According to Experts
Aurora Winter Train: Anchorage to Talkeetna and Fairbanks
You Can See the Northern Lights From This Alaska Train
Pumpkin bridge at Blaze in Hudson Valley
This Halloween Season, Get Spooked by 7,000 Pumpkins at New York's Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze
People walk across the street in Chinatown of San Francisco, California
8 Best Places to Eat, Drink, and Shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown, According to Local Experts
People walking and crossing the streets on Bowery in NYC's Chinatown
The 8 Best Places to Eat, Drink, and Shop in Manhattan's Chinatown, According to Local Experts
Waterfront park with pineapple fountain at sunrise in Charleston, South Carolina
This South Carolina Destination Was Just Named the No. 1 City in the U.S. by T+L Readers — Here's Why
A group of people hiking through the mountains
Travel + Leisure Readers' 15 Favorite Tour Operators of 2023
Giraffe walking through the Serengeti
Travel + Leisure Readers' 10 Favorite Safari Outfitters of 2023
Silhouettes of countries around the globe
This Geography-based Word Game Is Like Wordle for Travelers
Exterior rendering of Majestic Las Vegas
A New Las Vegas Resort With No Gambling — or Smoking — Is Coming in 2027
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi zip line
Ferrari World's High-speed Zip Line Gives Its Cars a Run for Their Money
240-meter long glass bridge over the Tsalka canyon, with a diamond-shaped café in the middle outside the city of Tsalka
See the Diamond-shaped Glass Restaurant Hanging Nearly 900 Feet Above Georgia