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Susmita Baral

@sushbaral

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senior editor @travelandleisure
alter ego @whereismymacandcheese

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Tourist traps get a bad rap. But maybe the restaurant with the laminated menu, the famous dish, and the perfect view is exactly where you want to eat.

In her latest for Substack, Travel + Leisure senior editor Susmita Baral makes the case that you don’t have to hunt down the most obscure spot or prove your travel status by eating “like a local,” but your behavior in these places matter.

"Where I do think travelers have an obligation is in how they behave toward the places they visit," writes @sushbaral.

Read the full piece at the link in our bio. #TheFastTrack by @sushbaral

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23 days ago

Got to go back to Peru this year, and apparently I have a reputation. A driver told me his colleague had warned him: “She will make you stop every time she sees a llama, alpaca, or vicuña.”

I’d like to formally plead guilty. 🦙🦙🦙 An artisan working on a textile project. taken in Perú by @sushbaral

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2 months ago

"I don’t believe in bargaining anymore. A few years ago, I couldn’t have disagreed more," writes Travel + Leisure senior editor @sushbaral.

"As someone of South Asian heritage, I always felt wandering through markets, haggling with vendors, and negotiating a price down by 50 percent was like unlocking an ancestral achievement badge: the real reward was bragging about it later and earning the respect of my aunties." But somewhere along the way, her thinking changed.

"Maybe it was growing up. Maybe it was witnessing poor tourist behavior. Maybe it was realizing that paying more than a local doesn’t automatically mean I’m getting ripped off. Mostly, though, it was recognizing that I’d started treating bargaining like a game to win."

Comment SUBSTACK to get the link sent directly to you or head to the link in our bio to read more. by @sushbaral

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3 months ago

🇦🇶 raw-dogged the Drake (no dramamine or scopolamine) and I live to tell the tale taken in Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica by @sushbaral

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8 months ago

2025 🥹🍾 by @sushbaral

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10 months ago

late #Albania drop because jet lag is real 🇦🇱 taken in Albania by @sushbaral

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a year ago

six years to leave the group chat 🥹 but worth the wait for the newest friend (bump cameo @brieberry_waffles 💕)
#palawan #philippines #elnido taken in El Nido, Palawan Island, Philippines by @sushbaral

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2 years ago

2024 👋🏾 by @sushbaral

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2 years ago

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#jordan #wadirum #wadirumjordan #amman #petrajordan #catsofjordan taken in Jordan by @sushbaral

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3 years ago

camel candids > susmita candids camel in wadi rum taken in Jordan by @sushbaral

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3 years ago

important Internet queries were made Girl standing in front of parm wheel taken in Italy by @sushbaral

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4 years ago

pretending I’m still in Maui by @sushbaral

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5 years ago